Floyd Mayweather protege Gervonta Davis using brutal upbringing on tough streets of Baltimore where he was deemed ‘too bad’ to appear on The Wire
IBF world champ - nicknamed Tank - will fight Brit Liam Walsh in May after being taken from drug addict parents as a kid
FLOYD MAYWEATHER is tipping protege Gervonta Davis to follow his meteoric rise from the streets to global stardom.
The undefeated super-featherweight - boxing's youngest world champ at 22 - will make the first defence of his IBF title against Brit Liam Walsh in London on May 20.
Coming up my mother and father were on drugs, my mum left me and my brother in the house by ourselves.
But it all could have been different for the Baltimore bruiser, who was forced to fight his way through orphanages after being taken from his drug addict parents.
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Asked if growing up on the streets compared to gritty TV drama The Wire, Davis insisted his experiences were even worse.
The 17-0 boxer - who boasts 16 KO's and been dubbed a mini Mike Tyson - said: "I want to say it’s a little worse than The Wire.
"I was supposed to be in the show but then I got in trouble at school running the streets.
";Coming up my mother and father were on drugs, my mum left me and my brother in the house by ourselves.
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"We were in and out of group homes and foster care. I actually have two other brothers but one was taken from us a little faster. Me and my oldest brother Demetris Fenwick were taken at the same time so we were pretty tight.
"I’ve always been a fighter, even though I was younger than my brother I used to always take up for him so I was fighting a lot on the block and in school.
"We were fighting in group homes and when we got back to my great uncle we were fighting his kids."
Read SunSport's exclusive interview with Gervonta Davis on Mike Tyson comparisons and going out to kill opponents
The guys I looked up too are either dead or in jail. One of the guys that started me out was my coach’s son Qaadir Ford, he got killed.
Davis' coach Calvin Ford was the inspiration for the character Cutty in the wire - a trainer who tries to get kids off the streets.
Ford's son Qaadir - who was tragically shot five times - and several of Davis' idols provided an example of the harsh realities of life in Baltimore.
But fortunately Davis' uncle managed to channel his anger into sport and set him on the path to greatness.
I believe the best champs come out of hardship - Floyd Mayweather, he came out of hard times.
He added: "My uncle saw fighting in front of my house and he wanted to turn something negative into a positive so he took me to the gym and I’ve been there ever since
"Growing up in Baltimore it was a lot of distraction but I was so into boxing it was like candy to me.
"The guys I looked up too are either dead or in jail. One of the guys that started me out was my coach’s son Qaadir Ford, he got killed.
"Growing up seeing those guys and what they were going through trying to get money and feed their families, they showed why being focused on the main goal was important."
Davis is the jewel in the crown of Mayweather's 'Money Team' as the all-time great, who is likely to come out of retirement to fight Conor McGregor, builds a stable of young fighters.
And he is hoping the silver lining of his cloudy childhood is that true champions are, like his mentor, often forged in the harshest conditions.
He explained: "I believe the best champs come out of hardship.
"You look at one of the top athletes who’s still breaking numbers now, Floyd Mayweather, he came out of hard times.
"Lamont Peterson, Anthony Peterson - they were homeless - they're great guys at heart and they told me a lot about the sport.
"Them, Mayweather and Adrien Broner are always my top fighters."
Davis splits his time between Las Vegas - where his training camp for the Walsh fight will be - and his hometown.
And he is determined to pass on the lessons he has learnt to the kids growing up there today.
He added: "I like to have them around me now to show them no matter where you come from, what your background is that you can achieve whatever you put your mind into."