After the longest layoff of his professional career, Gervonta “Tank” Davis reminded the boxing world of the undefeated southpaw’s one-punch power during an eighth-round knockout of Frank Martin Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Davis (30-0, 28 knockouts) retained his WBA lightweight title with a left uppercut followed by a straight left that sent Martin into the ropes and onto the canvas for good. The Baltimore native won his fourth consecutive fight via knockout after practically conceding five of the first six rounds in order to gather data on his opponent before ending another bout in resounding fashion.
“A couple rounds, I didn’t feel like I warmed up completely like I wanted to, but I did warm up as the fight was going on,” said Davis, fighting for the first time in 421 days, during a post-fight interview in the ring. “I knew that he was going to tire down, so I was just standing there, being a target for him so he could tire himself out. And once he tired himself out, I started picking him apart.”
Entering the seventh round, Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) held a 37-31 edge in power punches, according to CompuBox statistics. But Davis turned that margin around drastically by landing 19 power punches to 11 for Martin.
That round was a prelude to the vicious finale for Davis, who stalked Martin into the corner and began unloading at will. A clean left stunned Martin, and Davis unleashed another that left no doubt and drew cheers from the announced crowd of 13,249.
Davis had not fought since a seventh-round knockout of Ryan Garcia in April 2023, also in Las Vegas. Part of his time away from the ring included 44 days in a detention center last summer for violating terms of his house arrest stemming from an automobile accident that injured four people, including one victim who was pregnant.
“I’ve been around for a long time,” said Davis, whose right cheek was swollen and red from absorbing blows in the early rounds. “I’ve been training since I was 7 years old and competing since I was 8. It’s like second nature. It’s about staying focused, making sure my mind is on a goal, and that’s always to come out on top.”
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