Gervonta Davis plans to hang up his gloves in 2025. The boxing star dropped this bombshell at a recent press conference, saying he'll retire at just 30 years old.
Davis will defend his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach in March. After that, he says he'll have two more fights before calling it quits.
Davis's decision to step away during what many see as a boxer's prime years has raised eyebrows. It's a stark contrast to fighters like Bernard Hopkins, who became the oldest world champion in boxing history when he won the WBA light heavyweight title at 49 in 2014.
Speaking to FightHype.com, Hopkins shared his thoughts on Davis's surprise announcement:
"He needs to be respected for doing what most of the greats did in their time. He accomplished the highest goal that you can accomplish, and he's also a first ballot Hall of Famer."
Hopkins added that Davis shouldn't be criticized if he doesn't face WBC champion Shakur Stevenson before retiring. He pointed out that every era has fights that could have happened but didn't.
The former champ also speculated on Davis's future:
"I think Tank understands his path and will go about it how he feels. He's young still, he might change his mind, who knows. Something might happen in the next one or two fights where it's an automatic repeat or rewind of somewhere spectacular on his way out."
Hopkins ended with a plea to fans:
"I would say if he's going to do one, two or three more fights, let's respect that and hope it's the fights we want to see. That's the key."
Davis has already explained why he's not planning to fight Stevenson soon. Whether he sticks to his retirement plan or not, boxing fans will surely be watching his next moves closely.
