Gervonta “Tank” Davis may not only be the face of boxing, he might also be the world’s best fighter.
Davis delivered yet another viral moment, successfully defending his WBA Lightweight World Title by knocking out the previously unbeaten Frank “The Ghost” Martin with a vicious left hand at 1:29 of the eighth round in the PBC Pay-Per-View main event on Prime Video Saturday night, which marked the 100th championship fight night at the historic MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Fighting in his first world title bout, Martin delivered a high-level performance. Davis (30-0, 28 KOs), however, showed once again that he is indeed special.
“Thank you guys for coming out, great event. I appreciate everyone who made this possible. We did it once again. On to the next!” said Davis.
A packed house full of 13,249 were on-hand to witness a masterful performance from Davis. Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) used quick combinations and elite athleticism to bank the early rounds. Davis took his time, opening up in the third round and constantly pinning Martin against the ropes.
“Frank Martin was a great fighter. He put up a good four to five rounds,” said Davis. “I was finding my range. (Martin) had a decent jab and was moving a lot and I just had to break him down as the fight went on.”
The undefeated three-division world champion applied steady, intelligent pressure, slowly breaking Martin down and setting him up for the highlight-reel finish in the eighth. With Martin backed into a corner, Davis rocked him with a powerful left uppercut followed by a left cross that left Martin flat on his back. As Martin struggled to rise, referee Harvey Dock wisely waved the fight off.
“I knew he wasn’t getting back up because of the way he fell, and I knew he was gonna tire himself out, that was the whole gameplan,” said Davis.
“I’m holding my head high,” said Martin. “At the end of the day, I came out to be great, but I came up short. I got caught with a shot that I didn’t see, one of those shots that comes from underneath and it went from there. I guess I didn’t make the count, but I appreciate everybody that came out, everybody that’s been a part of this event.
“I’ll be back. Going to go watch the film, get better and grow. Y’all will see me again.”
Davis has similar plans. “Now we go back to the drawing board and I want to fight all of them.”
Esther Lin / Premier Boxing Champions