Gervonta Davis' fight-worn shorts auctioned for $21K

BALTIMORE -- A pair of custom boxing trunks worn by Baltimore-bred champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis was sold this week for $21,250 by auction house JOOPITER. 

The shorts by Human Made, a brand by iconic Japanese streetwear designer Nigo, were a creative collaboration between Nigo, Davis, artist Steven Victor and musician Pharrell Williams. They sold to an undisclosed buyer on Tuesday after 81 bids. 

Davis wore the purple and green satin shorts in his blockbuster lightweight bout against Ryan Garcia in April, where he won with a TKO in the seventh round. Davis improved to 29-0 with all but two of his wins coming by virtue of a knockout.  

"What do Human Made, the Shoe Surgeon and Ryan Garcia have in common? They all got rocked by Gervonta 'Tank' Davis on April 22, 2023," a description of the shorts said on the auction site. 

Williams launched JOOPITER late last year, before the multi-hyphenate was named creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear. The trunks were part of his 61-lot "Just Phriends" auction. 

Collaborator Sarah Andelman helped Williams to curate "a winding series of personal connections that have intersected with the life and times of Pharrell Williams," according to the event's catalog. 

"Many of these connections have changed the way we understand culture today," the catalog said. "This auction does not feature 'tokens' of these friendships. Rather, it presents cultural artifacts that sprouted from the context of these friendships."  

Profits from the auction benefit Black Ambition, a nonprofit founded by Williams that grants prizes to entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds, according to Vogue.   

The shorts were in the same lot as another high-profile sale you might have seen: a microscopic handbag by MSCHF sold for $63,750. That's not a typo. 

The bag, which measures at just micrometers, is made of photopolymer resin and was created with a 2-photon polymerization, a form of 3D printing, and appears to be a knockoff of luxury designer Louis Vuitton. 

It comes with a microscope that has a digital display so that its buyer can enjoy the bag's design.