Calvin Ford, the boxing trainer of WBA Lightweight Champion Gervonta Davis, was arrested ahead of 2024 New Year’s Eve.
In an interview, Ford’s business partner, Kenny Ellis, stated that the police arrested him in Baltimore on the charges of assault. However, he stated that Calvin was innocent of any wrongdoing.
So, is Ford still in jail? What’s up with the update?
Calvin, who has a history of criminal offenses (drug racketeering), spent 10 years in jail throughout the late 1980s & 1990s.
But after coming out of prison, he’s come clean about his past and pursues a career as a boxing coach at the Herring Run Recreational Center.
His life story & personality are an inspiration for the character Dennis “Cutty” Wise in the HBO series ‘The Wire.’
But mostly, Ford gets recognition for standing in the corner as the coach of American boxer Gervonta Davis.
He steered Davis away from bad influence & raised him to a boxing champ, with notable victories over opponents like Ryan Garcia, Isaac Cruz, and Mario Barrios.
Calvin Ford Arrested And Charged: Is He Still In Jail?
In late December 2023, Calvin faced an arrest in Baltimore on the charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
As reported, the warrant was issued in Las Vegas, but he was detained in his pupil Gervonta’s hometown.
They later transferred him to Las Vegas to face the alleged charges. If convicted, he could see two to twenty years in jail, up to a fine of $10,000.
No report on Ford’s bail or other legal procedures is out.
However, his friend & co-trainer of Davis, Kenny Ellis, claimed that “he’s been falsely accused” during an interview with Fannon International Boxing Channel on January 1, 2024.
In a 15-minute long video, Ellis denies Ford of any wrongdoing, claiming to have been with the entire time.
Moreover, he added that if the charges were true, why wasn’t he arrested too along with him? Later, he claimed that the truth will come out soon.
Calvin Ford’s arrest news came a few days after Gervonta, aka Tank, converted to Islam on December 24, 2023, & took the Muslim name “Abdul Wahid”.
On July 14, 2023, the Baltimore jail released pro boxer Gervonta Davis after he had served 44 days.
He pled guilty to charges of running a red light & crashing a car that sent four people to the hospital, including a pregnant woman.
Ford Spent 10 Years In Jail For Drugs
At the age of 21, in 1988, Calvin Ford received a sentence of ten years in prison for conviction of drug racketeering charges.
He served as the lieutenant for a drug distribution ring in Baltimore, overseeing operations led by Warren Boardley and Christopher Burrows.
While in prison, he met Reggie Gross, a former heavyweight boxer who fought Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno, jailed in 1989 for a life sentence for three murders.
On Gross’ suggestion, Ford sought to pursue his boxing passion as a professional career.
However, at the time of his release, he was 31, so he set his sights on becoming a boxing coach instead.
But it came up with many challenges as he worked as a dishwasher and later manager at seafood restaurant Phillips Foods.
Then, with the support of his friend, Ellis, he became a boxing coach at the Herring Run Recreational Center.
Calvin Ford Lost His Son In A Homicide
Ford lost his son, Quaadir Gurley, on July 21, 2013, at 24, after being fatally shot at Donnelly Homes housing complex in North Trenton.
He was a father of six children at the time of his demise.
Earlier, he lived in Baltimore before moving to New Jersey with his mother.
At that, Quaadir asked his dad [Calvin] to look after Gervonta Davis,
“I need you to stay with Shorty [Davis] because you’ll be a good role model for him.”
Calvin’s bonding with the future boxing champ probably strengthened as he had seen Gervonta since he was seven.
It was also a similar scenario for the boxer, who saw a fatherly figure in him.
Gervonta Davis lived with his grandmother as his mum battled drug addiction while his dad was in jail.
So, he would stay and train with Ford, who coached him and kept him away from bad influence. He said, “Calvin was always making sure that I was on the track and whoever went against me, Calvin was standing beside me.”
