Georgia regulator on why he opposed Jake Paul bout: ‘Not a very safe fight’
Jake Paul moved his Netflix exhibition boxing fight against Gervonta “Tank” Davis from Atlanta to Miami because the chairman of the Georgia government agency that sanctions fights like this objected to the wide weight difference between the two fighters.
Most Valuable Promotions, which is run by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, sought a weight class waiver from the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission. The commission, which encompasses five members, had not yet met to decide whether to grant the waiver.
But Rick Thompson, who runs the GAEC, told USA Today on Sept. 8 that he was against the fight happening at State Farm Arena Nov. 14, calling it a “money grabber.”
“This opinion makes me a little unpopular,” Thompson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday evening. “But it’s just not a very safe fight. Our legislative duties are to protect the fighters and the fans. I cannot be the chairman when someone dies in the state of Georgia during a sanctioned fight.”
Thompson estimated that the likely weight difference between the two fighters Paul and Gervonta “Tank” Davis would be at least 60 pounds, significantly greater than a standard 9-pound leeway. Davis weighed in at 133 ¾ pounds for his last fight and Paul weighed 199 ½ pounds for his previous fight.
After Thompson informed USA Today of his objections, MVP’s Bidarian told ESPN she began seeking an alternative site for the fight.
The Florida Athletic Commission was willing to allow a waiver on the weight disparity as long as the bout was designated an exhibition match as opposed to a sanctioned professional fight.
To ESPN, Bidarian accused Thompson of “publicly misrepresenting the facts and undermining what was set to be a massive event for Atlanta, featuring multiple world championship bouts and the launch of efforts to revitalize world-class boxing in Georgia,”
Thompson acknowledged that the fight, which is set to air live on Netflix, would have injected significant money into the Atlanta tourism business.
“It would have been a big windfall,” he said. “It would have been a circus.”
MVP did not respond to a follow-up interview request with the AJC.
The shift in venue was abrupt. Just a few days ago, MVP had set up a press conference and public media event at State Farm Arena for Thursday to promote the fight. But on Wednesday, MVP announced the fight’s move to Miami’s Kaseya Center and the Thursday event was canceled.
Thompson said he did not know what the other four commissioners with the GAEC would have done regarding the fight and has not heard from them.
The GAEC commissioners are appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp and sanction more than 100 fights a year in areas like boxing and mixed martial arts, Thompson said. They regulate drug testing and ensure boxers are in the proper weight class.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
