Remembering all the Gervonta Davis scandals

Gervonta Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) has a long and turbulent history that’s difficult to overlook. Inside the ring, he’s a standout talent; outside of it, his career has been marred by repeated run-ins with the law, some dating back to his childhood. He has even served time in prison. His most recent charge was dismissed. Last month, the mother of his daughter filed a domestic violence complaint, but Davis—nicknamed “Tank”—avoided prosecution after the alleged victim refused to press charges.

The Baltimore native was arrested on July 11 in Miami Beach. He was taken to the Doral Police Department, booked into a correctional facility, and released later that day on $10,000 bail. According to a statement from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office to TMZ Sports, “This case was dismissed due to the victim’s refusal to prosecute, according to her attorney, Lindsey Chase, and her views were confirmed directly by the Assistant State Attorney in charge of the prosecution. The witness to the incident, the victim’s mother, was also uncooperative and failed to appear before a pretrial conference on Thursday, August 7. Subsequent attempts to contact the witness by phone were unsuccessful.”

A police report obtained by ESPN states that Davis’s ex-girlfriend told authorities she and the boxer had a verbal argument over “personal issues and Gervonta’s insecurities about his son’s sexuality.” She alleged that Davis struck her in the back of the head with a closed fist and slapped her as she attempted to pick up the children and put them in the car. The report also notes approximately ten undocumented instances of physical altercations between the pair.

Prison, complaints, and accidents

This is far from Davis’s first legal trouble. His upbringing was marked by instability and violence. The youngest of three siblings, he lost his mother to drug addiction when he was six, just a year after he had started boxing. His father was incarcerated at the time. Davis bounced between foster homes, including an adoptive family, before his grandmother gained custody three years later. Growing up, he witnessed—and experienced—frequent violence. At 15, he was caught in a drive-by shooting in his neighborhood while fighting with other kids.

In February 2020, Davis faced two counts of assaulting his then-girlfriend, though the charges were ultimately dismissed. In December 2023, he was arrested again—this time for domestic violence involving assault and battery causing bodily harm. He appeared before a Broward County judge in Fort Lauderdale and was released on $1,000 bail.

His legal troubles escalated further with a hit-and-run that injured four people, including a pregnant woman. Davis pleaded guilty to four traffic offenses: leaving the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, failing to report property damage, driving with an expired license, and running a red light. Initially sentenced to three months of house arrest, he failed to serve that sentence and instead spent 44 days in prison.

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Now, with fresh controversy and persistent legal issues, rumors are swirling about Davis’s possible retirement, fueled by speculation from both insiders and boxing analysts.

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