Gervonta Davis And David Benavidez Set To Fight On Same PPV Card In June
Pound-for-pound stars Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis and David Benavidez are expected to fight on the same card this summer in the third pay-per-view event on Prime Video.
WBA lightweight world champion Davis (29-0-0 27 KO) is set to fight second-ranked challenger Frank Martin on June 15 when he will headline a PPV show on Prime Video. While yet to be confirmed, the plan is for Benavidez (28-0, 24 KO) to make his light-heavyweight debut against former world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the co-main event.
“That’s the plan, to fight on the same card,” Jose Benavidez Sr., the father and trainer of David Benavidez, told Boxing Scene. “It will be a great card. It’s an honor for us to fight on the same card. Gervonta is happy, as well, with us fighting on the same night.
“I think that’s just going to bring more viewers. It’s an exciting night of fights, and we’re super excited. Everything is ready to go, and in a few days, they will announce the venue and location.”
Davis ‘Will Be Taking Care Of Business’
Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions which represents Davis, said his fighter is already hard at work preparing for his next fight. Tank has not fought since April last year when he outclassed Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas on his way to a seventh-round stoppage win.
“Tank is training and getting in shape,” Ellerbe told Boxing Scene. “He has a big fight ahead of him, and the focus is handling his business. Tank knows what he has to do, and he will be taking care of business – that’s why he’s that guy.”
Davis’ fight with Martin will headline the third show of Amazon’s foray into PPV boxing on its Prime Video platform – all part of its partnership with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).
The first show, on March 30 in Las Vegas, will be led by Tim Tzsyu’s unified super-welterweight world title clash with Sebastian Fundora. Tzsyu was expected to fight Keith Thurman at catchweight before the American withdrew because of injury.
That will be followed by Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s first fight of 2024 when he puts his super-middleweight titles on the line against unbeaten contender Jaime Munguia on May 4, also at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Benavidez Emultates Canelo With Step Up To 175lbs
While Prime Video’s introduction into live boxing is starting with PPV cards, Stephen Espinoza – the former Showtime Sports president now working as a consultant for the PBC – revealed that non-PPV events will also soon be made and will be available to Prime Video subscribers at no extra cost.
“At this point, we are expecting 12 to 14 shows this year. It will definitely be a mix of PPV and non-PPV cards,” Espinoza said. “We’re taking the new opportunity with Amazon to freshen up, innovate and bring something new to the sport.”
The return of Benavidez in June will mark his first fight since his sensational sixth-round stoppage win over Demetrius Andrade in November last year. That performance had put the Phoenix native in pole position to fight undisputed champion Canelo, who will instead face Munguia.
Benavidez, the WBC interim super-middleweight champion, will emulate the Mexican by making the step up to light-heavyweight, although will hope his experience at 175lbs is more successful. Canelo made the step up to face WBA world champion Dimitry Bivol in May 2022 but was outboxed by the Russian on his way to a unanimous points loss.
Gvozdyk is not the same caliber of fighter as Bivol but he is still a former world champion, having held the WBC light-heavyweight title, and has only lost once – to unified champion Artur Beterbiev.
