NEW YORK — On the surface, Gervonta Davis is still an active fighter.
According to Tim Bradley, deep down inside, Davis has essentially retired.
"Tank is done," Bradley told
The Ring after ESPN’s final Top Rank broadcast Saturday night in The Theater at Madison Square Garden. “Tank hung ‘em up, shoes off, put a plaque up. He’s done.”
When it comes to his ability to fight, Bradley has always been a fan of the Baltimore native. More recently, the International Boxing Hall of Famer and former ESPN analyst hasn’t liked what he has seen from Davis.
From Bradley’s point of view, things went south for
Davis earlier this year. The 30-year-old WBA lightweight champion entered the ring against
Lamont Roach as a gigantic favorite March 1 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Many, including Bradley, believed he would win convincingly, but Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) settled for a majority draw.
That subpar performance seemingly lit a fire under Davis, as
he and Roach (25-1-2, 10 KOs) were tentatively scheduled to run things back Aug. 16 in Las Vegas. The Davis-Roach rematch was never announced, though, and it is unclear whether their second lightweight title fight will take place at any point in the foreseeable future.
In addition to dodging punches in the ring, Davis is facing a tougher fight outside of it.
The three-division champ was arrested July 11 in Miami Beach, Florida. He was hit with a misdemeanor battery charge originating from an alleged dispute with a former girlfriend, with whom he shares two children.
According to the police report, Davis’ former girlfriend explained that they had an argument related to their son.
Davis reportedly arrived at her home to pick up both children June 15, Father’s Day. Once they were safely secured in his vehicle, Davis allegedly struck his ex-girlfriend with a closed fist and slapped her across the face.
Davis was later taken into custody by the Doral Police Department. He was held temporarily at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $10,000 bond. Davis has a court date set for July 29.
His issues outside of the ring aren’t the only concerns Bradley has for Davis.
Prior to stepping in with Roach, Davis appeared to be on a collision course with former YouTuber-turned-pro-boxer
Jake Paul had he beaten Roach. Paul himself later confirmed those reports.
Paul also revealed that their showdown is still on the table if Davis can beat Roach in their rematch.
Bradley has no doubt about Davis remaining as talented as they come. Considering everything else going on in his life, Bradley still feels the former pound-for-pound star is ready to walk away from boxing.
“Tank is checked out mentally," Bradley said. "Tank is gone mentally. Tank is looking for the big bag, a Jake Paul, and then he’s out. I’ll see you later. I think he’s done. He has a lot on his mind that he wants to do, and he’s kind of sick of the sport of boxing.”