Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe predicts WBA “regular” lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis will score a knockout victory over Frank Martin this Saturday night.
Ellerbe is excited about the Davis-Martin fight, which will see the pair take on each other in the main event of the PBC on Prime Video PPV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, and feels it will be a fantastic match.
Ellerbe said Tank (29-0, 27 KOs) has picked Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) as his opponent and has a “hit list” of top fighters in the lightweight division. If Tank wins this bout, he could face a bigger name in his next bout.
Davis will “clean up the entire division”
“Tank picked him. He's one of the top fighters in the division and has been for quite some time,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said on Fight Hub TV when asked why Gervonta “Tank” Davis is fighting Frank Martin.
“He wants to prove what I already know, which is that he is the best fighter in this entire weight class and certainly one of the best fighters in the world,” Ellerbe said, explaining what Tank Davis wants to prove by fighting Martin.
Unfortunately, Tank has yet to prove he is the best fighter in the 135-pound division and a win over Frank Martin wouldn't make that view any stronger, so Ellerbe would be better off putting Tank in a position to fight the best fighters rather than promoting him as the number one fighter without putting him in a position to fight the best fighters.
Boxing fans are not stupid. They know Tank has faced B-rank fighters during his reign as the WBA's “legitimate” lightweight champion, and considering he's only fought once a year, they're hoping to test him before he ages out within the next three or four fights.
“If he annihilates this division, you'll come to the same conclusion as me, which is that Tank is the best fighter in the world. He has a hit list and he's going to beat everyone you say is top,” Ellerbe said.
Hopefully, Ellerbe's “hit list” will include Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko, William Cepeda, Dennis Belincik and Andy Cruz. Fans would be remiss to see Tank round out his resume with a PPV bout against Frank Martin or Rolly Romero.
Focus on Martin, not Stevenson
“Tank is totally focused on Frank Martin,” Ellerbe said when asked when Gervonta might fight Shakur Stevenson. When asked about Tank Davis potentially fighting Shakur later this year, Ellerbe replied, “I don't have any timetable set on that sort of thing.”
The way Herve dodged the question about Shakur Stevenson suggests he won't be playing in Tank's next match. When asked about Shakur, Herve looked like he had 2500 volts of electricity go through his legs. Herve's reaction shows that Shakur is in a class of his own to beat against Tank.
“Trust me, Shakur will get the job. He's asking for it. He'll get the job, but it's not going to be what he thinks it will be. But I can't wait for it to happen. No, Tank isn't going to keep boxing that long,” Ellerbe said when asked if Tank Davis will reach 50-0 one day.
Ellerbe should give a timeline for when Tank will face Shakur or any of the other top lightweights fans are excited to see. No one wants Tank to face Frank Martin, especially after his poor performance against Artyom Harutyunyan last year.
Fans would be much more willing to pay to see a Davis vs. Martin fight if they knew Tank Davis' next opponent was Shakur, Lomachenko or Cepeda.
“Nobody is top enough to do that. Tank has one goal in mind, which is to beat all the guys you call the best. Tank will take them out and then he'll be gone,” Ellerbe said, dismissing the possibility that Tank will stick around long enough to match Mayweather's 50-0 record.
Of course, the record is a bit dubious considering he achieved it by defeating former UFC fighter Conor McGregor.
Expected Results
“Frank Martin is a very good fighter. He's got good skill, he's very athletic, he's got solid speed and power, he's very skilled. He's one of the top fighters in this division, so I like this matchup.”
“He thinks he can beat Tank. But he can't. I'm rooting for my guy.” [Tank] “1,000 percent. Tank Davis will stop Frank Martin,” Ellerbe said.
Tank might knock out Martin, but it won't mean much because the guy is more of a runner-up contender than a top 5 guy, and he nearly lost to runner-up contender Harutyunian.
