Over the summer at City Hall, Baltimore’s mayor gifted homegrown world champion boxer Gervonta “Tank” Davis his very own key to the city, just as he was preparing to defend that title.
Months after retaining that belt with a second-round knockout win, Davis will enjoy a parade in his honor through West Baltimore tomorrow.
The procession will kick off at 1:30 p.m. and run along Pennsylvania Avenue, from Preston Street up to Robert Street, culminating in a “fan festival” outside Davis’ original training grounds, the Upton Boxing Center.
State Sens. Antonio Hayes, Mary Washington and Shirley Nathan-Pulliam and Councilmembers Eric Costello, Robert Stokes and Leon Pinkett will be among the local elected officials joining Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young and Davis for the parade.
A press advisory says the celebration is “reflecting the Mayor’s priority to engage our young people and spotlight the positive contributions made by Baltimoreans.”
Davis famously defended his World Boxing Association featherweight world title against Ricardo Nunez in July in front of a sold-out crowd at Royal Farms Arena, taking down his Panamanian challenger with a minute and 33 seconds left in the second round.
A protege of Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Davis has risen to international stardom over the last several years, boasting a 22-0 record and having his past six fights–all KOs or TKOs–televised by Showtime.
His next bout, confirmed last week, will be against Cuban fighter Yuriorkis Gamboa on Dec. 28, the main event on a three-fight card reportedly airing on Showtime. It’ll mark Davis’ first fight in the 135-lb. weight class. He recently relinquished his super featherweight title to move up a higher weight class for the matchup.
Davis’ hometown parade will precede the premiere of a CharmTV-produced documentary, “My Name is Tank Davis,” airing Saturday night at 8 p.m.
