The bright lights of Las Vegas were shining even brighter this past Saturday night as Gervonta “Tank” Davis defended his WBA lightweight title against Frank Martin in an explosive main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Davis scored a highlight reel knockout in the 8th round to improve his record to a perfect 30-0 with 28 wins coming by way of knockout.
The fight started relatively slowly as is typical for Davis, with Martin surprising many by taking the early rounds. The tall and rangy Martin used excellent movement and a stinging jab to keep Davis at bay in the opening moments. Davis is known as a remarkably patient fighter who picks his moments meticulously, so the slow start wasn’t too concerning for his camp.
By the midway point, Davis started to find his groove and looked increasingly comfortable cutting off the ring against the mobile Martin. In the 6th round, Davis began sitting down more on his punches and finally found a home for his patented left hand bomb. A few hurtful left hands found their mark and Martin’s output started to wane. As the fight entered the championship rounds, the pendulum had clearly swung in Davis’ favor. His pressure was relentless and Martin struggled to keep him off over the long stretches. In the 8th round, Davis finally found his moment.
After cutting off the ring, Davis landed a blistering uppercut that rattled Martin’s senses. The young challenger was clearly dazed and made the fatal mistake of dropping his hands. Davis, smelling blood, uncorked a rapier-like left hand that crashed into Martin’s skull, sending him crumpling unconscious to the canvas. Referee Benjy Estevez didn’t even need to count as Martin lay motionless.
It was a sensational, highlight reel knockout for Davis and the latest addition to his growing career reel of show-stopping finishes. Davis entered the fight having not fought in well over a year due to a lingering hand injury. Any concern over ring rust was quickly erased with his latest starmaking performance. After the fight, the always humble Davis was quick to downplay his latest virtuoso performance. “Most importantly, I want to just get back to the drawing board,” said Davis. “Get back in the gym and just stay focused. I felt I was a little russy, but all (those) guys are on my radar.”
Indeed, Davis has no shortage of potential big fights awaiting him. Former super featherweight kingpins Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko could loom for Davis in pursuit of lightweight unification. There’s also the potential of a rematch against 140-lb champion Issac Cruz after their thriller back in 2021.
Regardless of what comes next, Davis reaffirmed his status as one of the most dynamic and captivating young stars in boxing. At just 28 years old, his best days still seem to be ahead of him. If he can stay focused and continue developing, there’s no telling how high his ceiling could be.
In the night’s co-main event, David Benavidez also turned in a brilliant performance, dominating former light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk over 12 rounds to claim the interim WBC 175-lb title. Benavidez boxed masterfully from range, spearing Gvozdyk with ramrod jabs and ripping body shots all night long.
The bout marked Benavidez’s debut in the light heavyweight division after he repeatedly was denied a shot at undisputed 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez. Based on his performance, the move up in weight seems like it could unlock even more potential for the 26-year-old Benavidez.
With the interim title now in hand, Benavidez is the mandatory challenger for the eventual undisputed champion between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, who are scheduled to unify the full batch of titles this October. All in all, it was a quintessential big night of boxing at the iconic MGM Grand, the 100th time the venue has hosted a championship level card. Both Davis and Benavidez added new chapters to their growing legacies with masterclass performances on one of the sports’ grandest stages.
Boxing is a unrelentingly difficult sport, but on nights like these, the rewards shine through brighter than the Las Vegas strip. For Davis and Benavidez, their star turns will be etched into the history books of the world’s most glamorous boxing venue. With more big fights on the horizon, this could just be the start of even greater glory to come.
