'Scooter' Davis on 'Tank' Davis, Lamont Roach, and the Washington effect

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The DMV is thriving, with fighters at the highest level and talented prospects emerging rapidly.

Yet another on his way out of Barry Hunter’s Headbangers Gym is Deric “Scooter” Davis, the 11-0 (10 KOs) welterweight prospect who went the distance for the first time in his last fight when he was taken eight rounds by the 7-5-3 Mexican Moises Garcia Zenteno.

On Saturday, he faces Spain-based Cuban Carlos Ramos in Cleveland on the bill topped by Abdullah Mason and Albert Bell.

“It’s just an era of fighters really that finally just got their recognition,” Davis told BoxingScene.

“Honestly, most of the people that you see from the area, we all grew up somewhat together, like Lamont [Roach Jnr] and Lamont Snr. They were the people that promoted my pro debut. They put me on the main card in there, their gym, a lot of their guys. The younger sibling, Jordan Roach, I fought in the amateurs with him. Ben Johnson, I fought in the amateurs with him. It’s a lot of fighters that just been in this area that we had to go through and fight each other, inspire each other, get work. But we still were the ones that were going through the tournaments, winning the national championships. It just wasn’t like people was crazy hollering our name.

“Now that we’re turning pro, we’re all getting a recognition, but we’re all around the same age. We popping out at the same time. It’s amazing. If everybody stays focused and continues to keep doing what they’re doing, a lot of DC fighters have the best talent.”

Despite only being 23, Davis has already seen talent fall by the wayside and he knows that distractions lie at every turn.

“We just can’t stay focused long enough,” he admits. “So if all the guys could stay focused, which I believe the ones that are coming up, we can take over boxing as the DC area. Really, this East coast side is really heavy with fighters.”

But he doesn’t see it exclusively as the Gervonta Davis effect. “Tank” is now 31 having turned pro in 2013.

“Tank was one of the guys. Tank was one of the people that was coming to the gym and had these big sparring sessions. That’s why you hear about him and Lamont fighting. We grew up all together. This is not a joke. We know each other very well. We know each other’s parents, moms, dads, brothers, sisters. We’ve seen each other multiple occasions everywhere. So now that everybody’s getting recognition on the world stage or starting to get it, it's like, ‘Oh, like I'm happy for you, ‘cause I’ve seen you from being seven years old, being snotty nose and now you’re a grown man, you got facial hair. Like, I know you, bro.”

“Both of them guys were just like the big brother-type mentors giving me game if I lost in the regionals or nationals or something like that,” he added. “Lamont Roach was right there. ‘Cause he was there with Jordan and Ben and his team. He was like, ‘Don’t worry, bro. This don’t even matter. I’m telling you, this is just going to catapult you to the next stage.' And he used to give me all these words of affirmation and encouragement.”

Davis believes he has the talent to be considered a world-class fighter.

“And I’m not saying that just to believe in myself. I’m saying this by experience going in the ring with the elites, the world champions and doing my thing. And them telling me at a young age that, ‘No, no, you're going to be world champion.’ A lot of fighters, like Floyd [Mayweather] say all the time, a lot of fighters are great in the gym, but on the world stage, they can’t get it done. And that’s where I’m ready. I’m ready for my experience and all my knowledge to translate to the world stage.”

One thing the highly regarded Davis had to understand is that he’s developing under the watchful eye of social media where a mistake, an error of judgement or anything less than a stellar display will be condemned.

Going the distance in his last fight for the first time only proved that.

“They’re going to say certain things, people believe that,” he said. “There’s certain people on social media that believe I’m really not even all that good; I‘m just a hype job. Social media is going to have a lot to say, but I know for me, it fuels me to go out the next time to shut that person up. A lot of people always say stuff, well, you’re not going to be able to shut everybody up. That might be true, but I'll have motivation for every time I'm ready to shut another person up. I'll have that motivation for you. ‘Oh, he said this?’

“Every fight is going to be a new person. Knowing that these guys are talking… that don't have no experience in the sport, that’s why I don’t take it too serious. People really get mad and really respond. That’s why I don’t respond to social media people. I just let them have their opinions because again, all publicity is still good publicity. They still talk about you, whether it’s good or bad. So it’s okay.”