It’s that time of the year, the nominations list for the 2023 ESPY Awards is out, and there are a lot of interesting names being highlighted in various sports across the world. The ESPY is a highly regarded accolade in terms of sports, it’s equivalent to the Academy Award and the Grammy. The ABC network will host the ceremony on July 12 in Los Angeles. The best player in each sport gets an award, and the winner is decided through the public’s vote, and this time, the fans can vote for their personal favorite on espn.com. The nominated names for the Best Boxer, eligible for the 2023 ESPY, have been revealed, and three out of four candidates are the Lightweight top contenders.
The nominees for this year’s awards are Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, and Claressa Shields. This is the second time when Shields has been nominated for the ESPY, while it’s the first time for the other three. Despite ‘Tank’ currently facing issues with the law, it certainly has been a big year for ‘Tank’ Davis.
Gervonta Davis could grab the title of ‘The Best Boxer’
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The fatal four of boxing, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, Claressa Shields, and Gervonta Davis will be standing against each other on the night of July 12th, to determine who had the best boxing year. All four of these names had a great year in the sport, but ‘Tank’ had one of the biggest years, not only for him but for the sport of boxing as well. He knocked out Ryan Garcia, the fight that broke the Las Vegas record and witnessed massive PPV sales. He also locked horns against Rolly Romero. So, the popularity of the Baltimore native is touching the skies right now, and there are chances he’d steal this crown from the other three fighters.
But the other names are also not to be taken lightly. Devin Haney retained his undisputed title after winning against Vasyl Lomachenko by a unanimous decision. And he also went the distance against George Kambosos Jr. for the second time last year in October. Meanwhile, Shakur Stevenson knocked out Shuichiro Yoshiro in his previous fight this year, and before this, he also secured a victory against Robson Conceicao in September 2022.
The only woman on the list, Claressa Shields has been nominated for this award before in 2008. She successfully defended her Middleweight crown this year. She fought tremendously against Savannah Marshall in October 2022, then very recently, she also walked past Marcila Cornejo in a 10-round bout. Although every one of these fighters has a good chance of winning, the needle may slightly bend more towards ‘Tank’. Hopefully, his jail time wouldn’t hamper the result of the ESPY Award winner.
‘Tank’ Davis is currently serving his 90-day prison sentence
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Gervonta Davis pleaded guilty in a 2020 hit-and-run case, that involved four people including a pregnant woman. So, he was charged with 90 days of house arrest, in addition, he was also sentenced to 3 years probation and community service of 200 hours.
Read More: Devin Haney Slapped With a $25,000 Fine for the Weigh-In Debacle With Vasyl Lomachenko
The prison sentence has reportedly come after he violated the house arrest. And on June 1, ‘Tank’ was directed to serve the remainder of his sentence in prison. ‘Tank’ who didn’t welcome the court’s decision, later went on Instagram Live, and called the judge who sent him to jail, “crazy”.
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Gervonta Davis may not be there to receive one of the most respected Sports awards of 2023, and nothing can make it less esteemed. Who do you think will be the winner of this year’s ESPY? Let us know in the comments section below.
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