[vehicles passing] [singing indistinctly] [narrator]
Imagine the life of a boxer. An existence honed
by meticulous preparations. ♪ down-tempo music plays ♪ But to be ready, to not wilt, the boxer's life
is actually the antithesis of what they're known for. The shine only made possible by the hard work undertaken
in the shadows, day after day,
week after week of the same grind. Now imagine that one day
with one phone call with a hated rival,
Rolando "Rolly" Romero, pulled from a card
that's only one month away. All that work
might go to waste. Then a fighter
must choose — regroup or full speed ahead. ♪ down-tempo music plays ♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ I can see ♪ [narrator] If that boxer
is Gervonta Davis, it becomes clear
why he's called "Tank"… ♪ It's clearer now ♪ [narrator]
…and why at only 26 he's already a bona fide
pay-per-view star. [Ranallo]
Tank Davis is now 25-0 and continues to add
to his aura! That's because
a three-division champion who's climbing
the pound-for-pound rankings knows only one way —
forward. Right now,
it's just get me a name. Ain't no picking a name.
♪ dramatic music plays ♪ If that means beckoning
Isaac Cruz into the ring, accepting a potentially
more dangerous opponent with hands so heavy
and hunger so voracious, he's known as "Pitbull,"
then so be it. [Ranallo]
Mama mia! Cruz en fuego tonight! ♪ music continues ♪ [Davis] The next man ain't
coming like how I'm coming. I'm already winning in my mind
walking to the ring. Because while one fight
scheduled for December 5th is now off,
a fight is still on. Why? Because true champions
understand that the worst twists in life are also sometimes
the most important. ♪ 'Cause I can see it ♪ ♪ music continues ♪ They force adaptation
and redirection, which build resolve
and bolster strength. ♪♪♪ That notion, at its essence, is
the story of Gervonta Davis… ♪♪♪ …a boxer who's been fighting
against obstacles in one way or another
his entire life. ♪ I can see it ♪ Give 'em that old-fashioned
ass whuppin'. That's the whole goal.
I'm badass. And so on Sunday, December 5th, at the Staples Center
in Los Angeles, that mentality is clearer
than ever. It's forward —
then, now, and forever. ♪ I can see it all ♪ [man] Ready?
Let's go.
[man]
I don't believe in you. [man] Next.
Get out here, Kenny. [indistinct conversations,
ball bouncing, shoes squeaking] Never really dared.
I ain't believe in you. Where you at, Tank?
Too far? No, no, no.
It ain't no good. [indistinct conversations,
shoes squeaking] Oh! [Davis] I was actually looking
forward to fighting Rolly. It is what it is. The buildup for the fight was,
you know, pretty high. Play a little defense?
He ain't made a shot all day. Play D! I think this is actually a much
bigger, tougher fight for me. Aah!
Foul, Kenny! I ain't even touch him.
He talkin' about foul.
You stuck your ass out there,
and you could've…me up! Yes, you did!
Can you rewind that? Yeah.
Please do. [Hunter] This whole camp
been geared up to one person. We had our hearts
and our intentions set on Rolly. The people that we
have been sparring against, they were Rolly-like. So we got to bring
a few Cruz look-alikes in. Boom. Look. I did like this, man! I did like this, Tank!
That's challenging a shot! Yo. Look. What the…is this? [man] It was very subtle.
Very subtle. It's kind of frustrating,
but, you know, nevertheless, it's boxing, so you got to make
adjustments as you go along. The mission don't change,
though.
You stuck your ass out, bro!
You could've…me up! ♪ mid-tempo music plays ♪ [indistinct conversations,
shouting] [narrator] For a baller
like Gervonta Davis, change is part
of the job description. But even with a new opponent
to prepare for, the most notable alterations
to this particular camp have already been made. Davis, for instance,
is training in Florida, and for now, he's also without
his longtime trainer, Calvin Ford. ♪♪♪ [bell chimes] [man] Time! That's work, baby! [Davis]
It's not me changing trainers, 'cause for sure Calvin
will definitely be going to the fight. Just different looks. He gonna bring the overhand.
