Gervonta "Tank" Davis doesn't just walk into a ring; he carries a whole city on his spine. Literally. If you’ve ever watched a PBC weigh-in or caught a glimpse of him mid-fight, you’ve seen it—that massive, spanning script that defines his silhouette. It’s loud. It’s bold.
It says Baltimore.
But there is a lot more to the tank davis back tattoo than just a zip code or a hometown shoutout. For a guy who has spent his entire life punching his way out of a narrative that usually ends in a prison cell or a graveyard, that ink is a permanent receipt of where he’s been. Honestly, it’s one of the most iconic pieces of body art in the modern era of boxing, yet people still trip over the details of who did it and why it looks the way it does.
The Baltimore piece: Why it’s the centerpiece
The massive "Baltimore" lettering across his upper back is the first thing you notice. It's done in a stylized, heavy black-and-grey script. It isn't just decoration. For Gervonta, the city of Baltimore is his identity. He grew up in some of the toughest neighborhoods in the city, moving through the foster care system and finding his only real stability at the Upton Boxing Center.
Tattooing the city name across the shoulders is a classic "power" placement. In the tattoo world, the back is the most sacred real estate because it’s the largest canvas you have. By putting Baltimore there, Davis is basically saying that the city has his back—and he has theirs. It’s a weight he carries.
He didn't just get this on a whim.
He got it because, despite the fame and the Floyd Mayweather mentorship and the millions of dollars, he still moves like the kid from Sandtown-Winchester.
The Artist behind the ink
While Davis has worked with several artists over the years, a significant amount of his high-end realism and large-scale work has been attributed to celebrity artists like Josh Levario (JNL Tattoo). Levario is the same guy who spent 30 hours on Tank’s leg sleeve—the one featuring the Joker and Scarface.
When you look at the back piece, the linework has to be incredibly precise. If the "B" in Baltimore is slightly off-kilter, it ruins the symmetry of his entire physique when he’s squared up in a boxing stance. Luckily for Tank, his artist nailed the proportions. It fits the taper of his lats perfectly.
Beyond the city: The "Blessed" and the wings
If you look slightly higher than the main Baltimore script, right at the base of his neck, there’s another layer to the tank davis back tattoo story. He has the word "Blessed" inked there.
It’s framed by clouds and wings.
This part of his ink is a bit more personal and spiritual. It sits right above the "M" and "E" letters (with a heart in between) that transition into his upper back/neck area. This section represents the contrast in his life. Below, you have the grit of the city; above, you have the acknowledgement of the "blessings" that allowed him to survive that city.
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Most people don't realize how much of a "walking diary" Tank actually is.
Every time he adds a piece, it’s a marker of a specific era. The back is his foundation.
A breakdown of the surrounding back and shoulder ink
- The Lion: On his left shoulder, creeping toward the back, is a fierce lion. This represents the "king of the jungle" mentality he brings to the 135-pound division.
- The Gorilla: Though primarily on his chest, the shading often wraps around the traps, symbolizing raw power.
- The Wings: These frame the "Blessed" script on his neck and provide a transition into the larger Baltimore piece.
The pain and the process: Sitting "like a rock"
One thing tattoo artists always say about professional fighters is that they are the best "sitters" in the world. Tank is no exception. Levario has gone on record saying that Davis "sat like a rock" for grueling sessions.
Think about the back for a second.
The spine is one of the most painful places to get tattooed because the skin is thin and the needle vibrates directly against the bone. Then you have the shoulder blades—pure agony for most people. For a world-class boxer who takes 10-ounce gloves to the face for a living, a tattoo needle is basically a spa day.
He often schedules these sessions during his off-season or right after a big fight. You can't really train while a fresh back piece is healing; the sweat and the constant stretching of the skin during shadowboxing would ruin the ink.
Misconceptions about the "Tank" tattoo
Surprisingly, many fans confuse his "Tank" arm tattoo with his back piece. While he obviously has a literal tank on his left arm (paying homage to his nickname given to him by a coach because of his oversized head as a kid), the back is reserved for his roots.
Another common mistake? People think the "Baltimore" tattoo was his first.
Actually, Davis started with much smaller, less professional pieces when he was younger. As his purse sizes grew, so did the quality of his ink. He’s actually covered up some of his earlier, rougher work with the high-detail realism you see today.
He’s basically a living, breathing art gallery at this point.
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Why this tattoo matters for his brand
In the age of social media and Pay-Per-View, image is everything. When Tank turns his back to the camera during a ring walk, that "Baltimore" logo is the last thing the opponent sees. It's branding. It's intimidating. It tells a story of a guy who isn't just fighting for a belt, but for a whole population of people who feel overlooked.
It has also inspired a wave of "hometown" tattoos in the boxing community. You see more and more young fighters getting their city names in that same heavy script. But nobody wears it quite like Davis.
Actionable insights for fans and tattoo enthusiasts
If you're looking to get something similar to the tank davis back tattoo, keep a few things in mind:
- Placement is King: Large script across the shoulders requires a "V-taper" to look best. If you aren't hitting your lats in the gym, the letters might look distorted.
- Find a Script Expert: Don't go to a portrait artist for heavy lettering. You want someone who specializes in "Chicano Style" or "West Coast Script" to get those sharp, clean edges.
- Healing is Hard: A full back piece takes weeks to heal. You'll need someone to help you apply ointment (unless you're remarkably flexible) and you should avoid the gym for at least 10–14 days to prevent the ink from "falling out" due to sweat.
- Budget Heavy: A piece of that scale from a top-tier artist like Levario will cost thousands. Don't cheap out on something that's going to be on your body forever.
Gervonta Davis is going to keep adding to his collection. As he moves up in weight classes and hunts for more belts, his "diary" will likely expand. But that Baltimore script? That’s the anchor. It’s never going anywhere. It’s the one part of him that will always belong to the streets that raised him.
To see the latest updates on his ink, your best bet is following his training camp photos on Instagram, where the lighting is usually raw enough to see the fine detail in the shading of the "Blessed" clouds and the sharp edges of the Baltimore script. Keep an eye on his next weigh-in; that's usually when he debuts any "secret" additions he's picked up between camps.