Gervonta “Tank” Davis has sparked backlash after posting inflammatory comments about Devin Haney’s mother amid unconfirmed reports of her death. The remarks quickly pushed the boxing world to rally around Haney, with fans and figures condemning Davis’ comments as a line that should never be crossed.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of Davis and Haney’s long-running rivalry, but this time, the conversation has moved far beyond boxing.

“She’s doing exactly the same thing as her son. She’s gone to sleep,” one of Tank’s messages read.

“Crazy how buddy talked about my mom only for his mom to check a few weeks later… now POST that. Inshallah,” The caption on the Instagram story read.

Another simply read, “Poof,” with the victory emoji.

What adds a layer to the intrigue is that all the posts that appear to have been deleted were accompanied by what looked like photographs of Haney’s mother, April Clay. With some reports suggesting she passed away “unexpectedly on August 22, 2026,” the news, however, remains largely unconfirmed.

The boxing world has rarely looked this united. Fighters, analysts, media and fans pushed the rivalries aside, condemning the alleged mockery and making one thing clear: family tragedy is off-limits.

Across X, Facebook and YouTube, the conversation quickly shifted from boxing beef to basic humanity. For all the battles inside the ring, the sport’s biggest names and its fans showed that some moments are simply bigger than boxing. That brought out a “one boxing family” mentality.

But the situation is far more confusing. The pictures Tank used appear to be those of Haney’s grandmother, Renee Jannah. But the welterweight champion’s paternal grandmother passed away in March 2024. More significantly, there does not appear to be any official statement from Devin Haney or his father, Bill Haney.

That still leads to the question: If the news about Haney’s mother is indeed true, why did Tank feel the need to taunt Haney with such distasteful messages? Particularly when so many expressed their condolences to Haney?

Strangely enough, last year, during the lead up to the title defense against Lamont Roach Jr., Tank was most respectful and refused to trash talk, given that the challenger’s mother was present in the crowd.

As lightweight champions, Tank and Haney enjoyed a fierce rivalry in boxing. Despite many expecting them to eventually clash, that matchup never materialized.

With both fighters now on visibly different career trajectories, Haney is now a three-division champion, while Tanks, after navigating multiple legal cases and failed matchups, is now a former title holder.

Yet, despite taking different routes, the duo continued to call out each other while also taking potshots at each other.

Even with Saudi Powerbroker Turki Alalshikh expressing interest in their matchup, a fight failed to take place. More recently, the sides once again toyed with the idea, with Haney suggesting that Tank’s side reached out to him. Still, despite that development, the talks reportedly collapsed over payout and weight differences.

With Tank now not expected to return until 2027, any fight between the two remains a dream.

Social media users, however, were not bothered by that history. With some expressing condolences to Haney, many took outrage at Tank for posting nasty comments about another fighter’s mother, amid reports that she may have died.

Gervonta Davis’ latest shot at Devin Haney sparks fierce backlash

Upon hearing the news, many fans theorized what it would be like to go through this, had it been them in their shoes.

“If I’m Devin Haney and my mom just passed and I saw Gervonta post this, I would genuinely end his life. Like, I’m being deada**. If I was Devin I’d be that pi**ed,” wrote one, after saying that this time Tank went a bit too far.

At such a time of grief, one would expect everyone to extend their support and offer prayers to the departed soul. Instead, to come across such a comment would be extremely difficult for anyone in that situation.

“This is sad and low, but you can’t throw stones and expect a bigger stone not to be thrown back; they already when low, there’s no lines, so all is fair in loving war,” added another fan.

Those comments stem from what a few users have been pointing out since this report emerged.

Taking a picture of Tank standing alongside his mother on Father’s Day, Haney once wrote, “I’ll post Tank Dad for Father’s Day since he won’t…Happy Father’s Day, big Tank! That’s f**ked up; you broke, and you made him move out of the house.”

Haney came under heavy backlash for suggesting Tank’s mother, seemingly as a man. However, to deal with a comment of a similar nature, that too, if his mother has indeed passed away, is a bit of a stretch on Tank’s part. Meanwhile, others noticed that, in contrast to Tank, his trainer’s behavior differed.

“At least Tank trainer isn’t making fun of it lol,” one fan stated, with a screenshot of an Instagram story from Kenny Ellis, whose message read, “Sending my condolences to the Haney family.”

There were predictions that Haney, after taking Tank’s comments seriously, would thrash him when they eventually meet inside the ring.

“He lame ash Devin gone make this Mf pay for this sh*t so bad, my word Dev gone make it look like a cake walk,” one fan said.

Painting a more realistic picture of Tank, fans focused on the recent history for the fighter.

“Man without a W in over 2 years, nothing on schedule, dropped from all the rankings, and talking about someone’s mom on X. Time and sport just passing him by,” another user wrote.

The comment centers around the sad state of affairs Tank currently finds himself in. His last win came against Frank Martin in June 2024. After that, he drew against Lamont Roach Jr. in a fight that proved controversial. It’s been over 12 months, and there’s still no clarity on when Tank will return.

His inactivity has already exacted a price after the WBA stripped him of their title.

To set the record straight, this won’t be the first time Tank has faced such a backlash. He faced severe criticism last year for comments he made against Victor Conte following his death.

Against that backdrop, Tank’s route back to stardom could be through a high-profile matchup against one of the recognized names, including Devin Haney. So, for him to insult his rival’s mother at this stage would only add to his troubles if he plans to extend his career.