GERVONTA DAVIS ARRESTED IN MIAMI ON BATTERY, KIDNAPPING, AND FALSE IMPRISONMENT CHARGES
Gervonta Davis is in custody after a two-week manhunt. Facing kidnapping charges, the star has been stripped of his WBA title.
Gervonta Davis, who’s a three-division world champ and one of boxing’s biggest names, landed in jail Wednesday in Miami—almost two weeks after police put out a warrant for his arrest. They’re accusing him of battery, false imprisonment, and attempted kidnapping tied to an alleged domestic violence incident from last fall.
Police in Miami Gardens said they tracked Davis for several days across three counties, working with the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force. When they caught up with him in Miami’s Design District, he didn’t put up a fight. They booked him into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Centre late Wednesday.
Cops say all this goes back to something that happened on October 27 at a strip club in Miami Gardens. The woman at the centre of the case used to date Davis and was working there as a VIP cocktail server that night. Police claim Davis confronted her inside, forced her into a back room, assaulted her, then kept her restrained before taking her outside.
In the report, police say Davis grabbed her by the hair and throat, threatened her, and led her out to the parking lot, where he finally let her go. She found coworkers, got help, and called the police. Officers say she had visible bruises on her arm.
She told investigators she met Davis back in 2022. They dated for a few months in 2025, but she broke things off about a month before the incident and had stopped talking to him.
Besides going to the police, she also filed a civil lawsuit against Davis for battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. Her attorney said the police investigation lines up with what she claimed in her suit.
“The investigation led to a judge signing off on the arrest warrant,” her attorney said back in January. “That matches the allegations in the lawsuit.”
Court records show her lawyers tried over and over to serve Davis with the lawsuit, but couldn’t find him for weeks.
At a press conference on January 14, Miami Gardens police called it a domestic violence case and said they were working with federal agents to track Davis down. When asked for more details Wednesday night, police said they couldn’t share anything else because the case is still active.
Last fall, Davis was in Miami training for a big fight with influencer Jake Paul, set for November at Kaseya Centre. Once the lawsuit hit the news, Davis was taken off the card, and Anthony Joshua stepped in. Davis last fought in March, when he held onto his WBA lightweight title after a controversial draw with Lamont Roach Jr in Brooklyn.
But over the weekend, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza announced they stripped Davis of the title, pointing to the legal case and his long absence from the ring. Davis has only defended the title twice in three years—most recently against Roach, which was more than ten months ago—and he doesn’t have another fight lined up.
This isn’t Davis’s first run-in with the law. He’s had several domestic violence allegations in Florida and elsewhere, though many were later dropped. In 2023, he got three years’ probation and some house arrest for a hit-and-run in Baltimore.
Right now, it’s not clear if these new Florida charges will mess with his probation in Maryland or delay any future fights. Jail and court records didn’t say when he’ll first appear in court in Miami-Dade.
Miami Gardens police say their investigation is still going and aren’t commenting further.
NAOYA INOUE SURVIVES JUNTO NAKATANI CHALLENGE TO KEEP UNDISPUTED FEATHERWEIGHT CROWN
Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed junior featherweight title in a classic unanimous decision victory over Junto Nakatani in Tokyo.
Naoya Inoue showed up at the Ohashi Boxing Gym in Yokohama with a big smile on his face; everyone could tell he was riding high after last night’s fights.
He sat next to his brother, Takuma Inoue, the WBC bantamweight champ, and both of them had just defended their world titles at the Tokyo Dome. For Naoya, the night was all about facing his toughest opponent yet at junior featherweight. He managed to edge out Junto Nakatani in a fight that went back and forth and walked away with a unanimous decision to keep his undisputed crown.
This was a huge deal: two guys from Kanagawa squaring off in what people called the biggest fight in Japanese boxing history. Honestly, the match delivered. The momentum swung between them; both had their moments. In the end, Inoue did just enough to pull ahead on the scorecards.
After such a close fight, everyone’s talking about a rematch. Nakatani seemed to be finding his rhythm in the middle rounds, but then there was an accidental head clash in the 10th that cut him. That’s when Inoue took control and finished strong.
“I’m not sure yet. If enough people want it, a rematch could happen." Inoue said he’s now 33-0, with 27 KOs. “Like I said last night, I’ve got options, but nothing is decided. I’m thinking about a new stage, and I’ll talk with Mr Ohashi about that.”
That “new stage” probably means moving up in weight. But judging by Saturday, he might still have business to settle in his own division.
