Jake Paul scores first blood in Gervonta Davis rivalry
Topps has unveiled its first boxing trading card set since 1951. However, the debut has already ignited fierce debate among fans after the company included Jake Paul and suddenly removed Gervonta Davis.
Paul has made a habit out of facing past-their-best combat stars from boxing and UFC, pushing to a 12-1 ledger and losing to the only real prime boxer he ever faced, Tommy Fury.
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Davis, meanwhile, has out-of-the-ring problems, ring inactivity, and a recent jail term behind him, which Topps obviously wouldn’t elaborate on in its announcement.
Topps Boxing Card Controversy
The company confirmed, “Our first boxing trading card set since 1951 is here.
“Topps Chrome Boxing features legends, rookies, and stars, and is the first boxing release in history to be officially licensed by multiple boxing promotions.”
The set is available for pre-order on August 11.
They added, “UPDATE: Gervonta Davis will not be included in this collection.”
The official checklist now confirms the appearance of Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, and Jake Paul among the headline names. Top Rank has also revealed their fighters will feature, with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions yet to confirm.
No Reason Given
The image of Davis’s gold-framed “1/1” autographed card, part of early promotional material, confirms Topps initially slated the Baltimore fighter to appear before being dropped.
WBN has reached out to Topps and PBC to see if the decision to remove Davis has any bearing on the likes of Manny Pacquiao and David Benavidez featuring in the collection.
While Topps did not cite a reason for the change, the decision comes as Davis faces an August 12 court date following a string of legal issues and arrests.
Fan Reaction
Fan reaction to the Paul vs Davis (who once called each other out) situation, in which the YouTuber scored first blood, was swift and heated on social media.
“Why did you put Jake Paul in it? Be for real. Not a serious group,” said one regarding the influencer boxer’s ‘Hidden Gems’ card.
Another added, “This was great until I saw the Jake Paul card. He’s not a real boxer; he doesn’t even fight boxers.”
“So you drop Tank but keep Jake? Wild,” stated a third.
With Davis gone and Paul in, the launch of Topps Chrome Boxing is already shaping up to be one of the most controversial trading card releases in recent sports history.
