The World Boxing Association’s latest order involving Gervonta Davis and Floyd Schofield makes almost no sense when placed alongside the organization’s own January decision regarding the lightweight title.
The WBA Championships Committee officially ordered Davis to defend the belt against mandatory challenger Schofield this week, repeatedly referring to “Tank” as the “reigning champion” while citing active title defense rules within its statement.
There is just one problem.
World Boxing News removed Davis from its lightweight champions list in January after WBA president Gilberto Mendoza publicly confirmed the unbeaten star had been stripped and moved into “Champion in Recess” status.
That designation is generally used as a form of inactive recognition, allowing a fighter to eventually return and challenge for the title again without going through the rankings.
It is not normally used for an active reigning champion still making mandatory defenses.
Gervonta Davis Order
Despite that, the WBA statement issued on Saturday declared:
“The World Boxing Association Championships Committee has officially ordered the mandatory lightweight title bout between reigning champion Gervonta Davis and the division’s No. 1 contender, Floyd Schofield.”
The organization then doubled down by citing Championship Rule C.10 regarding mandatory defenses:
“Champions in all divisions outside of heavyweight are required to defend their titles every nine (9) months from the date the championship was obtained.”
The WBA also referenced Rule C.13, which states:
“A champion may not compete against any boxer other than the official mandatory challenger within sixty (60) days after the expiration of the mandatory defense period.”
Again, those are rules applying to an active champion.
That is where the confusion begins.
If Davis was stripped and moved into recess status in January, why is the WBA now treating him as the active reigning titleholder still fulfilling mandatory obligations?
Lamont Roach Rematch
The timing becomes even stranger given that a rematch between Davis and Lamont Roach Jr. has already been widely targeted for August 16 in Las Vegas following their controversial majority draw in March 2025.
That first fight became infamous after Davis took a knee in the ninth round and walked to his corner to have a substance wiped from his eye before referee Steve Willis declined to rule the sequence a knockdown.
The decision heavily influenced the final scorecards as the result came back as a draw, the first blemish on the Davis record. It immediately triggered calls for an immediate rematch.
Mendoza publicly discussed ordering Roach vs Davis again shortly afterward. However, that order never materialized.
Now the WBA appears to have bypassed the Roach situation entirely while simultaneously restoring Davis to full championship status despite the January recess ruling.
The situation becomes even more confusing if Davis and Roach are already negotiating terms for a rematch behind the scenes.
If those discussions are active, the WBA’s sudden Schofield order only creates more uncertainty over who the organization actually considers next in line and whether Davis was ever truly removed as champion at all.
WBA Confusion
The situation becomes even stranger given the circumstances surrounding the January decision.
Reports at the time stated Davis had been removed as champion following inactivity and legal problems after an arrest warrant was issued by the Miami Gardens Police Department connected to domestic violence allegations.
His last outing came more than a year ago in the controversial majority draw against Roach that included the now infamous kneel-down moment.
Now the WBA suddenly appears to have reversed course entirely by restoring Davis to full championship status without any real public clarification over how the title situation changed.
The order itself may still lead to a lightweight fight against Schofield eventually.
However, the wording of the WBA statement only created more confusion surrounding a championship situation that already made little sense in January.
If Davis was stripped, how is he suddenly the reigning champion again and why is he ordered to defend it when deep in conversation with another fighter?
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. His work is distributed across major platforms, including Apple News. Read full bio.
