ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Howard Davis, the World Boxing Council's No. 2-ranked lightweight contender, showed great punching power Saturday in scoring an eighth-round technical knockout over Greg Coverson.
Davis decked Coverson with a left hook at the end of the seventh round and in the eighth shook up the No. 4-rated opponent with three consecutive hooks that forced referee Larry Hazzard to stop the fight at 2:36.
It was Davis' ninth KO in 25 fights.
Despite his ranking, Davis indicated before the fight that he may go up in weight to the junior welterweight division because of his inability to get a title shot with either WBC champion Edwin Rosario or World Boxing Association champ Ray Mancini.
It was the 11th straight victory for Davis, 27, of Dix Hills, N.Y.. He is now 24-1 and has not lost since June 1980 when he dropped a 15-round decision to then-WBC champion Jim Watt. Coverson, 134 , Detroit, fell to 29-2.
Davis, 137, who is not know for his aggressive style, completely dominated the fight, taking it to Coverson early and shaking up his opponent with left hooks and crisp combinations in the second and third rounds. In the fifth, Davis staggered Coverson with repeated left hooks, but Coverson held on. In the sixth, Coverson began a solid body attack before a stiff left by Davis slowed him.
The former Olympic gold medalist was expected to move up to the No. 1 positon when Rasario and Jose Luis Ramirez fought for the vacant WBC title last month. But when the new ratings came out, Ramirez was still ranked first.
In another 10-round lightweight bout, Terrence Alli of Brooklyn, N.Y., earned a unanimous decision over Gonzalo Montellano of Bakersfield, Calif.