That's his favorite. Like when you're sparring, you
don't always spar the same guy. That's what Barry and Calvin —
They give me different looks. ♪♪♪ [Hunter] Tank, not only does he
possess great athleticism, he is one of those fighters that
come along once in a lifetime.
You can tell him something once,
maybe even twice, and he gonna get it
to perfection. Break it down. Hurt me.
Hurt me. Hurt me. Hup! [grunting] ♪♪♪ Despite grasping success
that once seemed unfathomable, Davis also understands that his
boxing evolution must continue. That's why two members
of Tank's way-back crew, Barry Hunter
and Patrice "Boogie" Harris, are helming his training, to counter the come-forward
stylings of Isaac Cruz, his new and more
tenacious opponent. I know that he brings pressure
more than Rolly, so it's gonna be actually
more of an intense fight. All right. There you go. This guy's good. I got to come with my "A" game, so I'm definitely not
sleeping on Cruz. He's definitely a tough
opponent, for sure. ♪♪♪ [bell chimes] My man.
Good work, bro. [Hunter]
There you go. [thunder rumbling] If Tank the boxer refuses
to sleep on his opponent, perhaps it's because
new parents don't sleep much at all. Tank the father recently
welcomed a newborn daughter into the brood. Her name is Giovanni. And in only five weeks
since her birth, she's already given her dad,
if not more rest, then even more reason
to triumph. [Davis] I'm definitely
grateful to have her.
I'm grateful for both
of my daughters. My whole goal is just
to make sure I'm okay and the people that's
around me are okay. It's not just me no more. I'm trying to build an empire
where all of us can be successful
at the end of my career. I don't want to really be
doing this too long. This is her good side, too. I want to be able to retire
from boxing and don't let boxing retire me. [footsteps approaching] [rhythmic breathing] [man]
[speaking Spanish] Anyone who thinks Isaac Cruz
holds little in common with Davis
should head down to Mexico, where boxing's
monotonous routines point to what both
fighters share. This is where
it should be noted Cruz also accepted a new
opponent on short notice… [Cruz]
[grunts] …because he could see
that higher risk could reap higher rewards. ♪ dramatic music plays ♪ [Lennon] Introducing
Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz! [cheers and applause] In October of 2020, a masked man carried
20 triumphs into a boxing ring. Having not lost after his first
and only defeat in four years, it was time for Pitbull
to level up. ♪ music continues ♪ [Ranallo]
It's all Isaac Cruz! Right uppercut!
Another right uppercut! And Magdaleno goes down and out! Mama mia, what a start! [crowd cheering] As Cruz embarked
on his own climbs, he dispatched
Jose Matias Romero… …then met Francisco Vargas, the former WBC world
super featherweight champion. Cruz battered his veteran
opponent for 36 minutes. That reinforced his moniker, this Pitbull being no bark
but all bite. [indistinct conversations] Today in the Cruz camp,
preparations continue. They're led, as always,
by the boxer's father, Isaac Cruz Sr., a man who's spent his life
in the fight game and understands
what must now be implemented in order for his namesake
to shock the world. In Mexico, boxing can seem
like more of a birthright, a notion embodied
by the Cruz family, where three generations
steeped in the same sport. Pitbull's grandfather,
Memo Cruz, and his father, Isaac Sr., both took on
championship-level foes before starting Pitbull
in the family business. [indistinct conversations,
pads thudding] [Hunter]
You good? Set.
