BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Despite his reputation as a knockout artist, Gervonta Davis says there is no pressure to produce a stoppage against his next challenger, Rolando Romero.

Davis and Romero are set to cross paths in the ring in a 12-round lightweight bout May 30 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Showtime Pay-Per-View.

Davis, known for his explosiveness and ability to starch his opponents with one punch, said he did not feel extra obligated to ensure his fight with Romero does not go the distance, especially in light of the fact he was not able to score a knockout in his last bout against Isaac Cruz.

The undefeated Davis went the distance for only the second time in his career last December in his 12-round bout against a game Cruz at Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles, winning a unanimous decision. Davis, a southpaw, had said that sometime during that fight he had aggravated a pre-existing injury to his left hand, forcing him to withhold his power punch for the majority of the rounds.

“Nah [there is no pressure to get knockout],” Davis told BoxingScene.com. “The thing with Cruz I knew I wasn’t, you know, actually gonna get the knock out. I knew it was gonna be a little tough. First of all, he was shorter than me. I’ve only fought like two shorter dudes than me in my career.

“I knew that me punching down, it was was gonna mess my hand up and I messed my hand up already in camp. So I thought I knew that it was gonna be a little problem.”

Davis added that he had issues in his last camp that he has shored up this time around.

“I wasn’t doing a lot of things [that I used to be doing] to get me at this point. I’m back on that. I’m ready to put on a great performance," Davis said.

Although refrained from promising a knockout, he seems intent on one, if his prior face-offs with Romero gave any indication. Both times, the two traded heated insults for several minutes before they were pulled aside. Both are promoted by Mayweather Promotions, the eponymous company led by Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Davis (26-0, 24 KOs) said is looking forward to headlining against Romero (14-0, 12 KOs) at the Barclays, the arena where he won a world title at 130-pounds against Jose Pedraza in 2017. Back then, Davis was still appearing on undercards. Since that period he has become a popular draw, as evidenced by his pay-per-view appearances in his last three bouts and large attendance figures in various venues across the country.

“I can only be grateful,” Davis said. “I’m happy. Thank you to Showtime, Mayweather Promotions, Al Haymon. These guys  I appreciate them. To come back and do what I did before and put on a big performance in front of a large crowd in Brooklyn and with the people that I started with. I’m definitely grateful to be in this position.”