Tonight, WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis will defend his title against rising star Frank Martin at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This may be Tank's toughest fight to date, as Frank Martin is a fast and mobile boxer who will likely try to dodge and counter Davis' attacks.
Frank Martin started boxing at age 15 and has been working his way up the ranks, waiting for his chance to step onto the world stage. Now that chance has come. Will he be able to capitalize? To do so, he'll need to play a near-perfect match.
He's going up against Tank Davis, one of the hardest punchers in boxing, who has only gone to the end twice in his 29 fights, and will have to box nearly flawlessly to survive a 36-minute bout with Tank.
When engaging Davis, Martin needs to stay out of range and not hang around in the pocket for too long. His greatest strength is his mobility, and he needs to use it as often as possible to stay on the move and survive.
At yesterday's weigh-in, Frank certainly looked a bit tired and weighed in at 134.4 pounds. He's outgrowing this weight class and may move up to 140 pounds in the near future.
Just as he looked strong, healthy and fast in his previous fights, he will be competitive in this one too if his body allows him to. Gervonta Davis made easy weight at 133.4 pounds and looks stronger than ever. His trainer, Calvin Ford, said in a press conference this week that Tank has the potential to bring out a new level and that we will see the best of Tank.
Gervonta Davis is back after a 14-month hiatus and is eager to get back in the ring. During that time, he has overcome some personal challenges, including a 45-day stay in a Maryland jail. Tank has the advantage in experience and boxing IQ. He will try to set a trap and lure Martin into attacking.
Throughout his press interviews this week, Tank gave the impression that he might be more aggressive than usual in this game.
Frank said at the weigh-in yesterday that if Tank takes that approach he's going to make him pay and knock him out. Davis is a much better boxer than most people think.
He calculates his punches and delivers them with precision. He may not throw many punches, but his timing and precision give him the edge in landing devastating punches on his opponents.
Gervonta has the second-highest power punch success rate in boxing at 47.7% (Compubox). Tank will take it slow in the first few rounds, observing his opponent and gauging his strengths and weaknesses.
He will do the same with Frank, crunching the numbers and trying to force Frank into a counter attack with a devastating punch.
