In the ever-dramatic world of boxing, where grudges often speak louder than gloves, a new wave of tension has emerged—this time between former friends IBF super lightweight champion Richardson Hitchins and Gervonta Davis. What began as an offhand jab on social media quickly snowballed into a topic of heated interest, as fans speculated whether the bond between the two fighters had fractured. The spark? A cutting comment from Tank online: “I done helped a lot of weird a** ni**as.”

This, he chose to note on a training footage where Hitchins was seen borrowing Gervonta Davis’ “fire” from his gloves before hitting the pads while the two trained beside one another. The unsavoury response quickly made its rounds on the internet, drawing attention for its apparent target—Richardson Hitchins. Soon a war of words began on X that took it to another level with Tank even remarking, “When I see you be ready.”

With a fight against George Kambosos Jr approaching this Saturday, boxing reporters were all around Hitchins. So, naturally, one of them decided to ask the 27-year-old about his newly minted feud with his former friend Tank. Given their history, the IBF champion leaned into the moment with calm restraint: “It is what it is.” But soon, that reserved tone gave way to one of pride and quiet defiance.

“Tank feel like he’ve helped me. I feel like I’ve helped Tank,” Hitchins said, acknowledging their mutual past but stopping short of giving Gervonta Davis the last word. Then came the blows. “As far as me, all I can say towards that comment is me Richardson Hitchins, I put the work in myself. Nobody gave me no chains. Nobody gave me no cars. Nobody bought me no apartment,” he told the swarm of reporters. This was in reference to how Floyd Mayweather helped Tank become the star he is today. His voice steady, his message clear: his career wasn’t built on anyone else’s generosity.

In fact, the Brooklyn native drove the point home like a fighter landing clean combinations. “Nobody went and used they platform and said: ‘Put him on my undercard’, or ‘Do this.’ I did this with my hard work, my dedication. Every opportunity I was given, I overcame it. And now I’m champion, and now I’m making the best out of it,” he declared confidently. Each sentence was a punch in its own right—sharp, confident, and unapologetic.

While Gervonta Davis, the knockout artist often known as boxing’s bad boy, may have thrown the first verbal jab, Hitchins refused to be cornered. Though, he was as considered as he could be, not too long ago, Richardson Hitchins was all praise for the Baltimore native.

Richardson Hitchins had praised Gervonta Davis’ “generational power”

A day before his Lamont Roach Jr fight in New York, Richardson Hitchins delivered a jaw-dropping assessment of Gervonta Davis during an interview. Speaking about the 30-year-old, the 140-pound IBF champion had nothing but respect for Davis’ freakish natural talent. The two fighters, once teammates under Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s promotional umbrella and former sparring partners, have since carved their own careers outside the Mayweather camp. Yet Hitchins’ words made one thing crystal clear: Tank’s skills are something he can’t deny.

“What separates Tank from the pack? He has everything in the book of boxing,” Hitchins shared. “He’s a smart fighter. He has awareness. He’s not going out there to take one to get one. He’s using his IQ, speed, craft, reaction time, pedigree, and experience, and he’s super accurate.” From the sound of it, the Brooklyn-born champion wasn’t just complimenting an old acquaintance—he was admiring a rare breed of fighter.

Hitchins went further, highlighting the brutal effectiveness of Tank’s toolkit. “He has every punch in the book. He can knock you out with a hook, uppercut, left hand. Tank is super powerful. You can tell that it’s generational power,” he said. What followed next was a quote that instantly caught fire across the boxing world. “He’s just like a f—–g crackhead athlete on steroids or some sh*t – facts,” Hitchins blurted, summing up the sheer unpredictability and explosiveness of Davis’s performances.

“Tank’s technique, accuracy, and speed is like a bullet. The power plus the speed and accuracy makes it dangerous. I wouldn’t want to miss my jab and get countered with an uppercut,” he added. Even with his own championship credentials, Hitchins admitted that when it comes to putting on gloves, Davis is simply “on a different level.” He did note a few limitations—Tank’s height and reach—but quickly shrugged them off as minor in the grand scheme. “When it comes to everything else, he has everything in the book,” he concluded.

Rivals may argue. Fans may debate. But when a fellow world champion describes your power as “generational” and your movement as “like a bullet,” the message is loud and clear: Gervonta Davis is no ordinary fighter. But his conduct online can use some work.