Days after boxer Gervonta Davis purchased buildings in his old neighborhood in Baltimore—before they caught on fire—WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack revealed a video clip of Davis converting to Islam. According to Sportskeeda, Davis has chosen his Muslim name in a ceremony that was posted to social media.
The Maryland-bred boxer has taken the name Abdul Wahid, which means “The Slave of The One.”
Wahid follows in the footsteps of other athletes who converted to Islam. The most famous boxing athlete who converted to Islam may be Cassius Clay, who was given the name Muhammad Ali after converting. Brooklyn’s most powerful heavyweight, Mike Tyson, also converted to Islam, and it was rumored that his name is
now Malik Abdul Aziz. However, he never publicly changed his name after the conversion. Middleweight and light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins is another who reportedly left Christianity to practice the teachings of Islam. Legendary basketball center Lew Alcindor Jr. may be the biggest NBA player to convert to Islam when he took the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after winning an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks.Earlier this year, Davis had to serve a 90-day prison sentence after an incident in 2020 in which he ran a red light and slammed into another vehicle with a pregnant woman inside. Prosecutors said the woman accused Davis of fleeing the scene without helping her, and he was sentenced to
90 days of house arrest and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. After violating the conditions of a home confinement agreement, Davis was ordered to complete the remainder of his 90-day sentence in jail.RELATED CONTENT: Buildings Gervonta Davis Purchased To Renovate For The Baltimore Community, Caught On Fire Hours Later