There was one moment that summed up the fight. Both guys were trading punches at a high level, slipping and countering at the same time. Nobody landed, and they stopped to share a quick smile. It was surreal, but it showed just how much respect they had for each other.
“I was fighting while really feeling Nakatani’s skill and spirit,” Inoue said. “I’m pretty sure he felt the same. We both enjoyed that little space where neither could hit the other. That smile just happened.”
Despite all the mutual respect, Inoue took over when he had to. After Nakatani got cut in the 10th, Inoue had his best round; he hurt Nakatani several times and messed up his orbital bone with a sharp left hand.
“I didn’t go in with the sole intention to knock him out,” Inoue admitted. “It was complicated, a feeling I’ve never had before.”
DAVID BENAVIDEZ KNOCKS OUT ZURDO RAMIREZ TO UNIFY WBA AND WBO BELTS
David Benavidez captured the WBA/WBO cruiserweight titles with a 6th-round TKO of Zurdo Ramirez before calling out Canelo Alvarez.
David Benavidez put on an unforgettable show Saturday night, stopping Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez in the sixth round at T-Mobile Arena to grab the WBA and WBO cruiserweight belts.
Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) jumped up to cruiserweight after winning belts at super middleweight and light heavyweight, and he didn’t just win; he dominated. Mike Tyson dubbed him the “Mexican Monster", and honestly, Benavidez lived up to that name.
"My combination, my punch selection, is unlike anything else," Benavidez said. "Whoever it is, man, I don't care who it is: nobody can f--- with me."
At 29, Benavidez came in ranked No. 5 pound-for-pound by ESPN, but for years, he’s wanted to snatch the Mexican holiday spotlight from Canelo Alvarez. He’s chased that fight for ages.
This time, he finally got to headline on Cinco de Mayo weekend, facing another Mexican star. And with the beating he laid on Ramirez, Benavidez might have just snatched the title of Mexico’s top boxer.
Afterwards, a Golden Boy Promotions spokesperson confirmed Ramirez was taken to the hospital for a head scan. "He's in good spirits and has a swollen eye," the spokesperson said. "There's no determination of a fracture at this point."
Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) had only lost once before against Dmitry Bivol in 2022 for the WBA light heavyweight title. He’d been rolling at cruiserweight, piecing together four straight wins and hauling in two titles. But against Benavidez, Ramirez just couldn’t keep up with the blistering hand speed.
"I knew that the combination was going to be able to land easily," Benavidez said.
The way Benavidez broke Ramirez down was something else. He kept finding openings, landing combo after combo, pounding away until the crowd couldn’t help but react.
These two actually go way back. When Benavidez was 19, he sparred with Ramirez close to 300 rounds, apparently when Ramirez was prepping for Arthur Abraham in 2016. But real fights are a different world. Ramirez learned that the hard way Saturday night, leaving the ring with his right eye nearly swollen shut.
"I love Ramirez. We came up together," Benavidez said. "I'm kind of sad it had to happen like this. I love 'Zurdo' Ramirez, but that's what it is in here. There's only one 'Monstro'."
From the opening bell, Benavidez wouldn’t give Ramirez any space, picking his shots and then letting his speed loose, which has always set him apart. By the fourth, Benavidez started landing at will. He rocked Ramirez with an uppercut that put him on his heels, then pounced, firing off a flurry that forced Ramirez to take a knee.
Ramirez pulled himself together for the fifth round, but Benavidez just waited for his next chance. In the sixth, Benavidez battered him again with uppercuts; another brutal combo had Ramirez staggering, his eye swelling as the ref waved it off with a second left in the round.
With this win, Benavidez looks ready to stay at cruiser weight. Still, he used the moment to call out Canelo Alvarez, who was watching at ringside.
"I just want to give the fans what they want to see," Benavidez said. "I see Canelo in the building. Hey, let me just ask the fans this: Do you guys want to see Canelo versus David Benavidez? Enough said. That means that we can't leave that fight on the table. And I respect Canelo. He's a good champion. But I'm a great champion too. Let's do it."
Sure, a fight with Alvarez would be huge. But honestly, after the way Benavidez dominated here, nobody knows if Canelo will actually want to risk it. Canelo fights at super middleweight, and Benavidez probably isn’t dropping back to 168 pounds after this.
Still, Benavidez took his swing, then made it clear he’s coming for Dmitry Bivol as well.
"Bivol is No. 1 on my hit list," Benavidez said. "Bivol is a great competitor, a great champion. But I'm a great champion too. I just want to test myself every single fight."
