The ‘GWOAT’ Claressa Shields Says Tank Davis “Needs Therapy”

By Frank Bay: In a recent interview, Clarissa Shields, doing her best Captain Obvious impression, said that Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis needs help after his recent performance. Not your typical boxing advice, like maybe he needs a new trainer, or needs to be more aggressive, no Shields suggested something Taboo.

Shields admitted that she had sought Therapy during her boxing career and suggested that is what Gervonta needs. This is a very different kind of help. Seeking professional therapy could be seen as a major weakness. The running gag on the show ‘The Sopranos’ was that Tony Soprano was secretly getting therapy.

This was because if the mob had known Tony was talking to a therapist, he would be whacked. For obvious reasons, maybe he is telling the secrets of the mob, but more importantly, it’s seen by men as a weakness. Especially in a macho sport like boxing, this could be a death blow.

Fighters could hear Tank is seeing a shrink and think he is finished. But times have changed, and mental health is a real thing. Ryan Garcia and Danny Garcia are new and old era fighters that have revealed they needed mental health help. Seeking mental health help in today’s era has become acceptable not only for men in mainstream society but also for men in ultra macho sports like boxing, where having a mental edge is key.

Retirement Talk

Clarissa based her opinion on hearing Tank talk about retirement. Many fans, media members and people within the boxing industry also noted that Tank talking retirement was a red flag going into the Lamont Roach fight. Ryan Garcia also gave his opinion stating that tanks retirement talk was the reason for him losing.

Ryan felt that with retirement at the back of Tanks’ mind, he was not able to hit the gears he needed to when he was facing adversity. In a sport like boxing, self-doubt can be a fighter’s biggest obstacle. Teofimo Lopez, who is no secret to mental health, at one time was questioning himself after a lackluster effort versus Sandor Martin, where the camera famously caught him murmuring ‘do I still got it.’

People used this momentary sign of weakness by Lopez as a sign he had no chance against Josh Taylor. We had seen how that played out. Fighters are expected to brag and boast and never admit, even if they feel weak, that they have any doubt about their ability to beat any fighter put in front of them.

No fighter gets to the top of the sport without believing in themselves. They have pride and ego in abundance. That can also be their biggest pitfall. They are too prideful to seek help when help is needed.

Tank’s Troubles

The sharks are swirling around Gervonta now after people and fighters witnessed the kinks in his armor. Tank rose to the top of the sport with the aura of invincibility. It was created and marketed by the other famously invincible fighter, Floyd Mayweather. However, Mayweather, too, had troubles in and out of the ring.

He had brittle hands and even did time in the joint. It happens, the most famous top fighters usually have troubles and ills while on top. It’s hard to name a fighter who hasn’t gotten in trouble during their reign. Manny Pacquaio was cancelled, Tyson Fury had drug problems, Oscar needed rehab, Sugar Ray Leonard admitted that he had drug abuse problems, Mike Tyson no need for an explanation and so on down the list.

It’s hard to remain clean and protected from life’s downfalls when you’re the man. The fame, the money, the women, and all your new friends are the easiest ways to lose sight of what got you there.

Your god given abilities. And for the smallish 5’2 Gervonta Davis coming from the slums of Baltimore, he was born with dynamite in both of his fists. Davis is no stranger to the law, though. Davis is lucky to be a free man, considering he was involved in a hit-and-run. Justice was served, and Tank went right back into the ring to make a lot of money for a lot of people.

Opinions Are Like A-Holes

Opinions are what make boxing great. But there are opinions based upon facts and opinions based upon narratives, lies, or half-truths. Tank Davis is a polarizing figure in the boxing community. But I will give you a fact, Tank Davis is a star, he puts butts in seats and brings media and social media attention.

He was one-half the last mega boxing PPV when he defeated Ryan Garcia; that is a fact. An opinion is that the PPV was successful only because Ryan Garcia has an enormous social media fan base. That is up for debate. Maybe true, maybe not. The fact remains that his commercial success cannot be taken away from him.

The fact is that Tank is a top-level prizefighter. Notice I said prizefighter. He just is, the same way Canelo Alvarez is, and fighters are constantly calling them out because they know the payday it will bring them. From opposing fighters’ managers to promoters to the families involved, everyone wants a piece of Tank Davis because he represents life-changing money for all parties.

An opinion is that Tank Davis only enjoys this success because he is a manufactured fighter. It was a fact that his promoter at the time, Floyd Mayweather, is quoted as saying ‘Leave Tank alone’ when questioned about opponents that fans and media were asking for him to challenge.

He has been protected because he makes a lot of money for a lot of people. The Lamont Roach fight proved to the people with those opinions that indeed Tank had been protected and was exposed for cherry-picking. It’s a fact that the blemish has done nothing to affect his stardom, and one could argue that people are more intrigued to see if Tank can find his greatness.

Rematch Repeat?

I’m not here to say what Tank needs or does not. It’s my opinion he obviously needs some kind of help, but what kind of help, I’m not qualified to answer. Maybe Gervonta has mentally checked out of boxing and doesn’t have the drive or killer instinct anymore?

Maybe Davis just needs technical boxing help, like he needs to be more aggressive during his fights. Many experts have always claimed that Tank does not throw a lot of punches and loses rounds because he relies on his power to bail him out. Was it a night off, or was Tank never that good to begin with?

All up for debate. But Clarissa brings up a more poignant, meaningful question: Is Gervonta in need of something much deeper than boxing? It’s now popular for athletes like Deontay Wilder to go on an Ayahuasca retreat to fight demons, seeking peace and clarity in the notorious crooked sport of boxing.

Wilder claimed it made him a better man. I will tell you what Tank Davis does need, he needs a win over Lamont Roach, so call me captain obvious. What I hear from fans is that they finally want Davis to stop the criticism by fighting the big names fans and the media claimed he avoided.

I don’t need to tell you the names because the people know, but when the rematch comes, Tank Davis needs to quiet the critics and make a statement by stopping Lamont Roach. Anything less than a Tank Davis knockout, and the Sharks will smell blood.

Another controversial decision, and it could all be over for Tank Davis in terms of being the face of boxing. Nothing less than a spectacular performance from Tank, and it could signal that it’s time to walk away. A loss and Tank Davis may very well retire, and we will never see him fight again. That would be a shame.