WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis has once again sparked debate regarding boxing’s history, but his “Greatest of All Time” list is more expansive than many fans initially thought.
While a resurfaced video discussed on June 19, 2026, highlighted Davis’s admiration for Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, and Muhammad Ali, the Baltimore fighter has consistently named a rotating cast of legends over the past four years.
Davis, who currently holds a professional record of 30 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw with 28 knockouts, remains one of the sport’s most vocal students of history.
Evolving rankings and the Mike Tyson factor
The controversy stems from a June 15, 2023, statement where Davis labeled Mayweather, Ali, and Tyson as the “GOATs” of the sport. At the time, he emphasized that he “couldn’t limit himself to just one fighter” when assessing the ultimate peak of boxing excellence. However, this was merely one snapshot of his evolving rankings.
Unlike purists who stick to a rigid top three, Davis has frequently adjusted his criteria based on technical skill, defensive prowess, and cultural impact.
For instance, in April 2023, ahead of his superfight with Ryan Garcia, Davis offered a different perspective during a PBC interview. He named his all-time top three as Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Pernell Whitaker.
This version of his list prioritized the “sweet science” and defensive masters over the raw power often associated with Tyson. It highlights how the 31-year-old champion views different paths to immortality in the ring.
The inclusion of Mike Tyson in Davis’s June 2023 comments points to the reverence he has for the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Tyson burst onto the scene in the 1980s, securing the title at just 20 years old and racking up a 37-0 start before his infamous defeat to Buster Douglas in 1990.
While fans roast Shakur Stevenson for a perceived lack of aggression, Davis has always been drawn to the “seek and destroy” aura that Tyson embodied.
But Tyson is far from the only name Davis considers elite. During a Twitter Spaces conversation on December 6, 2022, he expanded his list even further. Talking to @LazyLeftyOG, Davis listed his favorites in no particular order, adding Aaron Pryor to a group that already included Mayweather, Ali, Tyson, Leonard, and Whitaker.
This suggests that for Davis, the term “GOAT” is less about a single individual and more about a pantheon of varied styles.
Earlier in 2025, Davis was again asked to rank his top five. While he comfortably placed his former mentor Floyd Mayweather at No. 1, his list remained fluid, once again incorporating Sugar Ray Leonard and Pernell Whitaker alongside Aaron Pryor and Mike Tyson. This consistency in naming defensive wizards and high-volume punchers reflects Davis’s own hybrid style, which blends one-punch knockout power with deceptive technicality.
Defensive mastery and the Mayweather blueprint
Despite the rotating names, Floyd Mayweather remains the constant in Davis’s rankings. Mayweather, the Michigan-born legend who retired in 2017 with a 50-0 record, mentored Davis for much of his early career. Mayweather’s ability to win world titles in five divisions while remaining largely untouched is a feat Davis cited as the gold standard.
Even as Shakur Stevenson dismisses immediate Devin Haney bouts to focus on his own path, Davis continues to look back at the 2000s era as his primary education.
Pernell Whitaker’s frequent appearances in Davis’s top-five lists also signal his respect for southpaw legends. Whitaker, like Davis, possessed an innate ability to make world-class opponents miss by inches. By comparing the heavyweight dominance of Ali and Tyson to the middleweight and welterweight brilliance of Leonard and Mayweather, Davis is acknowledging that greatness is not restricted by weight class or era.
Davis and his own pursuit of longevity
As the WBA lightweight champion, Gervonta Davis is currently navigating his own legacy. His record of 30-0-1 is nearly perfect, though the lone draw on his resume distinguishes his path from that of Mayweather’s unblemished 50-0.
To be discussed alongside the men he idolizes, Davis will likely need to continue his dominance against the 135-pound division’s elite in the coming years. His recent performances have drawn comparisons to the heavy-hitters on his list, particularly regarding his pay-per-view drawing power.
The debate surrounding these rankings often mirrors the current tensions in the sport. For example, while some champions focus on unification, others focus on longevity and health. Even Oleksandr Usyk raises brain health concerns following grueling wars, a reality that the defensive-minded fighters on Davis’s list — like Mayweather and Whitaker — managed to mitigate through their skill.
Ultimately, Davis’s inability to “limit himself to just one fighter” reflects the complexity of the sport. Whether he is praising the “Rumble in the Jungle” heroics of Muhammad Ali or the tactical genius of Sugar Ray Leonard, Davis is piecing together a mosaic of what he believes a champion should be.
As he prepares for the next phase of his career, those five or six names serve as his North Star, reminding him that there is more than one way to reach the level of a GOAT.
