Rules agreed for Paul vs. Davis bout

The upcoming fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis has been officially set with detailed rules regarding weight, gloves, duration, and judging.

The matchup is scheduled for November 14 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, and will be classified as an exhibition bout with a declared winner.

The fighters will compete at a catchweight with a maximum limit of 88.45 kg (195 pounds). This weight cap was approved by the Florida Athletic Commission to bridge the stark size difference between Davis, the WBA lightweight world champion who fights at around 61 kg (135 pounds), and Paul, who has recently competed closer to90 kg (200 pounds). Paul’s camp estimates Davis could enter the ring near 160 pounds. 

Both fighters will wear 12-ounce gloves, a size larger than what is typical in their usual classes. Davis, who fights mostly at welterweight or below, typically uses 8-ounce gloves, while Paul usually fights with 10-ounce gloves. The larger 12-ounce gloves add padding and could impact the dynamics of the fight.

The bout will consist of 10 rounds, each lasting three minutes. This is shorter than the standard 12-round format typical for male world title fights but longer than Paul’s previous longest bouts.

The fight will be scored by three judges approved by the commission, who will apply the official ten-point must system to decide a winner if the fight goes the distance. Although it is an exhibition, the winner will be officially declared.

USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) will conduct drug testing on both fighters, making sure the competition is clean.

The fight has been arranged as a professional exhibition, with fighter licenses valid but without impacting their professional records. The event was moved from Atlanta to Miami after regulatory challenges in Georgia.

Paul is quite eager to finish the bout decisively, hoping to land his first knockout in a while: “I haven’t got a knockout in a long time, so I’m itching. I’m just excited to be able to deliver that for the fans and have another most viral knockout ever”. Davis is aware of the weight disparity between the two of them, but he is counting on his reflexes, as he believes “I’m much quicker than him”.