Davis likes idea of moving street disputes to ring
Boxing saved Gervonta Davis’ life, so he agreed with Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young that it could make a difference in Baltimore when he was presented with the key to the city Wednesday at City Hall.
In early June, Young responded to shootings in Baltimore with a suggestion of an alternative to gun violence.
“If they want to really settle them, we can have them down at the Civic Center [now called Royal Farms Arena], put a boxing ring up, let them go and box it out, those kind of things,” Young said last month. “[May] the best man win, and the beef should be over. Those are some kinds of things I’m thinking about, and hoping that we can get these people to put these guns down.”
Some of the people Davis grew up with in Baltimore died from violence in the streets, he said, but he escaped that life by staying in the gym. He said he agrees street disputes should be turned into boxing matches rather than shootouts.
“Yes. I believe so,” Davis said. “It will help out the city a lot. It will make kids go to the gym more, not just doing it because of anger. They’re doing it because they love it. So I think it will work.”
Boxing taught him about more than fighting, Davis said. It taught him discipline, which is what helped calm him down and succeed in the ring, where he said he expresses the feelings he can’t express throughout the week.
The two-time champion Davis will defend his World Boxing Association super featherweight world title in Baltimore on Saturday. Davis said he wanted to “do it from home” because it’s more meaningful that way.
“This is huge for the city as a world class tourist destination and for the generation of residents who haven’t had the chance to experience this type of event in their hometown,” Young said.
Davis said he remembers when former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was given the key, so to receive it himself is an honor.
As a kid who grew up in foster care, Davis wants to give back to the kids currently in the system in Baltimore. He said they’ve given out 100 tickets to foster kids, and he hopes that he’ll get the chance to at least take a picture with each of them and maybe even grab brunch on Sunday.
“We want to be reachable,” Davis said. “When I came up through the foster home, I ain’t had nobody to come back to me.”
The fight may be a one day event, but Davis said “I’ll be here for a long time.” He plans to get involved with the city and put in some community service time.
Davis said he wants to continue working with the foster system and do something with the kids about three times a year. He and his trainer, Calvin Ford, are devoted to giving the city’s youth productive way to spend their time.
“There’s a lot of stuff we want to do because there’s a lot of trauma in the city with the youth,” Ford said.
One idea is to create a center that offers boxing, as well as a variety of sports.
It would also have programs teaching kids about nutrition, hygiene and economics, Ford said.
“Just having a boxing facility that can have kids somewhere off the streets will help a lot,” Davis said.