Frank Martin will be Gervonta “Tank” Davis’s opponent in Saturday’s Prime Video pay-per-view main event, marking Davis’s return to the ring since April 2023. Perhaps best known as “the face of boxing,” Davis will be defending his lightweight title against an opponent.
While establishing himself as one of the best power punchers in boxing, Davis rose through the ranks to become one of the sport’s most beloved fighters. People who focus only on Davis’s power punching fail to take into account his balanced and methodical game, which he uses to set up his opponents for the big shots that ultimately defeat them.
Davis recently knocked out fellow young sensation Ryan Garcia in a catchweight bout; the second knockdown was a body shot that kept Garcia down for the referee’s ten count.
Win or lose, Davis was a superstar before the Garcia fight; afterward, he skyrocketed. Davis had long fantasized about a showdown with the other rising stars in the lightweight division, but nothing had come of their meetings. He seized the chance when it presented itself.
There are aspects in which the Martin fight represents a lethargic regression. Even though Davis had hoped to fight heavy hitters like WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson or former undefeated champion Devin Haney, he ends up facing Martin, a talented fighter who doesn’t add much star power to the fight promotion (for more on why this fight was made, click here).
I’m going to divorce you. I’m going to divide all that up right in front of you. Why does it always work out the way I expect it to? “This is it,” Davis stated during this week’s last press conference. Even now, he hasn’t felt it. See him on Saturday. It will strike him. Very much so whenever I put my hand on him. What does he have to offer that I haven’t noticed before?”
When it comes to fighting, Martin has it all: speed, power, and tactical acumen. The door to a championship opportunity opens when fighters win, and he has done just that.
With an impressive 18-0 record, Martin rose through the ranks until December of 2022, when he had his best performance to date in a lopsided demolition of Michel Rivera. Even before they stepped into the ring, the odds were pretty even, but Martin made a strong case to win every round.
Regrettably, Martin regressed in his subsequent bout, eking out a razor-thin decision victory over the underappreciated Artem Harutyunyan. Because Martin was unusually quiet for a long time, Harutyunyan was able to keep up with the competition on the cards. Finally, Round 12’s knockdown helped Martin avoid the upset thanks to his strong performance in the final rounds.
If Martin wants to beat one of the sport’s most gifted men pound for pound, he needs to dress more like the guy who scored on Rivera than the one who fought Harutyunyan.
He gets to decide how this goes down. As I’ve been mentioning, Gervonta Davis will be knocked out if he acts out. Put simply, he will be knocked out if he acts out. Martin warned that if he acts irrationally, he would go to sleep.I’m going to press every button that Calvin has because he told me to. Show up ready for a fierce battle. Here we go.
The main card features a total of four title fights. Most people are watching this week for the 175-pound debut of former super middleweight champion David Benavidez versus former light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, but that’s just the main event. Canelo Alvarez, the undefeated super middleweight champion, has consistently put up a stiff resistance to Benavidez’s relentless pursuit of a fight with the Mexican superstar. In his pursuit of light heavyweight unification, he now has the opportunity to claim a portion of the belt.
Before we make a prediction and choose the main event, let’s examine the remaining undercard bouts.
Betting odds for the Davis vs. Martin bout
A fight for the WBA lightweight championship between Gervonta Davis (c) and Frank Martin (+475)
The vacant match between David Benavidez (-650) and Oleksandr Gvozdyk (+450) B.C.C. interim light heavyweight championship
Duel between vacant Gary Antuanne Russell and Alberto Puello, odds of 700 to 475. Junior welterweight championship awarded by the WBC
West British Boxing Council middleweight championship bout between Carlos Adames (c) and Terrell Gausha (+500).
Perusing data
The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will host the event on June 15.
Event begins at 8 p.m. ET.
Prime Video PPV setup | The cost is $74.95
Prediction
As a decent fighter, Martin is expected to defeat all but the elite tier of lightweights. However, he isn’t the level of name that fans want to see Davis face, especially considering the prices of modern pay-per-view. Davis, though, is among that very select group. When compared to Davis, Martin isn’t really that good at anything. Because of that, Martin is left to hope that Davis is unprepared due to his time away from the ring, which included a jail stint, and struggles to find his rhythm or momentum.
I think it’s more probable that this fight goes down to the wire. Davis often takes it easy at the beginning of a match so he can gauge his opponent’s speed, find his own timing, and search for openings. For opponents, like Garcia and Rolando Romero, it’s a “downloading the data” strategy similar to Vasiliy Lomachenko’s that Davis employs at the start of fights. After that, things go downhill quickly as Davis begins to land powerfully and frequently.
The match will likely start with Martin putting some points on the board before Davis cracks him with some good shots. From there, it will be a matter of survival. Davis will probably get the mid to late round stoppage once Martin is worn down a bit. The decision is Gervonta Davis by technical knockout.