By Ruth Raper
AURA: The distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place. Not many fighters give off an aura that draws crowds and builds hype. That type of aura is gold dust in the world of boxing, only owned by the upper echelon of fighters. It’s a rawness. It can’t be taught. They’re born with it.
Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather. Names that need no introduction. Aura does that for them. PR companies and managers attempt to create this type of aura but ultimately fail. As a boxing fan, you yearn for these types of fighters. They turn the mundane into a spectacle and leave the sport as legends. There is currently one fighter who has this special sauce in abundance, and luckily for us, his best fights are yet to come.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 18: Mike Tyson (L) and Jake Paul face off at an exclusive press conference ahead of their November bout during the Fanatics Fest NYC 2024 at Jacob Javits Center on August 18, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Fanatics)
Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis is a breath of fresh air. The 5’6” southpaw from Baltimore, with a record of 30-0 with 28 fights ending inside the distance, is one of the biggest names in boxing.
To the untrained eye, his boxing style could be seen as reckless, but he’s far from it. What he does in the ring is intentional and precise. Not many fighters can boast a highlight reel like Tank; his knockouts are mesmerising. Davis’ obvious attributes are his naturally heavy hands, which make him capable of knocking his opponents out cold with either hand.
His pinpoint accuracy and level changes make this God-given talent even more devastating (he tends to dip at his knees or waist, then spring up with his power shots). While watching Davis, you’ll see him lunge or push in with big shots. This may look like he’s leaving himself in a compromised position, but if you watch close enough, you’ll see that he always finishes the shot in a safe position. He does this by framing (using his forearm to keep his opponent where he wants them) or using his shoulder to nudge them off balance.
In the early rounds of Davis’ fights, you’ll see him take his time. He’s not even trying to win these early rounds; he’s downloading data. Looking at his opponent’s shape, seeing what their power is like and adjusting to their speed.
Sometimes, it may look as though his opponents are giving Davis a run for his money. They’re not. Davis just hasn’t chosen his time yet. In these early rounds, when the action hasn’t kicked off, you might expect to hear some boos from the crowd or maybe some restlessness. Not in a Tank fight. The crowd knows a knockout is coming. That’s the Tank aura.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 15: WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis (R) punches Frank Martin during a title fight at MGM Grand Garden Arena on June 15, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Davis retained his title with an eighth-round knockout. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching offensive fighters out there, his defence tends to get overlooked. This could be because all of his defensive techniques are implemented in a way that capitalises on countering, which is the calling card of an intelligent knockout artist.
You will often see his opponents in a game of catch-up because he’s constantly changing his shape. Most fighters have a ‘shape’ which rarely changes, whereas Tank will change his shape throughout his fights, sometimes adopting a wide stance with his front shoulder forward in the Philly shell, sometimes standing square in front of his opponents, all depending on how he wants to set his shots up.
Watching Gervonta, it is clear that he has learned from his old mentor, Floyd Mayweather. You’ll see Tank baiting his opponents by putting his weight on his front foot and placing his gloves up by his temples. This encourages his opponent to overreach and make mistakes, allowing Tank to capitalise, a tactic we would see Mayweather use often.
Davis’ underrated skills, along with his KO power, make him the full package. He’s currently one of the highest-performing pay-per-view stars in boxing, meaning he can call the shots.
It looks like a fight with the Ukrainian phenomenon, Vasyl Lomachenko, has fallen through. As a big Loma fan, I can’t say I’m not glad. Although I believe Lomachenko still has a lot left in the tank, it is undeniable that he’s not the same Loma that left his opponents bewildered and overwhelmed a few years ago.
I, like most of the boxing world, am dying to see Davis vs. Stevenson. Although Shakur Stevenson has shown he is an elite fighter with an unreal skillset, he has yet to fight a superstar like Tank. If these two were to meet in the ring, we’d see a combined ring IQ that would rival anything this generation has ever witnessed. Regardless of who we see Davis fight next, I’ll be watching along with the rest of the boxing world.