WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis has confirmed his retirement date after labeling boxing ‘trash’ in New York.
‘Tank’ turned up over four hours late for his press conference to announce a fight with Lamont Roach at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 1. Once there, Davis acted mean and moody before confirming that he would walk away from the sport before 2026.
“After next year, I’m out of it, out of the sport,” he declared. “I’ll probably be building my real estate portfolio.
“I’m just trying to separate myself from the limelight. I just want to be able to make money and stay out of the way; that’s it. I want to be living without being seen.”
Later, when speaking to Fight Hub TV, the Baltimore native added his reasons.
“It’s trash. This s*** is trash, garbage. [I’m] Fed up. Fed up with the whole s***.”
A three-division world champion, Davis aims to fend off the challenge of super featherweight titleholder Roach, who is moving up from 130 pounds. He returns to Barclays Center, where he set the building’s record for the highest-grossing and most-attended boxing event and scored a highlight-reel KO of Rolando Romero in May 2022.
Since then, Davis has four three times, defeating Hector Garcia, Ryan Garcia, and Frank Martin on either side of a spell in prison/house arrest. With Roach branded as a poor choice of opponent by many who want Davis to chase a legacy-defining fight, the 30-year-old was bullish as he prepared to head back to the Big Apple.
“I’m excited to be a part of this,” he said. “Come March 1, this is going to be a great event. It will be an exciting show, with the same results as always. You have to wait and see.
“The people’s energy here is amazing. I won my first championship here. I have more followers from New York than almost anywhere. New Yorkers come with great energy.”
Roach stated, “I don’t care about being the underdog or the favorite. Either way, I’m going to win.”
Tickets for the live event go on sale Thursday, December 5, beginning at 10 a.m. ET and will be available through ticketmaster.com. Pre-sale tickets are AVAILABLE NOW until 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, December 5, through ticketmaster.com with the code: PBC
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.