Gervonta “Tank” Davis cut a pretty angry, even bitter figure at yesterday’s press conference to hype up his November 14 bout with YouTuber Jake Paul. Tank, who has been deservedly criticised for not going through with his return fight with Lamont Roach, Jr, who held him to a controversial draw back in March, said he “doesn’t care” what we fans think; whether we like the Paul “fight” (it will be an exhibition) or not.
Tank then went on to say that we “want to see him lose” a fight and that people have even been talking about his personal life. Tank has been in the news quite a bit, this due to some legal issues, the latest allegation against him of committing domestic violence on the mother of his kids being dropped. But Tank the fighter has been quiet. Until now, and what he had to say yesterday.
Tank Tells Fans to “Sit Back and Be Fans”
“Why should I care? Why should I care what they think, when y’all switch?” Tank said in regards to what we think of him fighting the much bigger, but far less talented Paul and not Roach, adding that we have turned on him as a result. “Somebody can have a bad day and y’all switching on who y’all favourite fighter is or who this person is supposed to fight. Like y’all need to sit back and be fans and just enjoy the sport. Y’all even talk about people personal lives. Like when it come to that?”
So, in Tank’s world, we fans – we paying fans – should just take what we’re given and “enjoy it.” No longer is it okay for the fans to criticise a fighter when he deserves to be criticised. Oh, how the sport has changed. Or, more accurately, how the mindset of some fighters has changed. And not for the better. There was a time when a proud fighter would not accept a money-grab if he knew it would harm his reputation, if it would turn the fans off. But now, with boxing being viewed more and more as entertainment and not too much more, joke fights such as Tank Vs. Paul are what we get. And we’re supposed to like it!
Why Tank Isn’t Mayweather Yet
Tank should have given Roach his rematch, won it with no questions asked (if he was able to do so) and then looked to take the meaningful fights, the career-defining fights. At least that’s one critic’s view. Tank went on to say that we want so badly to see him defeated in the ring, and that as was the case with Floyd Mayweather, the love we once had for him has turned to hate.
“When y’all see people in that limelight too long, they want somebody else, to come take that spot…..That’s what happened with Floyd [Mayweather],” Davis said. “Y’all seem him to much and once y’all seen him so much, y’all started hating on him. It turned form love to hate.”
The difference between Tank and “Money” is, Mayweather fought the great fights, the career-defining fights, and THEN he boxed the cash-grab exhibitions. Mayweather knew his resume was stacked full of great wins over excellent fighters, and by the time he had reached 49-0, he was entitled to pick up easy cash so long as the fans were willing to pay see him box a Conor McGregor, a John Gotti, a Mike Tyson!
But has Tank reached the same point of entitlement? That’s the point, he has not; Tank has plenty of unfinished business with regards to the taking of real fights. Hence the criticism over Tank taking on Paul for a bundle. Let’s just hope Tank is as angry as he was yesterday when he gets in the ring with Paul. Then we might see something worth watching.
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