Gervonta Davis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gervonta Davis |
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Davis in 2024
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| Real name | Gervonta Bryant Davis | ||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Tank | ||||||||||
| Rated at |
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| Height | 5 ft 5 in | ||||||||||
| Reach | 67+1/2 in | ||||||||||
| Born | November 7, 1994 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Stance | Southpaw | ||||||||||
| Boxing record | |||||||||||
| Total fights | 31 | ||||||||||
| Wins | 30 | ||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 28 | ||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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Gervonta Bryant Davis (born November 7, 1994), known as "Tank", is an American professional boxer. He is a world champion in different weight classes. He has held the World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight title since 2023. He also held titles in super featherweight and super lightweight divisions.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Gervonta Davis grew up in West Baltimore, Maryland. He started training at the Upton Boxing Center when he was just five years old. Even though he went to Digital Harbor High School, he left to focus completely on his boxing career. He later earned his high school diploma through a special program.
Amateur Boxing Career
Davis had a very successful amateur career. He won the 2012 National Golden Gloves Championship. He also won three National Silver Gloves Championships from 2006 to 2008. He earned two gold medals at the National Junior Olympics and won two National Police Athletic League Championships. Gervonta finished his amateur career with an amazing record of 206 wins and only 15 losses.
Becoming a Professional Boxer
Starting His Pro Journey
Gervonta Davis began his professional boxing career at 18 years old on February 22, 2013. His first fight was against Desi Williams in Washington, D.C., and Davis won by knockout (KO) in the very first round. By August 2014, he had won 8 fights, all by knockout.
In October 2014, Davis fought Germán Meraz and won by a unanimous decision (UD). This was the first time Davis had to fight for the full scheduled rounds. He continued to win his fights, often by knockout, showing his powerful punches.
Winning First World Titles
On January 14, 2017, Davis challenged José Pedraza for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) super featherweight title. Davis won the fight by knockout in the seventh round, becoming a world champion for the first time. After this big win, his promoter, Floyd Mayweather Jr., called him the future of boxing.
Davis defended his IBF title against Liam Walsh in London, England, on May 20, 2017. He stopped Walsh in the third round to keep his title.
Losing and Regaining Titles
In August 2017, Davis was set to defend his IBF title against Francisco Fonseca. However, Davis weighed in over the limit, so he lost his IBF title before the fight even started. Even though he won the fight by knockout, the title remained empty.
On April 21, 2018, Davis fought Jesús Cuellar for the vacant WBA (Super) super featherweight title. Davis knocked out Cuellar in the third round, winning another world title.
In February 2019, Davis was supposed to fight Abner Mares, but Mares got injured. Instead, Davis fought Hugo Ruiz and knocked him out in the first round.
On July 27, 2019, Davis defended his WBA (Super) super featherweight title in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. He defeated Ricardo Núñez by technical knockout in the second round. This was a special moment as it was the first time a Baltimore native defended a world title in the city since 1940.
Moving Between Weight Classes
Lightweight Champion
On December 28, 2019, Davis moved up to the lightweight division to fight Yuriorkis Gamboa for the vacant WBA (Regular) lightweight title. Davis won the fight by technical knockout in the twelfth round, even though Gamboa fought with an injury.
Back to Super Featherweight
Davis made his first pay-per-view appearance on October 31, 2020. He moved back down to super featherweight to fight Léo Santa Cruz. Davis won by a spectacular knockout in the sixth round, regaining the WBA (Super) super featherweight title while also keeping his lightweight title. This knockout was named The Ring Magazine Knockout of The Year for 2020.
Super Lightweight Challenge
On June 26, 2021, Davis moved up to the super lightweight division for the first time. He faced WBA (Regular) champion Mario Barrios. Davis won the competitive fight by technical knockout in the eleventh round, adding another world title to his collection.
Return to Lightweight Division
Davis returned to the lightweight division. On December 5, 2021, he fought Isaac Cruz. Davis won the fight by unanimous decision, going the full 12 rounds for only the second time in his career.
In May 2022, Davis defended his WBA (Regular) lightweight title against Rolando Romero. Davis won by technical knockout in the sixth round.
On January 7, 2023, Davis fought Héctor García. Davis won the fight when García could not continue after the eighth round due to an injury.
Catchweight Fights
Davis vs. Ryan Garcia
On April 22, 2023, Gervonta Davis had a highly anticipated fight against Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas. This was a special "catchweight" fight, meaning it was at a weight between two standard divisions. Davis defeated Garcia by knockout in the seventh round with a powerful body punch.
Current Lightweight Champion
On November 29, 2023, Devin Haney gave up his WBA (Super) lightweight title. Because of this, Gervonta Davis was made the main WBA lightweight champion.
Recent Title Defenses
Davis defended his WBA lightweight title against Frank Martin on June 15, 2024. He won the fight by knockout in the eighth round.
Davis was scheduled to defend his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach Jr. on March 1, 2025. The fight ended in a majority draw, meaning two judges scored it a draw and one scored it for Davis. This was the first draw in Davis's professional career. There was some discussion about a possible knockdown that was not called during the fight. A rematch between Davis and Roach was being planned for August 2025.
Boxing Style
Gervonta "Tank" Davis fights with a Southpaw stance (meaning he leads with his right hand and foot). He is known for his incredible knockout power and smart boxing skills. Davis uses his jab to control distance and moves his feet to get into good positions. He is good at avoiding punches by slipping and using the shoulder roll. He also uses fake moves to set up his powerful counter punches. Davis often attacks the body to make his opponents drop their guard, which then opens up chances for head shots.
Personal Life
On August 21, 2021, Gervonta Davis was on a plane that had a small accident at an airport, but he and everyone else on board were safe and not hurt.
