WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis has started training for his title defense in 56 days against Lamont Roach on March 1st at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Tank (30-0, 28 KOs) is working hard on his conditioning, knowing that Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs) will be someone who won’t be easy to knockout. He most likely will need to go into the later rounds against Roach, 29, before he can score a stoppage.
Weight Not An Issue
Gervonta already looks in good shape, with his weight low, and almost in fighting weight. When you contrast his appearance to that of fighters like Keyshawn Davis, it’s like night and day.
Keyshawn resembles a large welterweight during his camps but somehow cuts down to 135. Tank is a natural lightweight and isn’t a weight bully trying to game the system. Tank’s long-time trainer Calvin Ford was nowhere to be seen, making some wonder if he’s parted ways.
“I can understand where he’s coming from. Things are different when you have kids. It changed your life. It completely changes your life,” said Leonard Ellerbe to The Laboratory with Plaz, talking about Gervonta Davis’ decision to retire after three more fights.
“He looks at things differently than six or seven years ago. If that’s what he said [he’s retiring] and we all heard him. No, not at all. It’s never good enough what you do, and sometimes that can be frustrating.
“There’s more to life than something you do for a living. You have respect for fans who pay their money to see you fight, but you have a life outside of boxing. They want you to continue to do this, and they really don’t care about your health afterward.
Tank Davis may see many fighters breathing down his next, like Andy Cruz, Edwin De Los Santos, and Keyshawn Davis. He might not feel confident that he can beat all or any of them. If he does think he can win, he knows those will be hard 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; they were taken advantage of in a lot of different ways. They went through a lot of health issues, a lot of permanent stuff. I understand the philosophy that you come into the sport and make your mark, and then you leave it at that. Everybody’s opinion is different, and everybody has different goals in life,” said Ellerbe.
It’s going to be interesting to see if Tank’s retirement is permanent or if he’ll return 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 massive amount of money by someone for a big fight, and he agrees to take it.
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