There aren’t too many active boxers who can walk away from the sport at this moment and have no regrets about how their career transpired. Oleksandr Usyk would certainly be one of them. Canelo Alvarez can say the same. As can Gervonta Davis.
The youngest in that bunch, “Tank” still has things left to accomplish. After all, he has never even unified in any weight division. But that isn’t really his fault, as his aura as arguably the most dangerous fighter in the sport kept him from getting truly big fights. Davis has made easy work of his competition through 30 bouts. On Saturday, he’s looking to make it 29 knockouts in 31 fights. Only Lamont Roach Jr. is standing in his way.
As Davis has prepared for this fight, he has been transparent about possibly walking away from the sport that has given him so much. It seems unlikely given Davis’ age (30 years old), but the more we hear from Davis, the more the sport appears to be weighing on him.
Gervonta Davis confirms he will take a break from boxing after Lamont Roach Jr. fight
At Thursday’s press conference ahead of the fight, Davis once again spoke prospectively, and it’s clear that he needs a long break from boxing at the very least.
I’m getting older. I’d seen a post by Antonio Brown, writing about how he gave his all to the sport, but then he lost his mind giving it. It’s always about ‘What can we do next?’ and never about ‘Are you OK? How are you doing?’… I just need time for myself, to grow. And then, hopefully, six months or one year from now, I can come back to the sport and fight these guys.
A six-to-12 month layoff wouldn’t exactly be a retirement, but Davis had grown used to fighting much more frequently. His longest layoff, as of late, came after defeating Ryan Garcia in April of 2023. He didn’t fight again until June of 2024.
Davis needs a mental and physical reset if he wants to deliver on the big stage well into his 30s.
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