Shields Tells Tank Davis To Fix His Mental Health – ‘Get Therapy’
Claressa Shields says Gervonta Davis needs therapy before a potential rematch with Lamont Roach Jr.
Davis secured a majority draw with Roach in a very controversial fight. The referee did not call a knockdown in the ninth-round when Tank took a knee. Davis then went to the corner to wipe some grease from his face. Had the referee called it a knock down, Roach would have come out victorious. The decision prevented Roach from becoming a two-weight world champion, as he would have picked up the WBA lightweight belt.
Roach’s team made an appeal to the New York State Athletic Commission. However, the authorities upheld the decision, much to the dissatisfaction of the boxing community. Before the Roach fight, Davis said he wanted to box three more times this year after which he would retire. That created the narrative that Davis may have been overlooking his opponent or had one eye on retirement. Shields felt Davis had to get his mindset in a good place before taking a possible rematch. She also favored Roach in the rematch, saying Lamont now knows he can take Tank’s power.
“I feel like Gervonta is a hell of a fighter, but he needs to get his mental health together. I see some of the stuff that he’s saying. I can just tell that he’s not in love with the sport anymore. I can tell that he didn’t get his dues. Now he’s got kids and you know he’s not signed with Mayweather Promotions anymore. I hear him talk. He’s like he wants to be a nicer guy for his daughters. I think he would be an even better fighter if he went and did therapy like ASAP. I can just tell he’s a little depressed even before this fight.
“I think it’ll be a better fight. I think that Lamont has the mental edge. I think anybody right now would have a mental edge over Tank. I have done plenty of camps where I was depressed, and where I was going through anxiety, so it’s not an easy thing to get over especially when you don’t have the support from certain people. I think Roach did a great job that fight. I think if he would been a little bit more aggressive, he could have really won like a unanimous decision but he kept stepping off the gas,” Shields said
There was also another factor missing in the fight. Calvin Ford was not in Davis’ corner, which may have had an influence on his preparation. Davis also said before the fight that he wanted to focus on his children more, as well as his real estate portfolio post his boxing career. He has secured his financial future from the sport, having earned $50 million from the Ryan Garcia fight. So the question moving forward is whether Tank still has the hunger to perform at the highest level.
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