Gervonta Davis said he won’t allow his mom, Kenya Brown, to attend his fight against Ryan Garcia, arguably the most highly-anticipated bout of his career. “My mom has got to stay home,” Davis said, per Boxing Scene. “My mom, she’s, like, tough, but, nah… Nah, it can get ugly – on both sides. This is a 50-50 fight. So, I got to lock all the way in.”
Gervonta Davis said he saw his African American parents do drugs
Gervonta Davis was born in November 1994 to Garrin Davis and Kenya Brown in Baltimore. The boxer is African American.
In October 2020, Davis raised doubts about his ethnicity by wearing Mexican attire before his fight against Leo Santa Cruz. The move sparked false rumors that Davis has Mexican roots.
Davis likely wore Mexican attire to annoy his Mexican opponent Leo Santa Cruz. The Baltimore native likely drew inspiration from his mentor, Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, who wore Mexican apparel before his momentous fight against Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.
Floyd’s antics got into Oscar’s head – the veteran lost the match via a split decision. Davis was also successful, knocking out Santa Cruz in round six.
Davis grew up in one of the roughest parts of Baltimore, the 23rd most dangerous city in the world. The odds were stacked against Davis, who saw his African American parents do drugs. Eventually, Garrin was incarcerated, and Kenya abandoned the children.
Following three years in foster care, Davis was taken in by his grandparents. Perhaps as a reaction to his rough childhood, Davis fought often. Davis’ uncle reacted by taking Davis to the gym, where he could release his anger without hurting people.
“Once he took me to the gym, I felt the love that I wasn’t getting at home,” Davis told DJ Vlad.