Paul v Davis exhibition in doubt over fight rules

Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis’ fight is in jeopardy after Georgia officials said the fight would no longer be taking place under their governance.

The Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission (GAEC) told USA Today that MVP Promotions had halted its efforts to get the fight sanctioned.

Rick Thompson, chairman of the GAEC, said MVP had withdrawn the event permits and rule waivers required to hold the fight in Georgia on 14 November.

MVP, co-founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, is the organiser and on Wednesday pre-sale tickets were still available to buy for the event at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The venue is also still listing the fight in its calendar.

Paul v Davis was set to be an exhibition fight but there has been no clarification about which rules will apply.

Davis is a lightweight world champion, fighting at 9st 9lb (61kg), while Paul has fought most of his career at cruiserweight, which is 14st 4lb (90.7kg).

The fight would not count on their professional records and a weight agreement would need to be reached.

The GAEC was scheduled to vote on the issue on Thursday.

“They probably evaluated a situation – knew that their weight differences were too much,” said Thompson.

All exhibition and professional bouts in the US are overseen by a state’s individual athletic commission.

Paul and Davis hold professional boxing licences but, while Davis has been fighting at world title level, Paul has fought mostly ex-MMA fighters.

The YouTuber turned boxer secured the biggest win of his career in his last bout when he beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on points.