It’s a day before the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Connor McGregor.
But Baltimore will have their eyes on the undercard match between Gervonta Davis and Francisco Fonseca.
Those at the Upton Boxing Gym call him ‘Tank.’
“Even though Gervonta is Gervonta, we don’t look at him like a celebrity. He’s just one of the team members,” Leah Butler, the facility director at the gym, said.
Leah watched as Gervonta practiced in the boxing ring and punched the heavy bags.
For her, seeing Gervonta has been not only a treat, but a representation of hope for the kids who frequent the gym.
“…a big brother to our kids. Most of the time he comes in, he’s interacting with them and shadow boxing, teaching them what he learned in Upton,” Butler said.
…and bringing those lessons to the world stage.
“I’m definitely excited to be on the card. Hopefully fight night, I put on a great performance which I’m working towards,” Davis said in an interview on Showtime.
“He stays very active in the community and he stays active in the gym, so the kids get an opportunity to see him actually perform on a huge stage and then the next week he’s physically around them so they can say, ‘I can be like Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.,’” Rashaan Brave, with Baltimore City Recreation and Parks said.
Davis is referred to as a role model who hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
“This is someone that we can get behind and know that he totally represents the Baltimore experience and how the Baltimore experience can mold you to become a success story,” Brave said.
Success those at the gym hope translates to a victory on Saturday.
Staff at Upton say the fight is a big deal for the kids who practice there and because of that, they’re taking a bus down to Arundel Mills to watch the fight on a movie screen.
The fight begins at 9 p.m.
