Opening Bell: Baltimore Featherweight Gervonta Davis Signs With Al Haymon
by Gautham Nagesh
Another day, another blue-chip DMV prospect is snapped up by boxing’s top talent wrangler, the shadowy Al Haymon. This time it’s Baltimore featherweight Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who joins locals Gary Russell Jr., Dominic Wade, Kareem Martin, and Thomas “Top Dawg” Williams Jr. in Haymon’s stable.
We’ve been telling anyone that will listen for years that the 19-year-old Davis might just be the most talented fighter in the Beltway region. An extremely skilled southpaw with a long, decorated amateur career, Davis turned professional last year after winning the National Golden Gloves title at 123 lbs. He has since run off six wins, all by stoppage, though he has yet to fight this year.
Fortunately, signing with Haymon means Gervonta will get every opportunity maximize his immense talent by linking up with the most influential camp in boxing. His next fight is scheduled for March 17 in Boston, on the undercard of a Fox Sports 1 show from Golden Boy. That card has extra interest because it will also feature the pro debut of the reigning Stiff Jab Amateur Boxer of the Year Kareem Martin.
Click through for more on both Martin and Davis:[[MORE]]
Boxers are typically from rough places, but Davis may have most of them beat: he is the real-world version of the young boxers depicted in season 4 of The Wire; his amateur trainer Calvin Ford was the inspiration for the character of Cutty. Baltimore hasn’t produced many quality fighters in recent years, in part because its young men frequently find themselves knocked out by the streets long before they attain glory in the ring.
Avoiding those types of distractions will be the key for Davis; no one really doubts his skills in the ring. When other local boxers are asked who we should be watching, Tank’s name almost always comes up. A person familiar with the situation said Davis has been signed with Haymon for over a month, and that the plan is to make sure he has the mentoring and supervision he needs to stay on the right track. We confirmed the story via Davis’ Twitter bio, where he proudly states he is “Signed to Al Haymon!”
We’re thrilled by this development, both for Davis and because it’s further recognition that we are currently witnessing the rise of a special group of young boxers in the DMV. Davis is pretty much the only reason we would venture up to Charm City to cover some otherwise pedestrian cards, so count on us bringing you in-depth coverage as he continues his climb up the ladder. If you asked me to bet on one young fighter I cover eventually becoming a world champion, my money is on Gervonta.
Kareem Martin Turns Pro March 17th: Speaking of excellent young local boxers, as we mentioned above, fellow Al Haymon signee Kareem “Reemo” Martin will be turning professional on March 17th in Boston on the same card featuring Davis. Martin, 18, confirmed last night that he is scheduled for his first professional bout, after an amateur career that saw him capture major titles both home and abroad.
Reemo is a welterweight who trains at Headbangers under the tutelage of Barry Hunter, which means he’s a well-schooled young fighter with a ferocious body attack. Along with Davis, he’s one of the youngest and most talented pros in the country, not just the region. Given his youth, it will probably take Martin a couple years to show up on TV, but we have no doubt he will get there eventually. In the meantime, we’ll be tracking him closely like all the other local fighters we follow.
Carlos Molina Facing Deportation: More bad news for Chicago junior middleweight titlist Carlos Molina, who was jailed last week in Las Vegas for failing to register as a sex offender back in Wisconsin. The details of the case are here in this report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and they’re not pretty. Molina was accused of some pretty heinous stuff, which apparently led to Immigration and Customs Enforcement deporting him in 2006.
As a result, ICE says he is in the country illegally and facing deportation. We admittedly had a soft spot for Molina: he fought his way near the top of a loaded division despite lacking standout talent or the support of a big promoter. His style is admittedly hard to watch, but he seemed like a rare example of boxing rewarding someone for pouring their life into it. Now it seems like things have taken a dark turn for Molina, and our sympathy for him might have been misplaced. Regardless of how things turn out, this is a sad situation.
Unsurprisingly, Molina’s fight on tonight’s Showtime Pay Per View against Jermall Charlo has been cancelled. Ricardo Alvarez, Canelo’s brother, finds himself back on TV against Sergio Thompson, after his earlier opponent Omar Figueroa Jr. pulled out with an injury. Check back later for full coverage of the entire PPV card.