Go! [Davis]
Training been good. I'm just getting back
in my mode. Just sharpening up my tools… [Hunter] All the way! [Davis]
…staying sharp, you know, so once I get in there,
I can do what I do best. [Hunter]
Time! Good work! For a fighter who ended all
but one of his pro bouts early, it might seem counterintuitive
to focus instead on endurance. But that's why five members
of his core crew have flown in for camp from
their hometown of Baltimore to make sure the preparations
continue at top speed. [Harris] I knew Gervonta
since we were kids. Just being together,
training again, getting ready to fight on December 5th,
it's just a great experience.
Tank, he's just on
a different level now. His power. Everything.
His IQ. Everything. He's just like a baby Tyson.
Looking great. ♪ mid-tempo music plays ♪ [Davis]
It definitely helped me, having people that I grew up
with in the sport of boxing because it don't make me
lose myself as a person. 'Cause when you get a little too
big-headed, it's very bad. Then it don't end well. [Hunter] Don't let your feet
catch up with one another. I can honestly say
what I see is a lot of joy. He's having fun with the guys. Kind of reminded me
of when they were young in the amateurs together. [Hunter]
Y'all was badass kids. Yo, we used to —
If you wasn't from Region 3 — that Region 5,
all that type of shit — we was…y'all up. For real. You remember you had to
get on the podium? Just said,
"My name is Gervonta Davis." [laughter] Yeah. And walked
straight off after that.
After I said my speech,
I went just like… [laughter] The judges was crying
and everything. They started clapping
and everything. Yeah. They gave him
a standing ovation. Before Davis separated himself
from most boxers, he was exactly
like all of them — just a kid with his boys
and a dream. [Lennon]
…representing Baltimore… Even now, their presence serves
as an important reminder that how Tank became
a superstar in the first place can propel him upward still. [Ranallo] Oh! [Bernstein] Oh, my! ♪ No, you don't shine
when they hit the lights ♪ ♪ I done made myself bleed
for this life ♪ [Ranallo] Oh! And there is
a lethal left uppercut! ♪ I said it's game time ♪ ♪ Baby, I said it's game time ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ This is game time ♪ [Davis] A lot of fighters
don't have that X factor.
I think I'm one of those guys
that have it. ♪ Come and ride with a winner ♪ That's what make me special. [Lennon] It's time
for Davis versus Barrios! [Lennon] It's time
for Davis versus Barrios! [narrator]
The packed arena, the three divisions
already conquered, the career that's on
a Hall of Fame track — They're all part
of a prodigy's plan. [bell chimes] Boxing luminaries
long ago tabbed Davis as the sport's next virtuoso. And in his last victory,
against Mario Barrios, he again proved he's capable
of overpowering all manner and all sizes of foes. [Ranallo] Gervonta "Tank" Davis
brought his power to Barrios! He's been decked twice! Davis is bludgeoning Barrios! [crowd cheering] Oh, and Barrios is down again! Barrios is doubled up,
and it's over! ♪ 'Cause we champions ♪ ♪ Game time ♪ [crowd cheering] [Ranallo]
You can't fight the power of Gervonta "Tank" Davis! What a scintillating display! [Jones] Tank, you up.
[man] Ready. Go! Good. Tension. Come on.
Strong. Come on. Speed. Speed!
Five… Speed! …four… …three, two… Rest. Ooh!
All right. [Jones]
Tank is extremely explosive. Generates a lot of power
in a short amount of time. His talent creates
an opportunity for him to win his fights, but he's got so much more
within him from his approach. I just feel like he's only
like 75% of where he could be. And that's dangerous. That's saying something,
because kid is awesome. ♪ mid-tempo music plays ♪ [Jones] Good.
Stay tall. Good.
It went in my nuts. Don't hit yourself
in the nuts. Hands back this way so it
hikes back behind your nuts. [Jones] That's up.
There you go. Swing.
Swing. Swing. Swing. Next exercise. [narrator] In order to continue
his world-class rise, Davis has turned to
the peak-performance experts at House of Athlete. This marks yet another sign that Tank is neither satisfied
with his stature nor anywhere near done
with upgrading his repertoire ahead of Sunday, December 5th. ♪ I'm burnin' up, yeah ♪ ♪ Bringin' out the fire ♪ [Davis] The fighters
that's coming up now, they don't do strength
and conditioning.
