Jose Benavidez Snr emerges as frontrunner to train Gervonta Davis

Gervonta “Tank” Davis is considering Jose Benavidez Snr as his new trainer ahead of a targeted return in the autumn. Abraham Gonzalez of Fights Around the World first reported on Monday that Benavidez has been asked to train Davis for his next fight, though no agreement has been finalised.

BoxingScene has also reported that Premier Boxing Champions is interested in connecting Davis with Benavidez, who worked with the unbeaten three-division champion in South Florida a few weeks ago to test the fit. That session is understood to have gone well, but the training schedule has not been settled, and it remains unclear whether Davis’ longtime West Baltimore coaches, Calvin Ford and Kenny Ellis, would stay involved in camp, potentially in reduced roles.

A possible change would be significant given Davis’ history with Ford and Ellis, who have trained and mentored him since he was seven years old. They guided him from his amateur career through his rise as one of boxing’s biggest attractions, making any move towards Benavidez more than a routine camp adjustment.

Benavidez link comes amid uncertainty

The discussion comes at a complicated point for Davis, who has not boxed since his controversial majority draw with Lamont Roach last March in Brooklyn. Roach had expected a rematch after Davis activated the rematch clause, but Davis later moved away from that fight in favour of an exhibition with Jake Paul, which was scheduled for November 2025, before being cancelled.

That cancellation followed criminal and civil proceedings in Florida stemming from an alleged domestic incident in October 2025. Davis is facing felony kidnapping and misdemeanor battery charges, with video evidence reportedly showing him forcibly removing his ex-girlfriend, Courtney Rossel from her workspace. Rossel filed a civil lawsuit in Miami-Dade County on October 30, 2025, alleging aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress from an incident at Tootsie’s Cabaret on October 27, 2025. Davis has filed a $20 million countersuit.

The legal issues have also affected his standing in Maryland. A Baltimore judge ruled in March that Davis violated the terms of his probation connected to a 2020 hit-and-run crash after reviewing the Florida criminal and civil cases. Davis pleaded guilty in 2023 in the hit-and-run case and was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest, three years of probation and 200 hours of community service; he was later jailed for almost six weeks in 2023 after violating home detention terms, and his probation was extended by 18 months in March 2025 because of an unauthorised travel violation. An arrest warrant issued in Maryland means Davis is subject to arrest if found in the state.

West Coast camp under consideration

Benavidez would represent a different environment as much as a different voice. BoxingScene reported that one source suggested Davis would benefit from training in Phoenix or Seattle, away from distractions in Baltimore, with Benavidez now operating across both regions.

Benavidez is best known as the father, trainer and manager of three-division champion David Benavidez, and he has also trained his son Jose Jr. His work has long been associated with Phoenix, where he used Central Boxing and worked around trainers including Freddie Roach and Abel Sanchez. Benavidez has confirmed he is buying Central Boxing, and he has also expanded in Washington, opening Benavidez Sports Boxing Gym in Burien before celebrating the grand opening of a larger facility in Auburn this month.

Along with son David, he trains female prospect Gabriela Tellez and worked with super-middleweight contender Diego Pacheco until earlier this year.

For now, Davis’ next opponent has not been announced, and the Benavidez arrangement remains unresolved. The immediate questions are whether PBC can finalise the trainer switch, where Davis will base camp, and how any fall return is shaped around his unresolved legal situation.