Boxing Odds and Ends: Paul vs ‘Tank,’ Big Trouble for Marselles Brown and More

British sportswriter Lewis Watson has gazed into his crystal ball to ascertain how the match between Jake Paul and Gervonta “Tank” Davis will play out when they meet in Atlanta on Nov. 14.

We would note that Mr. Watson is a fine writer with a fine crystal ball.

Writing for “Uncrowned,” an affiliate of yahoo, Watson had this to say: “The contest will ultimately descend into a choreographed dance – a non-event where everyone leaves the arena with their itches unscratched. Paul and ‘Tank’ will embrace, grateful to the other for trading checks rather than meaningful blows.”

The precedent was set on Nov. 15 of last year when Jake Paul fought Mike Tyson. They fought eight two-minute rounds with 14-ounce gloves at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

To refresh your memory, the 58-year-old Tyson was gassed by the fourth round but Jake Paul didn’t press his advantage, dialing things back so as not to embarrass his friend and collaborator.

Those that bet “will not go” on the premise that the fight wouldn’t last the full distance were bamboozled. Many were of the opinion that the regulators should have retroactively declared the fight “no action” (which would have opened up a much bigger can of worms).

Sports betting was then legal in 38 states, but seven states, including New York, prohibited betting on the fight. It will be interesting to see how many jurisdictions allow betting on Paul vs. Tank.

Personally, this reporter would be surprised if the match actually comes to fruition. Jake Paul carried 227 ¼ pounds for Tyson before slimming down to 199 ½ for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. With one exception (vs. Mario Barrios), Tank Davis has never fought above 135.

Don’t be shocked if the “Problem Child” capitulates to castigation and yields his spot to Canadian knockout artist Lucas Bahdi (ranked #5 at 135 by the WBA) who recently signed a multi-fight extension with Jake Paul’s company. That’s assuming, of course, that Bahdi makes a good showing tonight (Saturday, Aug. 23) in Orlando where he faces his most difficult test in the form of  Venezuela’s Roger Gutierrez, a former WBA 130-pound super featherweight champion.

Marselles Brown

Two days ago (Aug. 21), the former journeyman boxer was arrested on a charge of attempted murder. He was booked under his legal name Quinton Marcellus Brown.

Brown got in an altercation with a man at a sports park in southwest Las Vegas. Reports say the incident began when Brown opened the passenger door of his car, a Lincoln Navigator, and inadvertently “dinged” the vehicle in the next parking spot which was occupied by a youth football coach and his girlfriend. When the man got out to assess the damage, an argument ensued and the man was stabbed multiple times. According to Las Vegas’s ABC affiliate, injuries to his abdomen necessitated the partial removal of his digestive system.

Brown, 57, is seven-feet tall and weighs more than 300 pounds, making it easy for witnesses to identify him. This became more than a local story when it was revealed that Marselles was the father of Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown whose five-year contract extension in 2023 made him the highest-paid player in the league.

The story in the Las Vegas Review Journal — attributed to reporters Bryan Horwath and Noble Brigham — identified Brown as a former heavyweight champion.

How’s that again?

Fighting out of Dayton, Ohio, and then Louisville, Marselles Brown was a good amateur, a strong candidate to join Team USA where he would have competed for a berth on the U.S. Olympic team. A glass jaw prevented him from making much headway at the professional level.

Brown did meet three fighters whose names appear on the list of former world heavyweight champions. Trevor Berbick KOed him in two rounds, Tommy Morrison in three, and Lamon Brewster in four. Altogether, he was knocked out 13 times before leaving the sport in 2008 with a record of 26-17-1.

Brown returned to boxing after a 6-year absence and had his final six fights in Northern Mexico. It was there, in Rosarito, where he won his “world heavyweight title” with a fifth-round stoppage of Mexican meatball Saul Montana, a 28-year-pro. The match was sanctioned by the humpty dumpty World Boxing Union.

Brown settled in Las Vegas after his final fight. In recent years, he was often seen in the company of veteran promoter Robert Gonzalez with whom he has a business relationship. Among others, they are involved with promising Cuban welterweight Darian Castro who is 3-0 as a pro and has been lights-out in Team Combat League where he has won 22 of his 25 fights.

Brown appeared at his hearing in a wheelchair. Frank Stea, who runs the Top Rank Gym, notes that Marselles has had health issues. For a time, he wore a colostomy bag. His son Jaylen made certain he received the best medical care and covered the expenses, hastening his recovery. Marcelles was there in Boston to watch the Celtics defeat the Mavericks for the 2023-2024 NBA title – Jaylen was the MVP of the series – but for years, father and son had very little contact.

“Marselles Brown was more than an acquaintance,” says Stea, who notes that the seven-foot goliath and Stea’s 16-year-old son, who frequently accompanied his dad to the gym, developed a close bond. “I’m praying for Marselles right now, but I’ll also pray for the other person.”

This reporter had several pleasant conversations with Brown over the years, unaware that he was known to carry a knife. Regarding his short fuse, it apparently manifested itself when he was quite young. Check out this story from the Sept. 18, 1987 issue of the Louisville Courier-Journal: “Unable to pursue his desire to play college basketball [because he left high school without graduating] Brown put his lifelong passion for boxing to the test. However, the admittedly hot-tempered Brown (italics mine) bounced from one local gym to another.”

The first puncture wound suffered by the stabbing victim was to his back, spoiling the argument that Brown was acting in self-defense, but his attorney, Arnold Weinstock, begs to differ. “My client was basically the victim,” he says, alleging that prior to the stabbing Brown was hit over the head with a gun. Another person with whom we spoke who chose to remain anonymous had a different version of events but also portrayed the injured party, a Pacific Islander, as the aggressor with a weapon at his disposal.

Bail was set at $300,000. Brown is due back in court this coming Tuesday, Aug. 26. If sentencing is postponed, he will be placed under house arrest subject to high-level electronic monitoring.

Skye Nicolson

In case you missed it, former WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson returned to the ring last night at a music hall in Brisbane. Fighting at 122 pounds, Nicolson advance her record to 14-1 (3) with a second-round stoppage of India’s Urvashi Singh, an unwilling participant.

Nicolson, who fights under the Matchroom umbrella, thirsts for a rematch with Tiara Brown, the 37-year-old Floridian who took away her title this past March in Sydney.

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