Gervonta Davis stopped Ricardo Nunez midway through the second round to retain the WBA super featherweight title Saturday night in his first fight in his hometown in six years.
Davis (22-0, 21 knockouts) seemed to invite Nunez (21-3) forward early in the second, then landed a left hook that sent the Panamanian backpedaling to the ropes, and the sellout crowd of 14,686 at Royal Farms Arena to its feet.
Davis closed in and, moments later, referee Harvey Dock stopped the bout with 1:27 remaining in the round.
Gervonta Davis, left, pounds on Ricardo Nunez, right, during the second round of their super featherweight boxing championship bout, Saturday, July 27, 2019, in Baltimore. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez)
The 130-pounder was a heavy favorite in his sixth consecutive title victory between the WBA and IBF championships.
Assuming a victory over Nunez, a mandatory challenger, Davis had already been linked to bigger fights against fellow belt-holders Garry Russel Jr. and Tevin Farmer. Afterward, Davis said he wanted Farmer next to unify the WBA and IBF 130-pound titles.
In the first title bout in Baltimore of any kind since 1970, Davis entered the ring in black and orange robe and trunks, evoking the Baltimore Orioles on an evening that was a homecoming for more than just the 24-year-old southpaw.
Referee Harvey Dock, center, jumps between Gervonta Davis, left, and Ricardo Nunez to end their super featherweight boxing championship bout in favor of Davis in the second round, Saturday, July 27, 2019, in Baltimore. (AP PhotoJulio Cortez)
Soon-to-be Hall of Fame Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed was ringside, as was Baltimore-born former light-middleweight champion Vincent Pettway.
On the undercard, Yuriorkis Gamboa (30-2, 18 KOs) stopped Roman Martinez with a minute remaining in the second round. Gamboa felled Martinez with a left hook earlier in the round, before sending him to the canvas again with a quick right hand.
Lightweight Ladarius Miller (20-1) outpointed Jezzrel Corrales (23-3) over 10 rounds after referee Brent Bovell docked Corrales a point for holding during the final minute of the fight. Miller had winning scores of 96-93, 95-94, 93-96 from the judges.
NEW YORK (AP) — “Civil War,” Alex Garland’s ominous American dystopia, remained the top film in theaters in its second week of release, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The A24 election-year gamble, the indie studio’s biggest budgeted film yet, took in $11.1 million in ticket sales at 3,929 theaters over the weekend. The $50 million film, set in a near-future U.S. in which Texas and California have joined in rebellion against a fascist president, has grossed $44.9 million in two weeks.
Its provocative premise – and A24’s marketing, which included images of U.S. cities ravaged by war – helped keep “Civil War” top of mind for moviegoers.
But it was a painfully slow weekend in theaters – the kind sure to add to concern over what’s thus far been a down year for Hollywood at the box office. Year-to-date ticket sales are down almost 20% compared to last year, according to Comscore.
Going into the weekend, Universal Pictures’ “Abigail,” a critically acclaimed R-rated horror film about the daughter of Dracula, had been expected to lead ticket sales. It came in second with $10.2 million in 3,384 theaters.
That was still a fair result for a film that cost a modest $28 million to make. “Abigail,” which remakes the 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter,” is about a 12-year-old girl taken by kidnappers who soon realize they’ve made a poor choice of hostage. It’s directed by the duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett whose production company goes by the name Radio Silence.
More concerning was the overall tepid response for a handful of new wide releases – and the likelihood that there will be more similar weekends throughout 2024. Last year’s actors and writers' strikes, which had a prolonged effect on the movie pipeline, exacerbated holes in Hollywood’s release schedule.
Horror films, in recent years among the most reliable cash cows in theaters, also haven’t thus far been doing the automatic business they previous did. According to David A. Gross, who runs the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, horror releases accounted for $2 billion in worldwide sales in 2023.
Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” debuted with $9 million in 2,845 theaters. In the based-on-a-true-story Lionsgate release, which reportedly cost $60 million to produce, Henry Cavill leads a World War II mission off the coast of West Africa.
Though Ritchie has been behind numerous box-office hits, including the live-action “Aladdin” and a pair of Sherlock Holmes films, his recent movies have struggled to find big audiences. The Lionsgate spy comedy “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” grossed $48 million against a $50 million budget, while MGM’s “The Covenant,” also released last year, made $21 million while costing $55 million to make.
A bright sign for “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”: audiences liked it. The film earned an A-minus CinemaScore.
The anime “Spy x Family Code: White,” from Sony’s Crunchyroll, also struggled to stand out with audiences. Though the adaptation of the Tatsuya Endo manga TV series “Spy x Family” has already been a hit with international moviegoers, it debuted below expectations with $4.9 million in 2,009 U.S. theaters.
The mightiest film globally, though, continues to be “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The Warner Bros. monster movie has for the past month led worldwide ticket sales. It added another $9.5 million domestically and $21.6 million internationally to bring its four-week global total to $485.2 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Civil War,” $11.1 million.
2. “Abigail,” $10.2 million.
3. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $9.5 million.
4. “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” $9 million.
5. “Spy x Family Code: White,” $4.9 million.
6. “Kung Fu Panda 4," $4.6 million.
7. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $4.4 million.
8. “Dune: Part Two,” $2.9 million.
9. “Monkey Man,” $2.2 million.
10. “The First Omen,” $1.7 million.
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Alisha Weir in a scene from the film "Abigail." (Bernard Walsh/Universal Pictures via AP)
This image released by A24 shows Kirsten Dunst in a scene from "Civil War." (A24 via AP)
'Civil War’ continues box-office campaign at No. 1
'Civil War’ continues box-office campaign at No. 1
This image released by Lionsgate shows Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, Henry Cavill, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Henry Golding in a scene from the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." (Daniel Smith/Lionsgate via AP)
