Gervonta “Tank” Davis is currently preparing for not only the most commercially viable fight in the U.S. thus far this year, but also the biggest fight of his career. On April 22, 2023, the WBA “Regular” Lightweight Champion will stand across the ring from unbeaten contender Ryan Garcia.
As the fight draws closer, Garcia has talked about his opponent, contract negotiations and much more. In a recent interview, he was asked about his place in the sport as a fighter and a commercial draw. According to the Baltimore native, he is “the face of boxing” at the moment.
“I feel as though I’m the face of boxing right now,” Davis told Showtime.
The sport of boxing is no stranger to mythical titles. Most notably, fans and media outlets alike will argue about mystical “Pound-For-Pound” lists day in and day out. Similarly, many fans of the sport will debate who the face of the sport is or is not. Some may use accolades to determine who the face of the sport is. In that case, Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk are on the verge, depending on who you ask, of becoming the first male boxers to capture undisputed titles in two weight classes. Others may use social media following as a metric to determine who the biggest draw in the sport is. In that case, YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is undoubtedly the biggest draw. Not to be forgotten, live gates and pay-per-view buys are often discussed. In that division, Saul Canelo Alvarez reigns supreme as he is the only active boxer to have participated in four fights that have generated more than one million buys. With that said, Davis’ claim cannot be completely dismissed.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis is a massive star in the sport of boxing. He has sold out venues in Baltimore, Washington, Atlanta, Los Angeles and beyond. Not to mention, he’s garnered the support of the likes of Stephen A. Smith and Denzel Washington. Most importantly, he has won titles in three divisions. With a win in April, the Baltimore native feels that he is moving further along the path that previous great boxers have traveled.
“It’s a lot of fighters, if you watch, they do everything that I do. When Floyd was coming through, when Oscar was coming through, it’s something that you can’t teach. It’s just in you,” he said.
“When Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, and all the greats were coming through, everybody wanted to be like that. That’s why a lot of people are calling my name.”
