Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis fight rules explained: Shorter rounds and bigger gloves among unique regulations

Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis is taking shape. On Monday, Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, announced the stipulations for the boxing match that pits Paul, a cruiserweight by trade, against Davis, a lightweight champion.

MVP held a press conference in New York City for the Nov. 14 fight. The curious showdown will be a 10-round exhibition with three-minute rounds. The exhibition fight will not go on either fighter’s professional record, but ringside judges will be present to determine a winner. The maximum weight allowance is 185 pounds, and the fighters will wear 12-ounce gloves. 

Paul has exclusively fought with 10-ounce gloves, excluding the 14-ounce gloves he wore for his exhibition match with Mike Tyson last November. Davis normally wears eight-ounce gloves, standard for fighters competing at welterweight or lower.

Last week, MVP announced the fight would take place at the Kaseya Center in Miami after plans to host the fight at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena fell through. The exhibition fight received pushback from Georgia’s athletic commission, which needed to approve the fight.

The most glaring issue with Paul vs. Davis is the weight difference. Paul regularly competes at 200 pounds, roughly 65 pounds heavier than WBA lightweight champion Davis’ normal weight class of 135.

Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) is vastly more experienced with stoppage wins over Ryan Garcia, Rolando Romero, Isaac Cruz and Mario Barrios. He’s coming off a controversial majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. Despite his experience, “Tank” is giving up a concerning amount of weight in this fight.

Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) most recently beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by unanimous decision. His most high-profile wins include former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, and twice beating former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley.