Gervonta Davis

Gervonta Davis, born November 7, 1994, in Baltimore, Maryland, navigated through a challenging upbringing to find his path in the world of boxing. With an extraordinary amateur record of 206 wins against just 15 losses, Davis transitioned to the professional ranks in 2013 under the tutelage of Calvin Ford at the Upton Boxing Center. Known for his explosive power and aggressive style, he swiftly carved out a name for himself in the boxing circuit, claiming his first major title, the IBF super featherweight belt, in a dramatic showdown against Jose Pedraza in 2017.

His rise in the sport did not stop there. He continued his ascent by claiming the WBA super featherweight title from Jesus Cuellar in 2018 and the WBA Regular Lightweight title from Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2019. Despite challenges, he became a three-weight champion in 2021 with a victory over Mario Barrios. Then, he defended his lightweight title against Isaac Cruz in 2021 and Rolando Romero in 2022, and again against Hector García at the beginning of 2023. His successful run persisted with a knockout against Ryan Garcia in their 2023 catchweight bout.

Concerning the honors, Davis’s sensational uppercut KO against Leo Santa Cruz in 2020 earned him The Ring Magazine’s Knockout of the Year award. Also, despite the trials he has faced, Davis’s skills are often compared to boxing icon Floyd Mayweather Jr., and so his dedication and resilience, reflected in his journey and victories, have made him one of boxing’s most respected figures.

Gervonta Davis is known for having incredible power for his weight. Much of that power can be attributed to his punching technique. Every punch comes from the powerful torque of the hips. This is important when it comes to his knockout left hand. Davis doesn’t tend to throw many punches compared to other fighters around his weight class. Instead, Davis chooses to study his opponents and find the openings for his powerful left hand. In order to do this safely, Davis will use his footwork to keep the distance from his opponent and not allow them to land clean punches. Another tool that keeps him safe is his probing lead hand. This not only allows him to check the distance to confirm if he’s in punching range or not but also deters his opponents from walking into range due to the danger of walking into his big left hand. Davis is an excellent counter puncher and will eventually find the opening for the knockout shot. One of the most important components of counter-punching is pattern recognition. Whether moving backwards or forwards, Davis will always notice patterns of attack from his opponents as he’s studying them. Then he will bait out that same attack so he can counter it with a left hand that does damage.