Claressa Shields Pleads For Gervonta Davis To Get Therapy Before Lamont Roach Rematch

Gervonta "Tank" Davis has been at the center of discussion among the boxing community ever since his controversial March 1 fight against Lamont Roach, which resulted in a majority draw and set the stage for a rematch later this summer. And most of this discussion has not been positive for the undefeated WBA lightweight champion.
When speaking with Sean Zittel on March 28, legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum said, "I think Davis has to start taking boxing seriously. You know, it's not just a media kind of thing. I don't know, I don't know the kid. But he seemed sort of ordinary [against Roach]."
Undefeated women's boxing pound-for-pound great Claressa Shields is more concerned about Davis' mental space than his performance in the ring, which she conveyed during a March 28 interview with Fight Hub TV.
"I feel like Gervonta is a hell of a fighter, but I feel like he needs to get his mental together," Shields said. "When I hear some of his interviews, and I see some of the stuff that he's saying, I can just tell that he's not in love with the sport no more."
She later added, "I think he would be better, and even a better fighter, if he went and did therapy like ASAP. Because I can tell he's a little sad, little depressed... he needs to take some serious time to deal with whatever he has to deal with."
Shields concluded this part of her response by saying, "I think therapy would help [Davis in his rematch with Roach]."
Props to Shields for trying to look out for Davis' well being.
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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.