GERVONTA ‘TANK’ DAVIS VS. FRANK MARTIN FIGHT RESULTS: DAVIS WINS SPECTACULARLY, STILL WBA LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMP
Pound-for-pound star Gervonta “Tank” Davis continued his winning run by scoring an explosive eight-round knockout over Frank Martin to retain his WBA lightweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday. The official time was 1:29.
WATCH: Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin on Prime Video
Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) had Martin’s timing down by the eighth and had taken his legs away with a sustained body attack. Suddenly, a rapier left uppercut stunned the challenger and a follow-up left hand knocked him out cold. It was a devastating finish.
“I was a little rusty, but that’s OK, I’m back,” said Davis during his post-fight interview with Premier Boxing Champions. “His footwork wasn’t bothering me. I knew he was gonna tire, so I’d stand there and be a target for him and let him tire himself out. Once he tired, I started picking him apart.
“The uppercut was what it was and the big left hand just finished him off. God Damn!”
As is always the case, Tank came out of the blocks slowly and focused on retaining information. Martin is a beautiful boxer with sharp reflexes and a lot of speed, so he worked the jab consistently and released power shots whenever he had the chance.
Tank sprung to life in round three when he timed the left hand and scored with a sharp one-two. Both southpaws were having success, but for Davis to be scoring heavily this early was an ominous sign. Martin closed out this session well with a sharp combination but it wasn’t enough to win the round.
Even in rounds he was losing, Tank was making Martin work harder than he wanted to work. The champ was reddened heavily around his right eye – a product of the Martin jab – but the game plan was beginning to bear fruit.
Martin was having success, but he was being made to pay heavily for the privilege. The seventh was a big round for Tank due largely to a savage body attack. A big left landed on the solar plexus of Martin, who could no longer hide his distress.
Still, when the end came in the eighth, it was completely out of the blue. Just as he did against Ryan Garcia in April, Tank closed the show suddenly and spectacularly. He was brilliant.
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Tank continues to go from strength to strength. While Martin is far from being a household name, the Detroit-born contender is an unbeaten, crafty and quick-fisted southpaw with all the moves. As we’ve seen before with Davis, he bided his time, solved his opponent and took him out when the moment came. That’s his genius.
Martin loses for the first time in 19 fights and he can come again. There’s no shame in losing to a fighter of Tank’s calibre, and if he can learn from this experience then Martin will be an even better fighter going forward.
Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin fight card, odds
- Gervonta Davis (c.) def. Frank Martin via KO 8 (1:29) for the WBA lightweight title
- David Benavidez def. Oleksandr Gvozdyk via UD 12 (119-109, 117-111, 116-112) for the interim WBC light heavyweight title
- Alberto Puello def. Gary Antuanne Russell via SD 12 (115-112, 114-113, 110-118) for the interim WBC super lightweight title
- Carlos Adames (c.) def. Terrell Gausha via UD 12 (119-109, 118-110, 118-110) for the WBC middleweight title