IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Gervonta Davis Coach Admits Safety Concern About Jake Paul Fight

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Grant Young | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 11:39 AM ET

Now that the initial shock of the Gervonta Davis vs. Jake Paul fight being announced last week has worn off, boxing fans and pundits are beginning to analyze what this fight might look like and how it might play out.

While the sheer star power of these two polarizing figures and icons of the sport (albeit in different ways) is going to attract a massive viewership audience on Netflix when the fight takes place on November 14, many will be interested to see how Tank can navigate a bout against a much bigger boxer.

A boxer's listed height can be inaccurate. Still, there's no doubt that Paul is at least six inches taller than Tank (and likely several inches taller than that) and weighed 65 pounds heavier than him ahead of their respective most recent fights. Tank has a distinct experience and skill advantage, but much of this fight's intrigue is whether that will outweigh Paul's sizable physical advantages.

Gervonta Davis' Coach Speaks About Jake Paul Fight Concerns

While Gervonta Davis has numerous coaches in different locations, most agree that his head coach is Calvin Ford, who is the founder of Upton Boxing Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Ford spoke with FightHype for an August 30 interview and made several interesting comments about his star pupil fighting Jake Paul.

"One thing I can say about Jake, he's good at what he do," Ford said. "To be honest, this is a risky fight that's happening, because all of the logistics... there's a lot of stuff I don't know about yet. My main thing is to keep [Tank] safe."

When Ford was then asked how Tank adapts to the weight difference with Paul, Ford said, "We've gotta figure it out, man!... This is a tall glass of water we've got to drink. But I believe in my youngin. Always have."

Ford was then asked whether he thinks Paul will be surprised by Tank's punching power, and said, "That's what I'm worried about! Because everybody talk about, 'It's scripted, it's this, it's that.' I said, 'Tank [will] hit him with some s***. The man gonna come out of him, you know what I'm saying?

"In Tank's weight class, you have to be concerned about that [punching power]. So we've got to be laser-focused, and just do what we do," Ford concluded.

While it's a head coach's job to worry about their fighter's safety, the added size difference between Tank and Paul makes these comments from Ford even more interesting.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: