WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis began training for his title defense in 56 days against Lamont Roach on March 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Tank (30-0, 28 KOs) has been working hard on his preparation, knowing that Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) will be someone who will not be easy to knock out. He will likely need to play in the later rounds against Roach, 29, before he can score.
Weight is not an issue
Gervoda is already looking in good shape, with his weight down, and almost at competition weight. When you contrast his look with that of fighters like Keyshawn Davis, it’s like night and day.
Keyshawn looks like a big welterweight during his camps, but he’s somehow cut down to 135. Tank is a natural lightweight and is not a bully at weight trying to game the system. Tank’s longtime trainer Calvin Ford was nowhere to be seen, leading some to wonder if he has parted ways.
“I can understand where he’s coming from. Things are different when you have children. Change your life. It completely changes your life,” said Leonard Ellerbe The Laboratory with Plaztalking about Gervonta Davis’ decision to retire after three more games.
“He sees things differently than he did six or seven years ago. If that’s what he said (withdraws) and we all heard him. No, not at all. What you do is never good enough, and sometimes that can be frustrating.
“There is more to life than what you do for a living. You have respect for the fans who pay their money to see you fight, but you have a life outside of boxing. They want you to keep doing this and really don’t care about your health afterwards.
Tank Davis can see many fighters breathe his next, including Andy Cruz, Edwin De Los Santos and Keyshawn Davis. He may not feel confident that he can defeat all or any of them. If he thinks he can win, he knows these will be tough fights for him and he may not want to put in the effort.
“Boxing is a brutal sport. You see a lot of fighters from before. were exploited in many different ways. They went through a lot of health problems, a lot of permanent things. I understand the philosophy that you come into the sport and make your mark and then leave it there. Everyone’s opinion is different and everyone has different goals in life,” Ellerbe said.
It will be interesting to see if Tank’s departure is permanent or if he returns after six to twelve months when he gets bored or is offered a lot of money for a particular fight. Gervonta is so popular that it’s hard not to see him offered a huge amount of money by someone for a big fight, and he agrees to take it.
