Imagine Gervonta Davis in front of his own figurative magic mirror. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most skillful of all?” The iconic line from ‘Snow White’ may echo in the mind. How many times may the Baltimore native have asked himself this question? And did he wait for an answer? Tough to say, but one thing is clear: Davis remains unwavering in his belief. When it boils down to ring prowess, none of the present-day fighters can match him.

This confidence seems to grow as Davis approaches his much-discussed title defense against Lamont Roach Jr. on March 1 at New York’s Barclays Center. Fans and pundits expect Davis to sail through the year’s kickoff challenge.

The fight has garnered significant attention, partly because of Davis’ plan to retire by the year’s end. However, the Roach Jr. bout hasn’t been without its criticisms. Many have questioned Davis for choosing yet another easy hurdle. With so many talented fighters in the division, his choice has drawn skepticism.

The lightweight champion sat down with fellow Baltimorean Jay Hill for an uninhibited discussion. The show began with Gervonta Davis talking about, “skill for skill, none of these guys can mess with me like nobody.”

Davis added further. From top to bottom, when considering all the fighters currently competing, no one can match his abilities. However, his thoughts verged on a faux pas. He mentioned that his skills might be even better than those of former mentor and guide Floyd Mayweather. He backtracked immediately. “My skills is way better than, like, Floyd’s. Like, if I’m on my game, you feel—well, yeah, I take that back, probably hand in hand,” said ‘Tank’ Davis.

The unfiltered thoughts follow Lamont Roach’s rhetorical rebuke, where he purportedly imagined himself as the next WBA lightweight champion. In many ways, it followed Terence Crawford‘s unveiled claim. The former undisputed champion feels that in the current landscape, there are only two fighters – Shakur Stevenson and Keyshawn Davis – who seem capable of driving ‘Tank’ into trouble.

But claims and counterclaims apart, how much of what Gervonta Davis mentioned stands true?

Gervonta Davis: Valid, but not quite on target

For one, as far as skills are concerned, the world champion remains unparalleled. Most often he is praised for his punching power. Thus, his proficiency in areas such as defense, head movement, ring generalship, and accuracy is often relegated to secondary status.

But as HE Turki Alalshikh, during a recent discussion with Mike Coppinger, stressed, though Gervonta Davis is an outstanding fighter, he needs to scale up in terms of the challenges he picks. Only when he faces fighters of caliber such as Shakur Stevenson, Keyshawn Davis, Raymond Muratalla, and a few others can he cement his legacy among one of boxing’s greatest.

Let’s admit, Isaac Cruz, who is not particularly known for his boxing skills, managed to take him the full distance. So what happens when Gervonta Davis finally faces a fighter with exceptional abilities? Perhaps he needs to look into the mirror more closely. Remember what Dream Theater famously mentioned in their 2013 chart-topping hit ‘Looking Glass’: “You are caught up in your gravity, glorifying stardom, singing your own praise.”

What about you? Do you agree with ‘Tank’ Davis’ contention about his competence?