The languishing wait of 14 months finally ended for Gervonta Davis fans when the Baltimore native stepped inside the squared circle and took on Frank Martin. The doubts of ring rust were dashed soon, as he showcased his class and nasty power and ensured he left the MGM Grand Garden Arena with his WBA Lightweight strap. What’s more? ‘Tank’s vintage display earned him praise from the fans and pros.
Notably, Davis, 29, knocked out ‘The Ghost’ with a powerful left hook in the eighth round, just as he had predicted in the days leading up to the fight.
Gervonta Davis batters and knocks out Frank Martin
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Frank Martin entered the ring with a clear game plan. Employ jabs, keep the distance, and unleash punches with a high volume. He stuck to the plan, unloaded effective jabs, and used them to set up left hooks. On the other hand, Davis pushed forward, applied pressure, and gauged his opponent patiently. But he also found himself on the receiving end of Martin’s one-two combination.
Davis slowly started working body shots. But Martin did everything right in the initial rounds, including clinching not to allow Davis to close up and unleash his power punches. After three rounds, Davis started to open up intentionally giving his opponent openings to exploit and get closer and comfortable. However, Martin stuck to his game plan while remaining effective and efficient. That was until round 7.
The challenger stood stationary after body blows had done a number on him and was there to be hit after he had ditched the jabs. And Davis tore him apart. The moment came in the eighth round, when Davis had him in the corner, swarming with his punches, and he ended the fight with a left uppercut followed by a strong left hook.
Fans and pros go gaga over ‘Tank’s brutal KO
Rosie Perez focused on the sequence that knocked out Martin. Davis caught him lacking in the corner and an uppercut did the job. She wrote, “Tank got Martin stumbling with that shot! Walked right into it!”
Tank got Martin stumbling with that shot! Walked right into it! @premierboxing @PrimeVideo #DavisMartin #TankMartin
— Rosie Perez (@rosieperezbklyn) June 16, 2024
Andre Berto referred to the latter rounds of the fight when Davis was bullying and toying with Martin. He also advised the Baltimore native to be cautious of Martin’s sharpness and counter-punching.
It’s getting scary in there, tank is coming with bombs but he better be careful. Frank is looking sharp don’t be catch coming up with nothing crazy
— Andre Berto (@AndreBerto) June 16, 2024
Shawn Porter called the beatdown of Martin both mental and physical. After round three, Davis had analyzed Martin’s game plan and didn’t allow him to come back into the fight. He declared, “That was a mental and physical break down.”
That was a mental and physical break down
— ShowtimeShawn Porter (@ShowtimeShawnP) June 16, 2024
Regis Prograis expressed his shock at the manner of Davis’ knockout of Martin. The super lightweight boxer announced, “Dam Tank just flattened Martin.”
Dam Tank just flattened Martin
— Rougarou (@RPrograis) June 16, 2024
Jamel Herring was short of words about Davis’ stoppage. He failed to grasp the total dominance asserted by Davis and stated, “Well… that’s that. Damn…”
Well… that’s that. Damn… @premierboxing #DavisMartin
— Jamel Herring (@JamelHerring) June 16, 2024
Dillon Danis called Davis a “f*cking beast!” for his ability to control the fight and break down his opponent throughout the 12 rounds..
Tank Davis is a fucking beast!
— Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) June 16, 2024
Vergil Ortiz Jr. hilariously mentioned the iconic Ghostbusters theme that the arena played. Interestingly, that was a jibe at Martin’s nickname, ‘The Ghost’. He noted, “LMAOOO not the ghost busters theme.”
LMAOOO not the ghost busters theme 😂😂
— Vergil Ortiz Jr. (@VergilOrtiz) June 16, 2024
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Lastly, Claressa Shields hailed the event, which saw David Benavidez and Davis put on a show for the fans and emerge victorious. She penned, “Damn Detroit. Good display of skills tonight .”
Damn Detroit. Good display of skills tonight .
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) June 16, 2024
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What do you make of this splendid Gervonta Davis’ stunning KO victory over Frank Martin? Do you think Vasyl Lomachenko is next in line for him? Let us know in the comments below.