In the boxing world, punches aren’t just thrown in the ring. Sometimes, they’re hurled on Twitter. The latest jab? It was on Gervonta Davis and his legal history. Davis, who just turned Muslim, has been in and out of legal troubles for a long time, and Rick Glaser, the boxing matchmaker was quick to point that out.

But Davis wasn’t left alone, the 15-0 prospect Jared Anderson came to his rescue. He quickly shut down Rick’s tweet with a jab of his own. What exact words did Rick and Jared exchange?

Jared helps Gervonta Davis escape from criticism

Gervonta Davis, renowned for his prowess in the boxing ring, recently embarked on a transformative personal journey, embracing Islam. His new identity as Abdul Wahid, meaning “the servant of the one,” marks a significant shift in his life. This transition, however, unexpectedly found itself under the social media microscope, thanks to Rick Glaser, a well-known boxing matchmaker. Glaser tweeted, “The fighter that will now be known as Abdul Wahid. Hopefully now that he found religion he’ll stay out of trouble. #Boxing.” This remark comes on the backdrop of his legal troubles. Davis has been involved in them since November 2022, when he pled guilty to four traffic offenses.

He then apparently violated his house arrest terms. The judge didn’t even let him go home to his daughter this Christmas or train in camp. Amid this, the undefeated heavyweight Jared Anderson came to defend him. Anderson, known for his strength in the ring, demonstrated equal force in his words. “This mf weird asf yo mama ain’t never told you if you don’t have nothing nice to say don’t say shit at all,” he responded to Glaser’s tweet, “hopefully he’ll stay out of trouble” wtf.” Anderson’s defense of Davis’ decision demonstrates not only his solidarity, but also a deeper understanding of respecting personal and religious decisions.

This exchange spotlights the intersection of personal life choices and public commentary in professional sports. Davis’s decision to convert, a deeply personal one, became a topic of public debate, prompting a conversation about the boundaries of such discussions in the sporting community.

As Davis navigates through the criticism, it raises an intriguing question. Would  this change in faith help him turn his life around like Mike Tyson? And who should be the next worthy opponent to step into the ring with Gervonta? And when should it happen?

Gervonta Davis is in a state of flux. The American boxer has punched his way to victory every time but has failed to settle on his next fight deal. While the rumors and verbal beef suggested Devin Haney was the next target, he finds himself on the sidelines now. Ryan Garcia has inserted himself into what is believed to be a PPV blockbuster for 2024. If ‘Tank’ doesn’t act swiftly, he might lose more ground.

Davis, 29, is nearing his prime, but he has primarily remained inactive for long stretches. Meanwhile, his rival, Devin Haney, puts on a show twice a year, and after comfortably dismantling Regis Prograis, he is already zeroing out on the next fight. ‘The Dream’ failed to pull PPV numbers and wants a massive fight next. The realization has dawned on his team, and they want a bigger draw. While Davis is a feasible option, he is slowly fading out of the negotiation table.

Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney: Gervonta Davis getting left behind

Devin Haney opened talks with Ryan Garcia after the latter expressed eagerness to test his skills against the newly crowned WBC super lightweight champion. He waited a long time to hear from Davis’ team, but never received a favorable call from them. While there is nothing concrete, Davis surely finds himself out of the frame.

Davis and Haney were on a collision course, as Davis held the undisputed title at 135, and Haney possessed the WBA super-champion tag. However, Haney, at 31-0, then relinquished his titles and moved up to 140. Despite that, a clash was on the cards until Ryan Garcia, at 24-1, forced himself into the conversation.

It all boils down to whether Davis wants the fight against Haney. Whether he wants to fight at 140, where he has fought once, or at a catchweight, and on what terms exactly is a call Davis has to make. As the talks between the camps of Haney and Garcia are already underway, Davis needs a quick call. If the Baltimore native fails to do so in time, he might never land a fight with Haney.

Devin Haney: The brief stay at 140

A potential big-money fight is the only thing holding Haney down at 140. He doesn’t want to juice it down to 135. A title fight at 147 was always in his plans until Garcia came up with a lucrative offer.

Haney, 25, after leaving Garcia in the dust at 140, would vacate his WBC title and then move up to 147. He ballooned up to 165 pounds before fighting Prograis, and therefore, making weight at 147 would be easier. Not every time can he risk losing 25 pounds of water as he steps into the square circle.

If either Garcia or Davis fails to ink a deal with Haney, it’s hard to imagine Haney putting his body through a weight-cut ordeal. That would mark the end of Davis vs. Haney PPV if it were ever to materialize. Davis is running out of time to sign a deal with Haney, a worthy opponent to add to his resume.

Gervonta Davis is running short of apt opponents amid Ryan Garcia’s PPV pull

Devin Haney boasts a stacked resume and is the epitome of a modern technical fighter. He has already chalked out his plan. Meanwhile, Gervonta Davis has yet to decide when he will return and against whom. While a shot at vacant IBF and WBO lightweight titles is an alluring deal, he has preferred money over gold straps. Vasiliy Lomachenko is the only name that pops up at 135, which is not a crowd-puller fight.

On the other hand, Ryan Garcia is a proven PPV star. His 11 million social media fans and his record 1.1 million PPV sales against Davis only add to his case. In addition, if Davis had wanted the fight against Haney, that fight would have taken place by now. But if he has second thoughts about a fight with Haney, he might need to make moves hurriedly.

If Haney edges past Garcia, he might hold a better bargaining position than his current one. Davis can exert pressure for a favorable rehydration clause and a PPV cut right now. But that won’t be the case after Haney defeats Garcia. The time is high for Davis to make a call and play it smart.

