By: Sean Crose
Gervonta Davis has been charged with simple battery/domestic violence by the Coral Gables, Florida police department. The WBA lightweight champion reportedly turned himself in on Tuesday after a video made the rounds during the weekend showing the 23-0 fighter grabbing his ex-girlfriend by the throat and forcefully removing her from the audience of a charity basketball game. “As the result of an ongoing investigation,” the police report read under a mug shot of Davis, “after being notified through social media and the victim, on February 1, 2020, the above pictured subject was observed battering his former girlfriend whom have a child together.”
“I never once hit her,” Davis claimed after the incident in a since deleted tweet, “yea I was aggressive and told her come on… that’s the mother of my child.” The video has led to widespread condemnation. It has also led to some connecting Davis’ behavior to the sport of boxing overall. Couple this latest incident with previous questionable endeavors, and run ins with the law, and Davis’ rise as a top draw in the sport is raising eyebrows. Up until this point, however, he has remained a popular ring attraction.
For Davis is widely regarded as one of the biggest potential stars in boxing. Lightning fast and hard hitting, the 25 year old wins and wins in exciting fashion. Self control is not known to be Davis’s strong suit, however. He’s missed weight before a major fight and has faced police charges in 2017 and 2019 respectively. Neither charge, however, led to a conviction for Davis, who has been being groomed to be a pay per view attraction. Davis’ last fight was in late December, when he bested gritty veteran Yuriorkis Gamboa for the vacant WBA world lightweight title.
Davis is far from the first boxer to be accused of criminal acts. Ring stars from Floyd Mayweather to Mike Tyson to Jake LaMotta to Carlos Monzon have faced serious charges and/or consequences for illegal, sometimes outright brutal behavior. One of Davis contemporaries, former light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev, is currently facing charges of sexual assault in California.
Davis, who has been boxing professionally since 2013, is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, and has won major belts in two weight divisions. As of press time, he has not officially commented on his arrest, nor has he commented on the charges against him.