Jake Paul finally canceled Gervonta 'Tank' Davis after boxing, for years, failed to

One of boxing’s worst-kept secrets was thrust out in the open on Monday, as organizers finally canceled the ill-fated Netflix exhibition involving Jake Paul and Gervonta "Tank" Davis.

Originally scheduled to take place in Atlanta, Georgia State Athletic Commission chairman Rick Thompson had dubbed the event a “money-grabber” and lambasted organizers in September for “promoting something that was not what they seemed,” which should've doomed Paul vs. Davis from the off. Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) eventually moved the Nov. 14 show to the Kaseya Center in Miami, but, even then, reports of poor ticket sales coincided with lower prices.

But the implication from Thompson’s comments, and questionable sales, weren’t the only things that stunk.

New court documents describe a frightening escalation, as Uncrowned reported this past week. An ex-girlfriend says Davis grabbed her by the neck and choked her inside a Miami strip club on Oct. 27, while his security stood by and watched. She now has a restraining order which, according to USA Today, keeps Davis away from her home, workplace, and even her car.

The petition says Davis twice trapped her inside his house, threatened to slash her tires, and sent a message that read: “I’m going to kill you.” An earlier alleged choke incident between the two in September only stopped when a bodyguard intervened.

MVP issued a statement to Uncrowned on Saturday indicating it was "investigating" the incident, and, perhaps considering the abundance of female talent on its roster, said it condemned "any form of violence." On Monday, it finally threw Davis to the metaphorical curb, kicking him from the show.

“Our team has worked closely with all parties to navigate this situation responsibly,” MVP CEO Nakisa Bidarian said. “While we will not be moving forward with this event, our plan still remains for Jake Paul to headline an event on Netflix in 2025.”

And so, just days after the allegations emerged, Paul — considered by purists as a boxing outsider — did the one thing that the sport, for years, had failed to do. He canceled Gervonta Davis, whom he called a "woman abuser" and “an actual walking human piece of garbage” in the hours after the move become official.

For years, though, insiders knew exactly who Davis was.

Davis has faced multiple domestic violence allegations and arrests since 2020, including a 2020 battery domestic violence charge, a 2022 arrest that was later dropped, and a 2025 case tied to a restraining order and civil lawsuit.

Uncrowned once called a source close to Davis requesting comment regarding the 2022 arrest, in which the alleged victim could be heard on a 911 call saying: "He's going to kill me!" Though that source declined to offer anything on-record, they acknowledged privately that nobody who works with Davis was under any illusion about the fighter’s behavior.

His wins, his ability to separate opponents from their senses, and the money generated from ticket-sales and pay-per-view revenue long kept everything moving forward. "Tank" went on to retire Hector Garcia, pulverized Ryan Garcia, and finished Frank Martin to continue his ascent to the highest echelons of world boxing.

But that arguably came crashing down in 2025.

Lamont Roach was robbed of a win in their disputed draw in March. Roach was then denied a rematch as Davis instead moved on to a reported $30 million payday for the exhibition with Paul, all while talking about retirement, and even appearing distracted or disinterested during a press conference with Paul.

Money for "Tank" is now drying up. The optics were bad, and the economics looked even worse. The exhibition wasn't selling, and the buzz was dead.

There is, perhaps, an element of MVP and Paul finding their moral compass, considering they proudly recruit female boxers. Paul built his boxing brand around supporting women, particularly Amanda Serrano, whom he has helped generate career-best paydays for, as well as recent acquisitions like Alycia Baumgardner, Ellie Scotney and Dina Thorslund, among others, who look to him for opportunity and equity.

One of MVP's biggest shows of the year, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 3, was an all-women card on Netflix.

Had Paul continued with the Davis bout after yet another violent allegation against women, it would have threatened the very thing MVP positions itself to stand for.

“You can’t be a promotion that is so heavily invested in women’s boxing, and then work with a guy who has allegations and pending lawsuits like 'Tank' Davis does,” Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani said Tuesday.

But Paul and MVP really should have known better. There are no virgins in boxing’s brothel, and Paul and MVP should have never gotten into bed with Davis in the first place, considering his rap sheet.

Regardless, Paul still did the thing. He did what boxing had never done before.

For years, the sport’s check-cashers seemingly shrugged off prior allegations as "Tank" continued to generate big business.

Boxing protected revenue over women. But on Monday, arguably for the first time in Davis' career, someone now more powerful than he is told him that enough was enough.

While Paul is not necessarily the hero of this story, he’s at least the first person willing to stop pretending Davis is one.