1. Gervonta Davis has held the World Boxing Association lightweight title since 2023, having previously held the Regular version from 2019 to 2023.
59 Facts About Gervonta Davis
1. 2.
Gervonta Davis held the International Boxing Federation super featherweight title in 2017, the WBA super featherweight title twice between 2018 and 2020, and the WBA super lightweight title in 2021.
3.
Gervonta Davis was raised in the Sandtown-Winchester community in West Baltimore, one of the most crime-ridden areas of the city.
4.
Gervonta Davis's parents were drug addicts, and were frequently in and out of jail.
5.
Gervonta Davis attended Digital Harbor High School, a local magnet school, but dropped out to focus on his career.
6.
Gervonta Davis later earned his secondary degree through a GED program.
7.
Gervonta Davis has been training at Upton Boxing Center since he was five years old.
8.
Gervonta Davis is trained by Calvin Ford who was the inspiration for the character Dennis "Cutty" Wise on the hit HBO television series, The Wire.
9.
Gervonta Davis won the 2012 National Golden Gloves Championship, three straight National Silver Gloves Championships from 2006 to 2008, two National Junior Olympics gold medals, two National Police Athletic League Championships, and two Ringside World Championships.
10.
Gervonta Davis finished his amateur career with a record of 206 wins and 15 losses.
11.
Gervonta Davis made his debut at the age of 18 on February 22,2013, against Desi Williams, who had a professional record of 0 wins and 4 losses, all by stoppage.
12.
Gervonta Davis was taken the full distance for the first time in October 2014 against veteran 28-year-old German Meraz.
13.
On February 20,2015, at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Gervonta Davis became the first person to stop Israel Suarez, winning in devastating fashion with a first-round KO.
14.
On May 22,2015, at The Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Gervonta Davis scored a technical knockout against Alberto Mora 1 minute 14 seconds into the fight.
15.
On October 30,2015, at The Venue at UCF in Orlando, Florida, on Bounce TV, Gervonta Davis defeated veteran 38-years-old former featherweight title holder Cristobal Cruz.
16.
On December 18,2015, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Spike TV, Gervonta Davis scored a ninth-round KO over Luis Sanchez.
17.
On June 3,2016, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, as part of a Premier Boxing Champions card, Gervonta Davis knocked out Mario Antonio Macias with his first punch of the fight, which lasted only 41 seconds.
18.
Gervonta Davis was then given two hours to attempt to lose the extra weight, although he came back earlier thinking he had lost it but was still over the limit.
19.
Gervonta Davis eventually met the limit of 130 pounds on his third attempt.
20.
Gervonta Davis stopped Walsh in the third-round to retain his IBF title.
21.
Walsh's legs looked to give way and Gervonta Davis pounced with accurate hooks to the head, eventually dropping Walsh.
22.
Gervonta Davis won fair and square but in England sometimes they stop the fight too early.
23.
On July 29, The Ring magazine reported that Gervonta Davis would likely defend his IBF title against former WBO champion Roman Martinez, whose last fight was a KO loss to Vasyl Lomachenko in June 2016.
24.
Gervonta Davis showed up an hour late and came in at 132 pounds, 2 pounds over the weight limit.
25.
Gervonta Davis declined to weigh in after two hours, thus he was stripped of the IBF title.
26.
In what was billed as an easy fight for Gervonta Davis, he won the fight via KO in round eight, with the ending being controversial.
27.
On November 15,2017, Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions announced that Gervonta Davis would be making his in ring return in the first quarter of 2018 alongside stablemate Badou Jack.
28.
Gervonta Davis revealed that Davis would fight a high-level opponent.
29.
In front of 13,964 in attendance, Gervonta Davis knocked out Cuellar in round three.
30.
Gervonta Davis first knocked down Cuellar in round two courtesy of a left hook to the body and then put him down twice in round three to get the stoppage.
31.
In November 2018, Gervonta Davis announced that he would defend his WBA title in February 2019 against former titlist Abner Mares in Southern California.
32.
Mares and Gervonta Davis ultimately did not fight on the scheduled date after Mares suffered a potential career ending injury, a detached retina, during sparring.
33.
Gervonta Davis knocked Ruiz out in the first round after breaking the challenger's nose.
34.
On July 27,2019, Gervonta Davis made the second defense of his WBA super featherweight title when he beat Ricardo Nunez by second-round technical knockout in front of a crowd of 12,000 fans in his home city of Baltimore, Maryland.
35.
Gervonta Davis took his time feeling out his opponent in the first round.
36.
Gervonta Davis's win marked the first time a native of Baltimore had returned to the city to defend a world title since featherweight champion Harry Jeffra defeated Spider Armstrong in 1940.
37.
On December 28,2019, Gervonta Davis fought for the vacant WBA lightweight title against veteran 38-year-old former featherweight title holder Yuriorkis Gamboa.
38.
Gervonta Davis had dropped Gamboa in the second and eighth rounds, in the twelfth and final round referee Jack Reiss stopped the fight, even though Gamboa wanted to continue.
39.
Early in the fight, Gervonta Davis was knocked down by Santa Cruz, however it was not ruled a knockdown.
40.
In round 6, Gervonta Davis caught Santa Cruz with a sharp left uppercut and the Mexican immediately fell to the canvas.
41.
The referee stopped the fight and Gervonta Davis retained his lightweight title, while recapturing the WBA super featherweight title.
42.
On October 6,2021, Gervonta Davis announced that he would be facing his mandatory challenger, Rolando Romero on December 5 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Showtime PPV.
43.
Gervonta Davis defeated Garcia by knockout in the seventh round after a body punch resulted in Garcia failing to beat the count.
44.
Gervonta Davis defended his WBA lightweight title against Frank Martin on June 15,2024 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
45.
Nonetheless Gervonta Davis won the fight and retained his title by 8th round knockout.
46.
Gervonta Davis was scheduled to defend his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach Jr.
47.
Gervonta Davis would retain his WBA lightweight title in a majority draw, the first of his professional career.
48.
The decision was met with significant controversy, particularly due to a moment in the 9th round in which Gervonta Davis suddenly took a knee following a quick jab from Roach.
49.
Gervonta Davis then walked to his corner, motioned toward his left eye, and was wiped with a towel.
50.
On December 24,2023, Gervonta Davis converted to Islam and adopted the Muslim name Abdul Wahid.
51.
Gervonta Davis has three children: his first daughter with ex-girlfriend Andretta Smothers, and his second daughter and first son from his relationship with Vanessa Posso.
52.
On September 19,2017, an arrest warrant was issued for Gervonta Davis, who was being accused of first-degree aggravated assault.
53.
At the court, Anthony Wheeler, a childhood friend, complained that Gervonta Davis punched him on the side of the head with a "gloved fist".
54.
Gervonta Davis then stated he was diagnosed with a concussion at the hospital.
55.
On September 14,2018, Gervonta Davis was arrested in Washington, DC According to a police report, he and another man started a fist fight.
56.
Gervonta Davis allegedly left the scene in a Camaro that pulled up minutes later.
57.
Gervonta Davis was sentenced on May 5,2023, to 90 days house arrest and 3 years probation.
58.
On June 1,2023, Gervonta Davis was taken into custody for violating the terms of his home detention, and sentenced to serve the remainder of his sentence in jail.
59.
On December 27,2022, days before he was due to fight Hector Garcia, Gervonta Davis was arrested and jailed in Florida on a charge of battery domestic violence.