Coach Calvin Ford doesn’t take his student Gervonta Davis’s rise to prominence for granted.
Ford, speaking to Boxing Junkie like a true mentor, said the “Tank” had to keep going – stay focused, keep working hard, stay humble – for the master boxer to pick up. realize its great potential.
He implied that if Davis got too caught up in the hype, things could fall apart. As far as possible. Ford has made it clear that Davis is doing the right things so far, saying “he’s become a real student of the game.”
“When you reach this level, the question is will you continue [do] What made you there? Ford said, who was then asked if he agreed that Davis had no obvious weaknesses. “As a looker, you might say so but as coaches who have been with him for many years, we [can’t].
“We must continue to evaluate… what we must do to complete the mission.”
the face of boxing @Gervontaa stop Garcia in round 7 with a VICIOUS body strike #DavisGarcia pic.twitter.com/8MRrWvBOOQ
– SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) April 23, 2023
Ford hesitates even to enter the awards after Davis’ punch knockout Ryan Garcia last Saturday in Las Vegas.
Boxing Junkie asked him if the 28-year-old from Baltimore was better than 135-pound competitors Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
We expect him to say, “Damn it.” Clearly wanting to keep Davis’ feet on the ground instead, he said, no one knows yet.
“So far we can see that but I don’t want that in my head,” Ford said. “We still have a lot to prove. … Only three people are considered as good, Devin, Shakur and Lomachenko.
“Who is the best? We won’t know until they stand in front of each other.”
However, Ford made it clear that he believes in Davis.
Everyone was talking about Tank’s undeniable punching prowess, which almost brought his boxing abilities to a screeching halt. Ford was asked if people would appreciate his skill level.
“They don’t,” he said. “That’s the part they miss. How does he deliver his punches with such precision? It’s like a marksman shooting at the target. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re not going to hit the target from that distance. And he hit it, DING! Damn, how did he do that? That’s the difference.”
And while he doesn’t say it directly, he does imply that Stevenson – perhaps his most talented opponent – doesn’t have the same background as Davis.
Stevenson delivered a dominant breakout win over Oscar Valdez last April but he believes Davis goes further in opposition quality over a longer period of time.
“Shakur is good [against] the guys he’s faced,” said Ford. “Tank did it with guys that people thought he couldn’t do and he made it look easy. It’s your stepping stone, how great you look in front of some guys.
“Stevenson, no doubt, has a pedigree but that’s how you look to a guy when you have the same pedigree.”
Ford hopes that concept will lead us to the aforementioned light car showdowns.
He won’t say who he wants to see Davis up against next. That, he said, is up to the fighter. However, he believes those matches will take place soon. Then we will know for sure who is the best.
“The time has come,” he said. “And time will tell. Tank has to ask himself, ‘Do you want to be the greatest of all time?’ These are the people you have to eliminate to become the greatest of all time.
