Though both fighters are essentially the same build, this championship bout will have a David vs. Goliath feel to it as WBA Lightweight World Champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) will defend his title against Frank “The Ghost” Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) on Saturday night, June 15th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 29-year-old WBA world champion, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, is a boxing star with the talent to match.
The challenger, Frank Martin, is 29 years old and undefeated, but his wins have come against mid-level opponents.
Davis is used to fighting under the bright lights, while Martin will be making his debut on the big stage. Frank Martin is a huge underdog, and most members of the boxing world expect Gervonta Davis to stop Martin in the later rounds.
On Saturday night, June 15th, Frank Martin will have the chance to become a world champion and make a name for himself in a show that will air live on Amazon Prime PPV. The odds are against him, but Martin believes the game plan he has in place will make his dream come true.
Frank Martin's signature win came when he defeated the previously unbeaten Michel Rivera by unanimous decision in December 2022. Seven months later, Martin had to bounce back and pull off an upset win over Artyom Harutyunyan in a bout where he described himself as being out of form.
Frank Martin is about to step into the ring for the biggest challenge of his professional career. On Saturday night, June 15th, Martin will face a multi-division world champion and a man of extraordinary ability.
When talking about the faces of boxing, the name Gervonta Davis always comes up. Davis was a skilled fighter with incredible punching power, landing crowd-pleasing knockouts in 27 of his 29 bouts.
Gervonta Davis and his next opponent, Frank Martin, come into the bout with a bit of a history behind them, with the topic of their infamous sparring sessions coming up multiple times during promotion for the bout.
As a guest on the show “The Pivot,” Martin spoke about the session.
“The first 30 seconds of the first round, he was on the ropes, his head bobbing up and down, he hit a bang left, he shook his legs. We had a real referee. Floyd, guys. He shook his legs. He said I didn't shake the room, but I shook the room, right?”
Martin had his best moments that day, but they were sparring, and technically sparring is practice. On June 15, Frank Martin won't be training at Mayweather's gym. He'll be under the bright lights, fighting for a world title and a chance to take his career to the next level.
Frank Martin is a highly athletic southpaw with a strong foundation, a strong jab, good footwork and excellent combination attacks from mid-range. Discipline will be an important factor for Frank Martin in addition to strategy and boxing skill.
Gervonta Davis is a world-class fighter with all the tools. He is a master of traps. Davis has the skill, the power and the ring IQ. Davis doesn't throw a lot of punches, but he does throw them with precision.
Tank Davis' fights usually follow the same script: use feints and see how his opponents react. Davis is a knockout artist, but he's also a natural counterpuncher who waits for his opponents to make a mistake.
The mistakes usually come midway through a bout, where Davis works his way through his opponents and ultimately wins by knockout or stoppage.
Frank Martin is a huge underdog, but to pull off the upset he will have to be perfect – he will have to have a sharp jab, time his combinations well and be responsible defensively. Martin will have to be smart, active, work harder than Davis and focus on winning one round at a time.
Martin will have to play the math game as he aims to box well and win seven of the 12 rounds. Tank Davis has traditionally been a slow starter and Frank Martin should be able to win the early rounds as Davis may be a bit rusty in the ring.
David hasn't fought since his win over Ryan Garcia 14 months ago, so ring rust may be a factor. A slow start combined with a hiatus could allow Martin to have some early success, but the middle part of the fight will be a danger zone for Frank Martin.
Broadcasting live on Amazon Prime PPV on Saturday night, June 15th, the show will see heavily underdog Frank “The Ghost” Martin take on hard-hitting phenom Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Will we see the usual late-game stoppage of Tank, or will Frank Martin rewrite the script and pull off a shocking upset victory?