They just think
it's just boxing. When you're in there
with grown men and you throw them shots and they're not feeling no type
of weight off your punches, then that's a problem. 'Cause you got to have
enough power to back some of these
grown men up. It's an important piece to have,
that strength and conditioning, for sure. [Jones]
Come on. Come on.
Let's go. Come on. Come on.
Come on. [man] Everybody tired
this morning? It's all about who's less tired. [Davis] I just don't never want
to be like I wound up failing because of myself, you know,
so I always want to do more. Oh! But if that day do come, I'll say that, you know,
I did give it my all.
But I don't see that day coming
no time soon. [boy] La la!
[Cruz] [laughs] La la! [knock on door, dog barking] [speaking Spanish] La la-a-a-a! [laughs] [laughs] [speaking Spanish] [knife tapping] [narrator]
Whether it's stamina or the people a boxer keeps
in his heart, all must choose
what to draw on. So even on days
when 23-year-old Isaac Cruz trains three separate times, he still finds the hours
necessary for his wife, Toany, and his 4-year-old son, Amadeo, marking less of an exercise
in domesticity and more of a search
for his own inspiration. Even in a boxer's unremarkable
day-to-day existence, the sacrifices embarked upon
are not taken alone. And as Cruz prepares
for an immense moment, he realizes perhaps
more than ever who helped make an opportunity
like this possible. ♪ down-tempo music plays ♪ ♪♪♪ [indistinct conversations,
pads thudding] [bell chimes] ♪ mid-tempo music plays ♪ ♪♪♪ In order to join
the long list of headliners who have starred
at the Staples Center, Cruz understands that work
matters far more than words. That includes
both his own training and the doubts lobbed
from the outsiders, who fail to realize he's fighting for the people
who matter rather than the adulation
from those who doubted him. [bell chimes] ♪ mid-tempo music plays ♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ [indistinct conversations] In boxing, any one fight or any one honor can pass by
in a blink, which is why a three-division
champion like Davis continues shooting for more. After all, he'll miss 100%
of the shots he doesn't take — along with, at least
on the basketball court, many he does. ♪♪♪ [applause] You got that?
Skip everything but that! ♪♪♪ [Hunter] What's the best
punch in boxing? Jab.
All day long.
You throw the brick hand
behind your jab and miss it, don't fall in. Just go back to the jab.
Okay? Step around. Your choice.
Step around. Keep turning him. Yes, sir.
All right. [bell chimes] [Davis] In this high
position I am now, I'm always gonna think that
I got something more to prove. You know, that's how I stay,
like, grounded. [Johnson]
Everything relaxed and calm. Like, there's a reason
for everything. Not just throwing.
Just… That's just awesome. It's gonna get messy. [Hunter] I've noticed a sense
of maturity in this camp. And, you know,
we had talked the other day, and in my book,
the sky's the limit. He don't really have a ceiling.
His biggest foe gonna be him. ♪♪♪ The tug-of-war
between in-ring prowess and out-of-ring upheaval has trailed Davis into each
of his most recent bouts. But in a new twist
on an old theme, those closest to the fighter
believe that their sport and the stability
it provides him will help Tank to stay
on the right path. [Davis] As I'm, like, continuing
to climb and go to a next level, I think I'm maturing and
that I'm growing as a person and as a fighter.
