Returning to the ring for the first time since April 2023, Gervonta “Tank” Davis made a spectacular return with an eighth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Frank Martin in Las Vegas.
Martin, who boasted an 18-0 record with 12 knockouts before Sunday's fight, was no match for Davis, who is now 30-0, in the bout defending his WBA lightweight title.
Davis was fresh off a seventh-round knockout win over Ryan Garcia, but Martin, who was challenging for his first world title, had established himself as one of the best young prospects in the lightweight division and was expected to be a formidable opponent for the champion.
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Davis started predictably slow and didn't have any notable offense in the first round, but Martin was the more aggressive of the two, moving well off his back foot and landing some nice left punches to the body.
The form continued in the second round, with Martin again being the more aggressive of the two fighters with his jab, landing 49 jabs to Davis' 16, but only 6 to the champion's 4.
Martin landed some powerful combinations late in the third round and had done all he needed to take the lead on the scorecards at that point, but Davis was expected to press in when the time was right.
Davis began to attack in earnest at the end of the fourth round, putting pressure on Martin and landing some uppercuts before the challenger quickly countered.
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While Martin was on the offensive against the champion, Davis showed no signs of being intimidated, taunting his rival with more attacks from the start of the fifth round.
Martin missed with a hard left punch and Davis backed him up against the ropes, but Davis landed a few punches and continued to back the challenger into his corner.
The threat of Davis' power and relentless pressure began to stifle Martin's aggression, especially in the seventh round, at which point the champion was landing more blows and hits.
Martin landed a counter left hook at the end of the round, again earning a warning for the champion and rattling Davis.
But it was only a matter of time before Davis exploded and took down Martin with a powerful left punch.
“That left hand was just deadly…Tank Davis' left hand is legendary,” Mauro Ranallo said on commentary.
