Who knew that the chance taken by Floyd Mayweather on one random day in 2015 would change the boxing world forever?
Signing a young, up-and-coming boxer by the name of Gervonta Davis with less than 10 fights under his belt was a risky move for Mayweather. However, it turned out to be one of the best investments that Money ever made.
The rise of the Baltimorean southpaw to the superstardom level is something else, and Floyd Mayweather played a huge role in it. However, in the last few years, things have not been so smooth between the pair ever since the split. The duo has been taking digs at each other on social media and on February 24, 2025, things took another weird turn.
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As Pretty Boy was celebrating his 48th birthday, he received many birthday wishes and tributes. However, the post that stood out was of Gervonta Davis, who might have taken a shot at his former promoter. Tank posted a training video on his social media with the caption that read, “Life is better when you’re gone and I don’t need ya… #TheONE.” While the caption doesn’t explicitly mention Mayweather, the timing of the post has raised many eyebrows. With the speculations of a broken relationship again in circulation, let’s take a look at where it all went wrong.
As mentioned, Davis signed a deal with Mayweather Promotions in 2015 with legendary promoter Al Haymon by his side. It was a fruitful relationship that saw the Baltimore native go from being a rising prospect to a boxer with a 26-0 record. Davis also won three titles in two different weight categories during his time with the 50-0 boxer.
However, cracks started to appear in early 2017 when Gervonta Davis won his first world title. The boxing star accused ‘Money’ of unprofessional behavior and hogging the limelight. While the accusations continued, the pair remained in business together while being cordial.
However, the relationship completely collapsed in 2022, when Tank left ‘Money Team’ ahead of his fight against Rolando Romero. The WBA lightweight champion made the announcement via the ‘Last Stand’ podcast, citing that he needs to take care of his career by himself. After 26 victories and three world titles, Davis realized that he was ready to move on and manage himself.
Ever since the split, the relationship between Mayweather and Davis has been like a mixed bag. Sometimes the pair take brutal digs at each other while other times it seems like everything is fine.
Tank made it clear that the split did not happen on good terms. He accused his former mentor of banning him from his gym to prepare for Ryan Garcia‘s fight. Given that it was and still is the biggest fight of Davis’s career, the betrayal must have hurt. However, the aftermath of the Garcia fight stated otherwise. After the Baltimorean successfully defeated KingRy via a seventh-round KO, Floyd Mayweather was inside the ring, embracing his former protégé. The incident made it seem like the pair had buried the hatchet.
Furthermore, both Davis and Mayweather made it clear multiple times that, despite the turbulence in their relationship, they both respect each other. Also during a conversation with FightHype, Gervonta Davis claimed that he is still open to working with Floyd Mayweather in the future. All these confessions made fans believe that despite their differences, the pair are still on respectable terms with each other.
However, then things went sour last year in April when Floyd Mayweather allegedly got held up in the UAE. Among those fueling rumors about Mayweather was Tank. He claimed that Mayweather was being held by the government because of a debt/financial crisis. The 30-year-old called his former mentor a “hater” while challenging the latter to go live on Instagram to show his whereabouts. As expected, Mayweather didn’t take it silently and replied with an image of himself in Dubai with the caption, “BREAKING NEWS FLOYD MAYWEATHER STUCK IN DUBAI.” It was indeed a playful jab at Davis.
Even after Davis’ cryptic post on Pretty Boy’s birthday, the latter posted an old sparring video featuring Davis and Devin Haney at his Mayweather gym in Las Vegas. All these back-and-forths have made it clear that the former mentor-protégé pair share a rather complex relationship. However, that should not undermine the role Mayweather has played in Gervonta Davis’ career.
The former five-division champion met Tank for the first time at one of Adrien Broner‘s training camps in 2015. There was an immediate spark, and the Marylander joined Mayweather Promotions later that year. His first major fight after signing with the promotion came in 2017 when he fought against Francisco Fonseca on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor undercard.
Many expected Tank’s career to fly from there. However, surprisingly, he only fought once in 2018, which even frustrated him. The Mayweather Promotions made up for it by giving Davis three fights in 2018 and 2019. Fans can only dream of seeing the WBA lightweight champion three times in a year. While the frequency of his fights decreased after 2019, the quality of the opponents increased significantly. In the next three years, Gervonta Davis fought some of the biggest names in boxing at the time.
The last three years in Mayweather Promotions made Gervonta Davis the star he is today. Furthermore, even though he left the promotion, Mayweather has always wished the best for his protégé. In an interview with Fight Hype after the split, the Pretty Boy declared, “I will always love Tank. I like him. Love him – look at him as a son. He has to do what’s best for him. I feel like I’ve done a great job thus far, building him and putting him in good fights, great fights. He’s steady growing, he’s steady learning. I’m proud of him.”
Even though their relationship is now broken, Mayweather’s role in Tank’s career remains undeniable.