On December 24, 2023, Davis converted to Islam and chose the Muslim name Abdul Wahid.
He has three children.
Professional Boxing Record
| 31 fights | 30 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 28 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Draw | 30–0–1 | Lamont Roach Jr. | MD | 12 | Mar 1, 2025 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained WBA lightweight title |
| 30 | Win | 30–0 | Frank Martin | KO | 8 (12), 1:29 | Jun 15, 2024 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | Retained WBA lightweight title |
| 29 | Win | 29–0 | Ryan Garcia | KO | 7 (12), 1:44 | Apr 22, 2023 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 28 | Win | 28–0 | Héctor García | RTD | 9 (12), 0:13 | Jan 7, 2023 | Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S. | Retained WBA (Regular) lightweight title |
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | Rolando Romero | TKO | 6 (12), 2:39 | May 28, 2022 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | Retained WBA (Regular) lightweight title |
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Isaac Cruz | UD | 12 | Dec 5, 2021 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California | Retained WBA (Regular) lightweight title |
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Mario Barrios | TKO | 11 (12), 2:13 | Jun 26, 2021 | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Won WBA (Regular) super lightweight title |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Léo Santa Cruz | KO | 6 (12), 2:40 | Oct 31, 2020 | Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | Retained WBA (Regular) lightweight title; Won WBA (Super) super featherweight title |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Yuriorkis Gamboa | TKO | 12 (12), 1:17 | Dec 28, 2019 | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | Won vacant WBA (Regular) lightweight title |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Ricardo Núñez | TKO | 2 (12), 1:33 | Jul 27, 2019 | Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | Retained WBA (Super) super featherweight title |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Hugo Ruiz | KO | 1 (12), 2:59 | Feb 9, 2019 | Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, U.S. | Retained WBA (Super) super featherweight title |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Jesús Cuellar | KO | 3 (12), 2:45 | Apr 21, 2018 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | Won vacant WBA (Super) super featherweight title |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Francisco Fonseca | KO | 8 (12), 0:39 | Aug 26, 2017 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | IBF super featherweight title at stake only for Fonseca after Davis missed weight |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Liam Walsh | KO | 3 (12), 2:11 | May 20, 2017 | Copper Box Arena, London, England | Retained IBF super featherweight title |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | José Pedraza | TKO | 7 (12), 2:36 | Jan 14, 2017 | Barclays Center, New York City, U.S. | Won IBF super featherweight title |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Mario Antonio Macias | KO | 1 (8), 0:41 | Jun 3, 2016 | Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Guillermo Avila | TKO | 6 (10), 0:29 | Apr 1, 2016 | D.C. Armory, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Luis Sanchez | KO | 9 (10), 2:05 | Dec 18, 2015 | Pearl Concert Theater, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Cristóbal Cruz | TKO | 3 (8), 1:31 | Oct 30, 2015 | The Venue at UCF, Orlando, Florida, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Recky Dulay | TKO | 1 (6), 1:34 | Sep 12, 2015 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Alberto Mora | TKO | 1 (8), 1:14 | May 22, 2015 | The Claridge Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Israel Suarez | KO | 1 (6), 0:47 | Feb 20, 2015 | Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Germán Meraz | UD | 6 | Oct 8, 2014 | Beau Rivage, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Hector Lopez | KO | 1 (4), 1:16 | Aug 1, 2014 | Little Creek Casino Resort, Shelton, Washington, U.S. | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Joshua Arocho | TKO | 2 (4), 3:00 | May 16, 2014 | Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | James Franks | TKO | 2 (6), 2:29 | Dec 14, 2013 | Convention Center, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Eric Jamar Goodall | TKO | 4 (4), 1:55 | Oct 17, 2013 | ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Rafael Casias | TKO | 2 (6), 2:26 | Jul 20, 2013 | Physical Education Complex, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Jonathan Gears | KO | 1 (4), 1:36 | Jun 8, 2013 | Echostage, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Jacob Ninow | TKO | 2 (4), 2:04 | Apr 20, 2013 | The Show Place Arena, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Desi Williams | KO | 1 (4), 1:29 | Feb 22, 2013 | D.C. Armory, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Boxing Titles Held
Main World Titles
- WBA (Super) super featherweight champion (130 lbs) (2 times)
- IBF super featherweight champion (130 lbs)
- WBA lightweight champion (135 lbs)
Other Major World Titles
- WBA (Regular) lightweight champion (135 lbs)
- WBA (Regular) light welterweight champion (140 lbs)
Pay-Per-View Fights
| No. | Date | Fight | Buys | Network | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Davis vs. Santa Cruz | 225,000 | Showtime | $16,872,750 |
| 2 |
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Davis vs. Barrios | 210,000 | Showtime | $15,747,900 |
| 3 |
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Davis vs. Cruz | 200,000 | Showtime | $14,990,000 |
| 4 |
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Davis vs. Romero | 275,000 | Showtime | $20,622,250 |
| 5 |
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Davis vs. H García | 220,000 | Showtime | $16,497,800 |
| 6 |
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Davis vs. R Garcia | 1,200,000 | Showtime/DAZN | $87,000,000 |
| 7 |
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Davis vs. Martin | 350,000 | Amazon Prime Video | $26,232,500 |
| 8 |
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Davis vs. Roach | 262,000 | Amazon Prime Video | $21,000,000 |
| Total sales | 2,942,000 | $218,963,200 | |||
See also
In Spanish: Gervonta Davis para niños
- List of boxing triple champions
- List of world super-featherweight boxing champions
- List of world lightweight boxing champions
- List of world light-welterweight boxing champions
- List of WBA world champions
- List of IBF world champions
