Boxing

Andre Ward Laments Floyd Mayweather's Influence On Gervonta Davis' Career

Andre Ward analyzed how Gervonta "Tank" Davis' priorities compare to those of his former mentor, Floyd Mayweather.
Grant Young|
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The mainstream sports world was introduced to Gervonta "Tank" Davis when he fought as the co-main event of the iconic 2017 showdown between boxing legend Floyd "Money" Mayweather and notorious UFC champion Conor McGregor, which is still one of the biggest boxing fights of all time.

Gervonta was afforded this platform because of his great relationship with Mayweather, who was once a mentor to him. Tank signed to Mayweather's promotional company in 2015 and helped guide him through the early portions of his career.

And given that Mayweather was still at the top of the sports world at that time (especially when it came to how much money he was making), there's no doubt that Gervonta was heavily influenced by his proximity to the undefeated champion in more ways than one.

GERVONTA DAVIS having fun and full of energy during the press conference on May 5, 2024.
GERVONTA DAVIS having fun and full of energy during the press conference on May 5, 2024. | ZUMA Press Wire

Since then, Mayweather and Davis' relationship has soured for several reasons, and they aren't working together. Still, there's a case to be made that Mayweather's impact is still very apparent on Gervonta's career at this point, for better or for worse.

Andre Ward Gets Brutally Honest About Gervonta Davis' Career

Another undefeated champion from Mayweather's era is Andre Ward, who was a polar opposite to Mayweather when it came to how they lived life outside of the ring.

And it seems that Ward doesn't like how Tank has followed Mayweather's footsteps, which he asserted during a recent rant on his ALL THE SMOKE Fight podcast.

"I don't remember the last time that I've heard Gervonta Davis say, 'I'm in boxing to be the greatest fighter of all time,'" Ward said. "I can't remember... the last time I've heard Gervonta Davis talk about his legacy in the ring. Like, 'I'm building my legacy, I'm trying to out-do Floyd in legacy.'

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"I think it started like that for him. But the influence of Floyd Mayweather, Money man — not Pretty Boy, but the Money man — and building your brand, and selling tickets, and selling pay-per-views, that's also a legacy," Ward continued. "I believe Gervonta Davis is more focused on selling tickets, and making money, and securing his future for himself and his family."

Ward later added, "If you're trying to be one of the greatest fighters of all time, there's still a lot to prove." He then questioned whether Gervonta is being held to too high a standard about his boxing career from fans and pundits, given that it's seemingly not his main focus.

Given that Gervonta reasserted that he plans to retire after fighting Jake Paul on Friday, Ward's sentiment is coming at an apt time.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.