The kick-off press conference for the big Netflix boxing showdown between Jake Paul and Gervonta “Tank” Davis went down today (Sat., Sept. 20, 2025) inside the Palladium Theater in New York City. Compared
to some of Paul’s previous pressers, it started off relatively tame — but, of course, the YouTuber-turned-boxer couldn’t resist stirring the pot.
By the end of the event, Paul was literally clowning Davis in front of the crowd.
The tension kicked off when the host asked Davis about his expected weight on fight night, given that “Tank” usually competes in smaller divisions. Before Davis could even respond, Paul jumped in with a jab.
“With or without the ankle monitor on … oh, and the handcuffs?” Paul quipped, drawing gasps and laughs from the crowd. Davis, visibly unimpressed, brushed it off with, “That’s corny.”
From there, Davis fired back by ripping Paul’s outfit, mocking his jacket, and dismissing his mohawk hairstyle as “clown behavior.” That opened the door for Paul to unleash a pre-planned stunt.
“You wanna see clowns?” Paul said, before motioning toward a group of actual clowns who appeared on stage. “Gervonta, you’re the fu—king clown, buddy. You’re the clown, Gervonta. Any man who puts his hands on a woman is the clown.”
The line drew a strong reaction from the crowd and immediately shifted the tone of the presser. Davis, who has faced multiple domestic violence allegations in the past, tried to defend himself but stumbled into a bizarre explanation.
“With P. Diddy, there was mad females coming out,” Davis said. “If I hit a female, wouldn’t there be mad other females? I ain’t been just with one female.”
Davis’ comments fell flat, and the press conference got incredibly awkward for a few minutes. For context, Davis has been charged three times with domestic violence over the course of his career, with two cases later resolved via plea deals.
“Tank” might have his hands full in terms of the pre-fight obligations as he’s dealing with a master troll.
Check out the first Paul vs. Tank staredown here.
