Tank says he is the face of boxing. He needs to clean his act up first.
Gervonta Davis made light work of Ryan Garcia in their much-anticipated super fight. And after knocking out King Ryan, Tank boldly proclaimed, “I am definitely the face of boxing.”
Davis has a strong case. He is 29-0 with 27 KOs and is a five-time champion already. He is also just 28 years young and likely entering his prime years. Not to mention, he is in line for some huge mega-bouts that could equal the hype of Davis vs Garcia or potentially exceed it.
The winner of next month’s Devin Haney vs Vasily Lomachenko title match is sure to present Davis a big challenge—along with a massive pay day and the chance to grow his legend. Former lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez could pose a challenge as well provided he gets back his championship form. Former Olympian and two-division world champion Shakur Stevenson appears interested in fighting Davis, too.
Should Tank decide to move up in weight, he could be a logical challenger to any of the four junior welterweight titleholders. In particular, fights against WBC champion Regis Prograis and WBO champ Josh Taylor loom as potential legacy-building blockbusters.
But before Davis could think of all that, he needs to get his house in order first. Specifically, he needs to own up to his run-ins with the law, as he is set to be sentenced next month for his role in a hit-and-run incident back in 2020. He also has a court date in connection to a battery charge for an incident that occurred in 2022.
These are the kinds of legal troubles that have marked Davis’ already stellar career, and these are the same non-boxing-related issues that can potentially derail Tanks’ ascent to all-time great status. This is especially true now that he is in the unforgiving spotlight of boxing, which brings along an intense level of scrutiny from fans, the media, and almost everybody else.
These are also Davis’ demons, and exorcising them appears to be his biggest challenge to date. But if he truly is the face of boxing like he claims to be, then he will figure things out sooner rather than later.
The sports world ought to root for that— for Tank's sake and for boxing in general.