Gervonta Davis is still undefeated, the WBA lightweight world champion and one of the sport’s best knockout artists.
“Tank” defeated unbeaten title challenger Frank “The Ghost” Martin with a brutal knockout in the eighth round to improve his record to 30-0 with 28 knockouts. It was Davis’ first fight in 14 months, but he fought like he had never been away from competition.
Davis set up the climactic blow with an uppercut, leaving Martin stunned and defenseless, then dropped him to the mat with a left hook.
Martin started the bout in control, but continued to do so after Davis made his entrance to the “Ghostbusters” theme song, named after Martin’s nickname. “The Ghost” consistently won the exchanges in the first three rounds, staying at arm’s length from his notoriously tough opponent.
The fight was fairly even between the fourth and fifth rounds, but the momentum shifted heavily in Davis’ favor in the seventh round. Martin may have been ahead on the scorecards, but Davis’ powerful punches were landing enough to ensure a brutal defeat.
“I knew he was going to get tired,” Davis said after the game, “and that’s what I did. I stood there and targeted him to tire himself out, and once he did, I started picking him apart.”
Martin explained that he lost momentum not because of fatigue, but because he was getting too sick, and he spent most of the later rounds on the back foot from Davis and in a bind.
“I felt like I was in control at first, and then I got a little too comfortable,” Martin said. “I was just relaxing on the ropes, trying to land bigger strikes. It wasn’t working, so I stopped moving. When I stopped moving, he was able to land more strikes.”
Gervonta Davis praises his growth in prison
The bout marked Davis’ first time in the ring since defeating rising star Ryan Garcia on April 22, 2023, in the biggest victory of his career. The bout cemented his status as one of boxing’s biggest stars, but Davis found himself in solitary confinement shortly thereafter. He was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest after pleading guilty to four misdemeanor counts stemming from a 2020 hit-and-run accident that injured four people, one of whom was a pregnant woman, but was taken into custody for violating the terms of his sentence.
Davis was surprisingly upbeat about his 44 days incarcerated, but that didn’t stop him from being the overwhelming favorite to win this bout.
“Perseverance and stuff like that has made me a better person,” Davis said. “Things happen in life that you have to overcome and not try to make do with. I’ve become a better person, a better father, better everything. I want to be a better athlete so I can have a career and continue to be a great player.”
After his win, Davis declined to specifically name any future opponents, but did acknowledge that the three fighters mentioned by the interviewer – Vasiliy Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson and Isaac Cruz – were “on my radar.”
Here’s how the match unfolded, with live updates and analysis from Yahoo Sports.
The live broadcast has ended72 updates
Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin results and highlights
Lightweight: Gervonta Davis defeats Frank Martin by KO (R8, 1:29):
Light heavyweight: David Benavidez defeats Oleksandr Gvozdyk by unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111, 118-109)
Super lightweight: Alberto Puelo defeats Gary “Antuan” Russell by split decision (109-118, 115-112, 114-113)
Middleweight: Carlos Adames defeats Terrell Gausha by unanimous decision (119-109, 118-110, 118-110)
