By: Hans Themistode
Gervonta Davis is a champion both inside, and outside of the boxing ring. On October 26th, he was treated as such by his hometown fans in Baltimore with a parade in his honor.
Davis, who is a two weight world champion, has experienced plenty of success inside of the ring. In January of 2017, Davis captured his first world title when he knocked out former belt holder Jose Pedraza in the seventh round of their showdown.
Photo Credit: Gervonta Davis Twitter Account
After losing his title on the scales later that year, Davis would go on to regain his championship status by stopping former titlist Jesus Cuellar. Following several successful title defenses, Davis recently decided it was time to move up in weight. On December 28th, at the State Farm Arena, in Atlanta, Davis will attempt to win another world championship when he takes on former multiple division champion Yuriorkis Gamboa.
Although Davis has a ton of star power, it was his most recent ring appearance that truly catapulted him in the eyes of Baltimore fans. On July 27th, Davis got another routine stoppage win, this time over late replacement opponent Ricardo Nunez. It wasn’t just that Davis made look easy once again. Instead, what gained the most attention was that Davis defended his title in his hometown of Baltimore, at the Royal Farms Arena. It was the first time in nearly 80 years that a world champion that was born in Baltimore made a title defense back in the famed city.
In celebration of all that Davis has achieved in such a short time span, a parade was thrown in his honor. In attendance was the mayor of the city along with several senators and council members as well.
In addition to countless fans in attendance, numerous local bands, dancers and musicians came out to support Davis as well.
Being celebrated is an amazing honor in itself, but the appreciation of Davis reached a new level. It was announced that October 26th, will officially be named Tank Day.
During his celebration, Davis was seen giving handshakes and hugs while posing for endless pictures. For Davis, being able to touch the fans who have supported him for so many years has always been important to him.
‘I never wanted to be the guy that made it out and not be reachable to my people,” said Davis via his Instagram. “I rather be loved then feared…a champion embrace his people just as well as they embrace him.”
It’s clear that even with the star attention that Davis has garnered, that he is not forgetting his roots. With his status, it isn’t easy to thank everyone individually but he made sure to take the time to say how much the parade truly meant to him.
“It was really great to see so many people that I grew up with and so many people from my city. They’ve always supported me from day one so it really meant a lot to me for everyone to come out. Baltimore will always be home to me.”
With boxing stardom at his fingertips and an endless amount of world titles in his future, it is clear that Davis is still fueled by the city and the people who raised him.
