The complex and controversial rivalry between Gervonta “Tank” Davis and Devin Haney has taken a dramatic and deeply personal turn. What began as a distant feud between two of the lightweight division’s brightest stars has now descended to a level of direct attacks against family members, with the entry of Bill Haney, Devin’s father and trainer, generating a conflict that crossed all boundaries and is making waves in the boxing world.
The rivalry began around 2019, coinciding with the rise of both fighters in the lightweight division. While their professional paths seemed destined to end in a showdown in the ring, the real “fight” originated on social media. Davis, who has maintained a grip on the 135-pound division and Haney, who after unifying the undisputed championship moved up in weight, have not stopped exchanging words on social media. However, the latest dispute reached extreme levels.
From social networks to a personal problem
The most recent trigger for this rivalry came from a post by the famous Ring magazine on X on June 9. The tweet shared an old video of light welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins training with Davis, at a time when Hitchins is preparing to defend his title against George Kambosos Jr. The image prompted an immediate reaction from Gervonta Davis, who commented: “I’ve helped a lot of weird guys…”.
Devin’s father, without hesitation, threw his response: “It’s crazy because I heard real people helped you, and you did weird things”. If things were already heated, the next response set fire. “Tank” Davis commented: “Coming from a weird cokehead”. Finally, that tweet was deleted, but everyone could see it.
Devin’s father did not want to be left behind and continued with the responses: “You, little spoiled baby, if you don’t shut up. You’re talking about your father, not me”.
The fight that didn’t happen
For boxing insiders, the bitter relationship between Davis and Haney is nothing new. It has long been rumored that a sparring session at Floyd Mayweather’s gym was the spark that ignited this rivalry. Public taunts have been constant: Davis lashed out at Haney for his controversial defeat to Ryan Garcia, while Haney mocked “Tank” when he chose Lamont Roach Jr. as his next opponent. All this generated the idea of a possible fight in the ring.
A few months ago, Gervonta Davis revealed on the podcast ‘A Safe Place’ details about a possible showdown against Haney. According to “Tank”, he received an offer from Riyadh Season for the fight. However, Davis refused to proceed, arguing an unfair deal. That distrust was what ended up turning off the lights of a fight that began on social networks, became personal, and who knows how it will continue in the short term.
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