Gervonta Davis’ Muslim name, which he recently chose, has formalized his conversion to Islam. The undefeated boxer has chosen the name Abdul Wahid, which translates to ‘The Slave of The One’.

Davis’ conversion to Islam took place on Christmas Eve and represents a significant step in his new personal and religious journey as a Muslim.

Check out Davis choosing his Muslim name in the clip below:

Davis isn’t the only noteworthy boxer to have converted to Islam. The most famous pugilist in the sport’s history was a Muslim, with Muhammad Ali’s name change being a focal topic in his infamous bout with Ernest Terrell, who insisted on referring to his opponent by his birth name, Cassius Clay.

Another famous Muslim boxer is Mike Tyson, one of the most feared heavyweights of all time. Despite converting to Islam before his stint in prison in 1992, Tyson never formally adopted a Muslim name. However, there were rumors that he had adopted Malik Abdul Aziz as his name.

Davis’ contemporary Devin Haney is also Muslim and, like ‘Tank’, is undefeated. Davis is 29-0 while Haney is 31-0.There have even been rumors of the pair facing each other in a future bout.

Following in the footsteps of boxing legends Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and Devin Haney, the undefeated boxer from Baltimore, Gervonta Davis, has officially converted to Islam. Recently, a video emerged on the internet where Davis was seen taking the Shahada. Now that everyone knows about his change of religion, many want to know what name he adopted after changing his religion. Let’s dive in to find details about it.

It’s well known that before Muhammad Ali converted to Islam, his name was Cassius Clay, and later he gained success and fame worldwide as Ali. Now that Davis is a Muslim, the question is, did he change his name? To answer simply, yes, Davis has adopted a new name, and his Muslim name is Abdul Wahid. In another video that emerged on the internet, shared by Dus Dawah, Imam Hasan Somali disclosed Davis’s Muslim name. He stated;

Some stars like Mike Tyson and Kyrie Irving haven’t changed their names after converting to Islam, as it’s not obligatory for them. However, Davis, similar to Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, has chosen to adopt a new name. Meanwhile, Davis hasn’t provided any comments or official statements regarding his decision to convert to Islam. And now it will be interesting to see with which name he fights in his upcoming matches.

When will Gervonta Davis (Abdul Wahid) fight next?

It’s been over 8 months since we saw “Tank” entering and fighting under the lights. His last fight was against Ryan ‘KingRy’ Garcia on April 22. In the 8th round showcased ‘Tank’s’ incredible punching power, leading to Garcia’s defeat via knockout. And since then the fans of Davis are eyeing his return to the boxing ring.

As of now, there is no chatter about when he is going to return. Many fans want to see him fight Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson. While the talk is still ongoing, there’s no confirmation about ‘Tank’s’ next rival, leaving his fans speculating about who it will be. There is no official confirmation of when he will return.

Gervonta Davis’ Muslim name, which he recently chose, has formalized his conversion to Islam. The undefeated boxer has chosen the name Abdul Wahid, which translates to ‘The Slave of The One.’

Davis’ conversion to Islam took place on Christmas Eve on December 24, and represents a significant step in his new personal and religious journey as a Muslim.

Check out Gervonta Davis choosing his new Muslim name in the clip below:

Davis isn’t the only noteworthy boxer to have converted to Islam. In fact, the most famous pugilist in the sport’s history was a proud Muslim, with Muhammad Ali’s name change being a focal topic in his infamous bout with Ernest Terrell, who insisted on referring to his opponent by his birth name, Cassius Clay.

Another famous Muslim boxer is Mike Tyson, one of the most feared heavyweights of all time. Despite converting to Islam before his stint in prison in 1992, Tyson never formally adopted a Muslim name. However, there were rumors that he had adopted Malik Abdul Aziz as his name.

Not all Muslim boxers, however, are the greats of yesteryear. Davis’ contemporary, Devin Haney, is a Muslim boxer, and like ‘Tank,’ is also an undefeated boxer. There have even been rumors of the pair facing each other in a future bout.

Davis is 29-0, while Haney is 31-0. They even have an opponent in common, with ‘Tank’ having recently beaten Ryan Garcia, who ‘The Dream’ hopes to face next.

Hard-hitting southpaw star Gervonta Davis doesn’t understand why some people continue to fantasize about a fight between himself and Japanese dynamo Naoya Inoue.

In Davis’ view, what he feels is a chasmic weight gap between them makes a fight highly unrealistic so as to render any speculation ridiculous.

In response to a social media post by a podcast promoting that fantasy matchup, Baltimore’s Davis, a career lightweight who has fought as high as the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds, brushed off suggestions that he is on some sort of collision course with Inoue, the multi-division and current undisputed 122-pound champion who began his career at a tender 108 pounds.

“I’m not fighting him,” Davis posted on Instagram. “He’s NO WHERE near my weight..[I don’t know] why this page keep posting sh!t like this.”

Talk of a Davis vs. Inoue fight has cropped every now and again, with a vast swath of fans, pundits, and industry insiders entertaining the idea, as it pits two of the most dynamic knockout artists in the sport. Even outgoing Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza, a longtime backer of Davis, once expressed curiosity about that matchup.

Inoue, 30, himself has downplayed a hypothetical fight with Davis, saying it is nothing more than “hype” from fans.

Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is coming off a 10th-round beatdown of Marlon Tapales on Tuesday in Tokyo to unify all four belts in the 122-pound division. He achieved the undisputed distinction in the 118-pound division last year.

The 29-year-old Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) last fought in April, stopping fellow American star Ryan Garcia in seven rounds in their high-profile pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.