For a sport built on rules, boxing has always tolerated chaos outside the ring. That contradiction is back in focus this week with the arrest of Gervonta “Tank” Davis on fresh battery-related charges after a two-week search by police.
According to The Independent, 31-year-old Davis was taken into custody on Wednesday after Miami Gardens Police located him in the Miami Design District.
The arrest was made possible with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals’ fugitive task force, following an alleged incident reported on October 27, 2025, at a business in Miami Gardens.
Authorities said he was booked on charges of battery, false imprisonment, and attempted kidnapping. Government records say his bond has been set at $16,000.
TMZ Sports obtained Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ mugshot from his Miami arrest earlier today.
Tank was wanted on three charges — battery, false imprisonment and kidnapping, from an alleged incident in October.
Bond has been set at $16k. pic.twitter.com/Z86LcfOCi5
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) January 29, 2026
Police had issued a warrant for Davis’s arrest earlier this month, and he was taken into custody “without incident.” This is the fourth time Davis has been arrested on such battery charges.
He was previously arrested on domestic violence charges in 2020 and then again in 2022. Another domestic violence case against him was dropped last year. The boxer is also facing a civil lawsuit filed in October by his ex-girlfriend, Courtney Rossel.
For boxing fans, Davis’s legal history is at odds with his professional résumé. The lightweight has held the WBA belt since 2019, though he was named “champion in recess” earlier this month. He has also held world titles at super-featherweight and has been one of American boxing’s most bankable athletes.
Davis last fought in March 2025 against Lamont Roach Jr. This match ended in a draw after taking a knee, which was not ruled a knockdown. There was supposed to be a rematch later in 2025, but that fell through.
He was also removed from a planned fight with Jake Paul last November due to legal troubles. Paul faced Anthony Joshua in December instead, and lost that match by knockout.
Outside the ring, a Guardian column by Bryan Armen Graham argued that how the 31-year-old is being treated is only exposing how boxing fails to address gender-based violence meaningfully.
At a University of Miami charity basketball game, a video showed the boxer grabbing and dragging the mother of his child in front of spectators, including children. Davis later surrendered to police and was charged with battery and domestic violence.
Tank Davis Wins 🥊
Ryan Garcia Has lost to Tank Davis on the 7th round pic.twitter.com/2Of9qcwuOR
— 𝙋𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝘾𝙡𝙪𝙗 (@gio__palace) April 23, 2023
Unlike the NFL or NBA, boxing does not have a centralized authority that can impose uniform discipline. Fighters are independent contractors. Meanwhile, promoters, networks, and athletic commissions share limited power, and financial incentives don’t make anyone accountable.
Even boxers with documented histories of abuse (like Davis) often return to bigger paydays. Tank Davis’s latest arrest revives those questions as he remains one of the sport’s most recognizable names.
