Gervonta Davis Blasts Out Frank Martin to Retain Lightweight Title

Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) blasted out yet another opponent in Frank Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) to remain lightweight champion on Saturday night.

The time of stoppage was 1:29 of round eight. With the win, Davis makes the first successful defence of his WBA lightweight title. He was promoted to full titlist after Devin Haney moved up to 140 lbs.

The fight headlined a Premier Boxing Champions event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Fight fans in the United States and the United Kingdom could catch the action live as a pay-per-view on Prime Video. PPV.com and TrillerTV also had the card in several locations.

Gervonta Davis Blasts Out Frank Martin to Retain Lightweight Title

Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin Recap

Martin was the busier of the two in the opening round, establishing his jab early on. He was content with being on the back foot, allowing Davis to chase him around the ring. This way, Martin was able to outland his opponent without getting hit by Davis’ powerful left hand. However, whenever “Tank” threw the left hand, he reminded viewers of the speed and power that it carries.

As the fight entered the middle rounds, Davis began landing with even more authority. Although Martin continued to box and move around the ring, he was starting to get hit with more and more clean, hard shots. It was only a matter of time before the knockout blow was landed.

In round eight, Davis continued to chase his opponent around the ring. Eventually, he trapped Martin in a corner of the ring where he landed a left uppercut that dazed “The Ghost” before landing a straight left. This sent Martin to the canvas, where he remained until referee Harvey Dock counted him out, giving Davis the knockout win.

Despite being outlanded in the early rounds, Davis was patient. He continued to follow Martin around the ring until an opening presented itself. In many ways, this was like previous “Tank” fights where Davis bides his time until he gets the finish. That approach was successful yet again as it allowed him to remain the WBA lightweight champion.

Post-Fight Quotes

Davis

“Just a little crusty, little rusty, but it’s ok, I’m back,” said Davis in the ring after the fight.

“No, no, his footwork wasn’t bothering me. I knew that he was going to tire out. That’s why I was just standing there, be a target for him just so that he could tire himself out. Once he tired himself out, I started picking him apart.”

“Most importantly, I just want to get back to the drawing board, get back in the gym. Just stay focused. I felt that I was a little rusty, but all those guys [Vasyl Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson and Isaac Cruz] are on my radar…”

Martin

“I felt like in the beginning I was in control, but then got a little too comfortable,” said Martin. “I got comfortable chilling on the ropes, trying to find that bigger shot, but when it wasn’t presenting itself, I stopped doing my movement. Once I stopped doing my movement, he was able to land more shots. Once I stopped doing my thing, He got all the more shots on me.”

Undercard Results

David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) won a unanimous decision against Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KOs) in a 12-round light heavyweight fight. Scores for the clash were 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112 for Benavidez.

Alberto Puello (23-0, 10 KOs) won a split decision against Gary Antuanne Russell (17-1, 17 KOs) in a 12-round super lightweight contest. While one judge bizarrely had it 118-109 for Russell, the other two saw it 115-112 and 114-113 for Puello. The Dominican lost a point in round nine for holding.

Be sure to check our recap of the remainder of the undercard, including Carlos Adames’ victory over Terrell Gausha to remain the WBC middleweight champion.