That's why I feel as though
great things is ahead of me, you know, as long
as I stay focused. ♪ I'm talkin' stronger living ♪ ♪ I'm talkin' stronger, so ♪ ♪ Foot on the clutch
and I won't let off ♪ ♪ Never lookin' back
at the time I lost ♪ [narrator] With another bout
in a burgeoning career rapidly approaching, Tank and his team
head to Las Vegas. ♪ Feelin' 10 feet tall ♪ ♪ Like a baller, dawg ♪ ♪ When I'm on my game ♪ ♪ I can have it all ♪ ♪♪♪ If the boxing world was awed by another emphatic
Tank victory last June, Davis himself has not seen his
destruction of Mario Barrios until now. So, like many in his home
away from home, he settles in to watch
a fight — his own. Patience. I had a lot of patience in this. [Ranallo]
[speaking indistinctly] He was so tall. It'll be better
than swinging up. I'll be swinging down. And I don't got to
look for Cruz.
He's gonna be —
He's gonna be right there. [narrator] Despite their
obvious differences, Davis and Cruz share
one significant trait — Both do not take on opponents
so much as they stalk them. And in order to hone his
trademark uncompromising style, Tank has returned
to a familiar boxing temple. [Davis] I'm definitely excited
to be back in Vegas. Just being back in the
Mayweather gym feel good, you know,
being around my team, my family
and things like that. Give me that peace of mind
that, you know, I don't get when I'm at home. ♪ mid-tempo music plays ♪ How does the Peaches & Herb
song go? Well, for a champion boxer and the trainer
who shaped his rise, these are
the relevant lyrics — "Reunited and it feels
so good." That sentiment is due
to Calvin Ford's arrival, just in time to ensure
that all of Team Tank will be at and be ready for
fight night soon enough. [Ford] How the baby doing, man?
Where the pictures at? I want to see
the pictures, man.
Damn! [baby crying] Okay! I got chills right now.
Look at you. Oh, that's cute. How it feel?
Good. I know it do. I can see it
in your face. Yeah. I'm so proud
of you, man. You a two-time
daddy now. Any more?
Hell, no. So you don't —
What'd you say? [laughs] I don't know.
It's just more chill. Only thing that gears me up
is, like, they say he's
the Mexican Mike Tyson. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I'm like, "Hold up.
Wait a minute." Mike like Tank.
[laughs] You ain't seen Tank. ♪ mid-tempo music plays ♪ In boxing, there are levels,
career stages that correspond to specific times
in the life of a champion. But whether it's growing
a family, hunting an upset, or reuniting with those
who propelled their ascendance, all fighters at whatever level holds something significant
in common. They know there is always
a higher perch. [Davis] My main focus is beating
the guy that's in front of me.
Everybody love a winner. But you got to put in that work. For Isaac Cruz,
the prize on December 5th is pay-per-view prominence,
the chance to apply a lifetime of lessons
his elders passed down in order to rattle
not only a division but an entire sport. ♪♪♪ [Davis]
I'm from Baltimore, Maryland, doing this with people
I started with. And we believed in each other
and we kept going. And now we're at the Staples
Center, December the 5th. Oh, man. I'm excited. For Gervonta Davis, the treasure at hand
in Los Angeles is proof, more evidence that a prodigy
who becomes a superstar who becomes
an international force will not slow down, will maintain momentum,
moving forward. Because, of course,
it's the only way he knows how. On Sunday, December 5th,
watch Gervonta "Tank" Davis versus Isaac
"the Pitbull" Cruz, only on Showtime pay-per-view. ♪ I got the hot flame ♪ ♪ I got the hot flame ♪ ♪ I got the hot flame ♪ ♪ I got the hot flame ♪ ♪ I got the hot flame ♪ ♪ I got the hot flame ♪ ♪ I got the hot flame ♪ ♪ I got the hot flame ♪ ♪ Unh, R-A-W ♪ ♪ Tell me what you really
tryin' to do ♪ ♪ Kickin' that game
like it's kung fu ♪ ♪ Straight outta Compton
like I'm O'Shea ♪ ♪ Straight outta Compton
like I'm Dr.
Dre ♪ ♪ Now I'm on the runway ♪ ♪ Now I can get away ♪ ♪ Warm it up, J ♪ .
