Undefeated lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis has converted to Islam, following in the footsteps of legends that became Muslim like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.
The 29-year-old converted on Christmas Eve in a ceremony at a Maryland mosque.
According to the Baltimore Banner, Davis has reportedly adopted the Muslim name Abdul Wahid, meaning “Servant of the One God,” though he has not legally changed his name yet.
“The humility I get from him — and I was surprised meeting him, because I knew who he was but I wasn’t familiar to what extent — he was a very down-to-earth person,” Imam Hassan Abdi from Masjid Al-Hidaayah told The Baltimore Banner. “The conversation was about being the best version of what we can be as human beings.”
Davis is undefeated with 29 wins and has held the title since 2019.
He follows another undefeated world champion, Devin Haney, in converting to Islam. In recent months, there have been talks about a possible fight between the two later this year.
Haney, who is undefeated in 31 bouts and is a two-weight champion, openly credits Islam for his success. He regularly expresses gratitude for his faith on social media.
In a recent podcast appearance, Haney emphasised how fully embracing Islam has matured and guided him.
“Being a Muslim, Islam has matured me. It’s given me discipline, all through life. It’s given me structure, it’s given me guidance, something to live for and rules to follow,” he said on the Last Stand Podcast with Brian Custer.
Davis welcomed, joins prestigious list
Several fighters from across combat sports have welcomed Davis to his new faith.
Former WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack wrote on X (formerly Twitter): ‘Welcome to Islam brother @Gervontaa Alhamdulillah.’
Meanwhile, MMA fighter Movsar Evloev posted, ‘May Allah make it easy for you and keep you on the straight path. Welcome to Islam brother @Gervontaa’.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s ex-manager Ali Abdelaziz tweeted “Mashallah.”
Former Australian boxing champ Billy Dib posted about Davis’ conversion and also highlighted the recent conversion of another fighter — former WBC light-middleweight champion Tony Harrison.
“In less than a week 2 brothers from the boxing fraternity have embraced the faith of Islam AL-HUMDULILAH My brother [Gervonta Davis] and now brother [Tony Harrison] Mashallah,” he said.
The most famous pugilist Muslim convert was Muhammad Ali, often dubbed boxing’s Greatest of All Time.
He became the youngest boxer to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion in 1964 at age 22, beating Sonny Liston. Immediately after that fight, he announced his conversion to Islam— a bold move at such a tender age and with the world’s attention on him.
Another fearless boxer followed the same path — Mike Tyson took the name Malik Abdul Aziz when he converted in the 90s.
Other legendary champions who found Islam include Dwight Muhammad Qawi, formerly top light heavyweight Dwight Braxton, and former world light heavyweight king Matthew Saad Muhammad, born Matthew Franklin
