Gervonta Davis is one of the hardest-hitting boxers fighting today, and it seems from childhood footage he was born heavy-handed.
Gervonta Davis holds a record of 30-0-1 after his recent fight with Lamont Roach Jr. created the first blemish on his perfect record.
‘Tank’ has stopped all but three of his opponents, Roach, Isaac Cruz, and a journeyman years ago, and is known for his explosive power, producing stunning knockouts of Frank Martin, Mario Barrios, and Ryan Garcia.
Footage of Davis sparring at the age of seven shows that this power may not have been taught, but is something he’s harbored from a young age.
“Catch and explode”… Gervonta Davis’ coach speaks on seven-year-old Tank’s power
The footage shows Davis as a seven-year-old being hit by another child, hesitant to throw back.
His coach can be heard in the background telling him to throw back, to “catch and explode”, which is exactly what he does, firing off a shot that sends his opponent’s head flying back.
Davis’ coach, Calvin Ford, spoke on the incident, stating: “That was one of his good friends. […] Michael Fulton and Tank was the first two youngins that was up in boxing, and them two used to go at it all the time.
Mike was strong, Mike could crack too, he just didn’t have the athletic ability that Tank had.”
Ford went on to say: “I think that molded Tank [into] the child he was gonna be.”
Ford has also previously spoken on Tank’s unwavering vision to become great, which started when Davis cried after seeing Adrien Broner fight, because he was so inspired by what Broner had, and wanted it for himself.
Davis, who claims to be the face of boxing now, certainly does have fame and fortune now, but after his draw with Roach, who claims Tank tried to bite him, it is clear there is unfinished business for Davis, who boasts a 90% KO rate.
Gervonta Davis isn’t called ‘Tank’ for the reason you might think
Many fans assume that Davis’ nickname- ‘Tank’ is a result of his come-forward, aggressive attitude and explosive power, but in reality the nickname has a far less intimidating, and far more humorous, origin.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV seven years ago, Davis revealed that his nickname Tank was not due to his style, but due to his oversized head:
“One of my old coaches, he’s not with us no more… I was young and I had a real big head with a small body and he used to call me ‘Tank-head'”.
Davis has clearly dropped the latter half of the nickname since those days.