Tank Davis KOs Frank Martin
Gervonta Davis stopped Frank Martin in the eighth to keep a hold of his WBA Lightweight Title.
Tank showed little signs of ring rust, as he having his first fight since April 2023 last year. Davis’ shots were much crisper, had more power, as Martin tried to stay as elusive as possible. Prior to the fight, Davis had used several tactics to get into Martin’s head. He gestured a punch at the face-off, forcing Martin to flinch. He also did a backflip after making weight, showing his extreme confidence and living up to his pre-fight talk.
Pre-Fight
“I got in his head a little bit. Yeah, he was a little intimidated, even his brother. The people that were with him looked intimidated. We got to see on June 15th if he’s really intimidated. I sparred him before at the Mayweather gym. Nothing really personal. It was just two young guys that was trying to make something out of nothing.
“They don’t know until they get in there and wind up doing it, and it happens. They get caught, and they’re like, ‘Damn, I made a mistake.’ They don’t know that I set a trap the whole time. He has the craft. It depends if I want him to be the boxer. That’s what makes me great. What makes me so great is I can make a fighter do what I want to do inside the ring. When he starts doing it, that’s when I can pick him apart,” Davis said
Martin Starts Well
It was a cautious opener, with both fighters feeling each other out. Martin connected with a right, but Davis countered with his won jab. Martin shaded the first, as he showed no signs of nerves. The challenger was throwing more, but Davis was closing the distance. Tank connected with a right to the body, slowly working his way into the fight. Davis was catching Martin each time the southpaw threw the jab, making Martin second-guess himself.
Davis Takes Over
Davis pushed Martin on the ropes with several left hands to the midsection. A lead right hook also landed flush on the chin. Davis was now walking down Martin, hitting him with power shots. Tank connected with an uppercut, with his best round of the fight in the fourth. Round five was the same. Martin was missing with his left hand, while Davis was hunting him down.
The body shots were more prominent, as Martin was being hit at will. Further left hands over the top were landing on Martin as Davis turned the screw. Martin’s guard was being exposed numerous times, as Davis took him out in round eight. Davis landed an uppercut, followed by a left hand to finish the fight.
Unification fights are now possible, with Bomb Arum hinting at Davis vs. Loma.
“Davis and Lomachenko is a bigger fight than Davis and Shakur. If Tank is available and Lomachenko having a good victory over Kambosos, that’s the fight that everyone wants to see. We’ve been talking to PBC all along. We’ll absolutely resume conversations next week after this fight, assuming Tank Davis is successful on Saturday. It won’t be the start of negotiations.
“Carl Moretti has been talking to Louis DeCubas for a couple of weeks now. Hopefully, we’ll put it together for sometime in November. Nobody is dragging anybody to the table. Both sides know it’s a big fight, which means they’re looking forward to earning a lot of money, and they’re both competitive guys. I’m optimistic that the negotiations will go well. You can never guarantee that, but PBC are professionals, and my guys are professionals, and they’ll work it out,” Arum said
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