UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev has welcomed Gervonta Davis to Islam via his X account. Davis, an American professional boxer, publicly embraced Islam this week and received a warm welcome from several fighters and fans. He even changed his name, although not legally.
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) December 28, 2023
Like many other Russian fighters, Chimaev is also a Muslim. The former freestyle wrestler took to his X account and welcomed Davis with open arms. He posted a picture of Davis and penned a three-word message. Chimaev wrote, “Abdul Vahid… Alhamdulillah”
Abdul Wahid is the name Davis has chosen for himself. Alhamdulillah, on the other hand, means, “Praise be to God.”
Has Gervonta Davis changed his name to Abdul Wahid?
According to reports, Davis has changed his name to Abdul Wahid which formalizes his conversion to Islam. Abdul Wahid means “The Slave of the One”. It is believed that Davis was a Christian before his conversion. A tattoo of a cross on his right arm gave rise to the belief.
Gervonta Davis chose the Muslim name Abdul Wahid (the slave of The One) today at Masjid Hidayah with Imam Hasan Somali & Raha Batts@hikmahpubs @RahaBatts @MasjidHidaayah @GtownMasjid pic.twitter.com/PtnfqIcG0Y
— DUS Dawah (@DusDawah) December 27, 2023
Davis, an undefeated boxer, joins the ranks of some of the most feared boxers in the world by embracing Islam. A certain Cassius Clay also embraced Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He was one of the greatest boxers to ever grace the ring.
Later, Mike Tyson is also said to have converted to Islam before going to prison in 1992. Tyson is one of the greatest Heavyweight boxers in the world. He is still part of the industry. Reports suggest Tyson also changed his name to Malik Abdul Aziz. However, in recent times, he is not referred to by that name.
Another Muslim boxer is Devin Haney. Ranked as the world’s best active lightweight boxer by ESPN, Haney is undefeated in 31 fights. Davis, on the other hand, is undefeated in 29 fights.
Davis was raised in West Baltimore and attended Digital Harbor High School, a local magnet school. He dropped out of school to focus on his career and achieved massive success in amateur boxing. He earned an extraordinary record of 206-15 in his amateur career.
‘Tank’ made his professional boxing debut in February 2013 and won via first-round KO. Out of his 29 wins, Davis has knocked out his opponent 27 times. The practicing Muslim is expected to face his religious counterpart, Haney, soon in a highly-anticipated match.
