Derrick Davis watched Gervonta “Tank” Davis rise from a Washington, D.C., gym to a Las Vegas main event stage, proving the youngster's own dream of becoming a pay-per-view star was possible.
Davis is scheduled to compete on Friday at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C., in a bout that will be broadcast on Probox TV.
Davis (3-0, 3 KOs), 21, of Fort Washington, Maryland, has witnessed the rise of Baltimore's self-proclaimed “Face of Boxing” and, while he doesn't want to emulate him, he does want to follow a similar path to glory and hopes Friday's bout will be a step towards the top.
“He was a young kid trying to work hard before he went to spar with Floyd. [Mayweather] “He was training with us in the gym in Las Vegas, and the next thing I knew he was running with Floyd, knocking people out and being on TV, so it was definitely motivation for me,” Derrick Davis said of Gervonta Davis.
Davis said Tank's success shows that with hard work, you can create the opportunities you crave.
“I learned that someone from my area can really be successful,” Davis said. “If you really put in the work and focus on your craft and hone your skills, you can be successful.”
Davis also credits his father, who shares his first name but a different middle name (so Davis isn't a junior), for playing a key role in his development, from practicing for interviews before he was 10 to overseeing his rigorous roadwork. “I was always thinking about how great my dad was,” Davis, known colloquially as “Scooter,” said of his manager and best friend.
“At first, my dad gave me tough love,” Davis said of his father. “I didn't understand. I'd come home from practice and then have to run on the track. It'd be 9 or 10 o'clock at night, pitch black, and I'd be running on the track and getting those extra miles. I thought he was just being mean and making me get up on a Saturday morning and do all this.”
Davis sees that as the foundation of his success.
“Now I understand the foundation he laid for me,” Davis said. “I'm not a lazy person. When it comes to work, I do it no matter what means I have. Whether it's exercise, paperwork, or computers. I'm not allergic to work.”
