NEW YORK – There’s a conflicted battle occurring in the mind of Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who has elevated to become the most prominent face of American boxing and yet navigates this all-consuming life that at times overwhelms.

It has brought Davis to profess that he needs to take a boxing retirement, one of those breaks that lasts longer than the typical 4-6 months between fights.

Yet, how can Davis, a three-division and current WBA lightweight titleholder, consider such a pause while performing at the top of his game, expecting to leave his fans wanting even more Saturday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where Davis will square off against neighborhood rival and WBA junior lightweight titleholder Lamont Roach?

It’s an agonizing but necessary conundrum for Baltimore’s Davis, who turned 30 in November and now has three children.

A day after showing up late and barely providing a comment to the reporters who attended his public workout at Gleason’s Gym, Davis showed up on time for Thursday’s news conference and courted questioners for more than an hour, reflecting candidly about why he feels the way he does.

“I’m getting older. … I’d seen a [social-media] post by [former NFL receiver] Antonio Brown, writing about how he gave his all to the sport, but then he lost his mind giving it,” Davis said. 

“It’s always about ‘What can we do next?’ and never about ‘Are you OK? How are you doing?’

“Yes, it’s good to be in the sport, but sometimes we’ve got to learn ourselves. I’ve been giving so much to the sport, I don’t take the time to study and learn [myself]. Even if it’s not the sport, I’ve been dishing myself out to other people. I just need time for myself – to grow. And then, hopefully, six months or one year from now, I can come back to the sport and fight these guys.”

Davis and his team know how rival boxers and fans usually react to such pronouncements, seeking to connect it to an avoidance of a certain fighter.

That’s a difficult claim to tag on Davis, whose 93 percent knockout ratio exists even as he throws some of the fewest punches per round among titlists.

Davis co-trainer Calvin Ford said the fighter’s most recent opponent, Frank Martin, said it best about Davis’ statistical phenomenon.

“He knows how to find those shots,” Martin said.

Davis, 30-0 (28 KOs), has assessed the landscape like everyone else has. He knows Ryan Garcia, whom he knocked out in 2023, would create a quality rematch. He understands why fellow unbeaten three-division and lightweight belt holder Shakur Stevenson can make an epic battle of gifted Americans. He has longed to fight veteran three-division and IBF lightweight titleholder Vasiliy Lomachernko.

Asked on Thursday which one he wants the most, Davis replied, “All of them. I say all of ‘em. I’m not scared of anyone. They’re great fighters, but I know what I can do. [Most of] these guys that say they can beat me, they’ve been watching me since they were knee-high. I’ve never been scared.”

But he also needs some kind of sabbatical.

“I think I’ll step back first, to better control my [stuff]. I can control [boxing], but all the stuff that comes with it … It’s [about] me being grown enough to take a step back and take the time for me as a person.”

Davis first referenced retirement after showing up late at the introductory news conference for his fight against Roach, 25-1-1 (10 KOs). Davis wanted to fight Lomachenko, but the two-time Olympic gold medalist requested personal time off himself, and then some criticism came when Davis settled upon the lighter Roach as his opponent.

Davis had opted to retain trainer Barry Hunter to assist Ford, and when the fighter returned to the gym, Hunter engaged him in conversation.

“When I saw the press conference in D.C. – his posture, expression, the way he spoke – it was different,” Hunter said. “I told him, ‘I get it, I understand.’ The pressures of this game, the pressures from your family, friends, everyone with their hand out – I get it.

“My son told me once, ‘Dad, I learned the importance of saying one word: No.’ Smart kid. I’ve watched [Davis] give a lot. After a while, it just wears on you.”

One of the most wearing moments occurred after Davis purchased several buildings of affordable-housing apartments to help support those in his neighborhood, only to witness them burned down by fire around Christmas.

“Think about that for a second, what that does to you,” Hunter said. “It’s like you’re going uphill in mud. That’s life in Baltimore, life in the inner city. You’ve got pockets of that garbage. The great thing about [Davis] is, he was forged in that stuff, and it’s why he fights so hard.”

Hunter said he has told Davis to embrace his need for a break.

“He can fall back. If you still feel the same way after that break, then it is time to walk away,” Hunter said, predicting the time off will be inspirational to the resumption of Davis’ fighting career.

“But just shut it down. Go somewhere. Shut off the phone. Don’t talk about boxing. Don’t answer a family member’s problem, or someone else’s problem. You and your three youngsters – that’s what’s important. You do your job, they won’t have to worry about a lot.”

Hunter understands just how monstrous Davis’ fortune can grow with the fights that are out there for him.

“Look, I’d still like to see all these fights – he and Ryan again, have [undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya] Inoue move up and they meet somewhere in the middle. That’d be explosive. Shakur. Lomachenko. Come on, man. I’ve told Tank: ‘Let’s clean this up, and then we can go walk in the sunset.”

Davis has responded supportively to that notion. Even so, Hunter felt moved to apologize for that request and told Davis, “We’ve still got work to do.

“And I want to speak that into existence.”

Davis’ lengthy session with reporters Thursday seemed to relieve him, acknowledging that the work ahead inspires him while fully recognizing that he needs an extended break.

“It’s just always, ‘What’s next?’ In this fight, you’re asking about three more fights. There’s never a chance to sit down, take some time for myself,” Davis said. “Me, I’m the type of person, I always think about it. After a fight, it’s, ‘I gotta do it again. And again.’

“For once, I need to settle down and focus. I’ve been at it for so long, it’s the same thing … so, no, I don’t think [boxing] can be my therapy.”

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.