Pound-for-pound star Gervonta “Tank” Davis continued his winning run by scoring an explosive eight-round knockout over Frank Martin to retain his WBA lightweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday. The official time was 1:29.
WATCH: Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin on Prime Video
Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) had Martin’s timing down by the eighth and had taken his legs away with a sustained body attack. Suddenly, a rapier left uppercut stunned the challenger and a follow-up left hand knocked him out cold. It was a devastating finish.
“I was a little rusty, but that’s OK, I’m back,” said Davis during his post-fight interview with Premier Boxing Champions. “His footwork wasn’t bothering me. I knew he was gonna tire, so I’d stand there and be a target for him and let him tire himself out. Once he tired, I started picking him apart.
“The uppercut was what it was and the big left hand just finished him off. God Damn!”
As is always the case, Tank came out of the blocks slowly and focused on retaining information. Martin is a beautiful boxer with sharp reflexes and a lot of speed, so he worked the jab consistently and released power shots whenever he had the chance.
Tank sprung to life in round three when he timed the left hand and scored with a sharp one-two. Both southpaws were having success, but for Davis to be scoring heavily this early was an ominous sign. Martin closed out this session well with a sharp combination but it wasn’t enough to win the round.
Even in rounds he was losing, Tank was making Martin work harder than he wanted to work. The champ was reddened heavily around his right eye – a product of the Martin jab – but the game plan was beginning to bear fruit.
Martin was having success, but he was being made to pay heavily for the privilege. The seventh was a big round for Tank due largely to a savage body attack. A big left landed on the solar plexus of Martin, who could no longer hide his distress.
Still, when the end came in the eighth, it was completely out of the blue. Just as he did against Ryan Garcia in April, Tank closed the show suddenly and spectacularly. He was brilliant.
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Tank continues to go from strength to strength. While Martin is far from being a household name, the Detroit-born contender is an unbeaten, crafty and quick-fisted southpaw with all the moves. As we’ve seen before with Davis, he bided his time, solved his opponent and took him out when the moment came. That’s his genius.
Martin loses for the first time in 19 fights and he can come again. There’s no shame in losing to a fighter of Tank’s calibre, and if he can learn from this experience then Martin will be an even better fighter going forward.
The Sporting News provided live coverage of the full card and round-by-round updates.
Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin live updates, highlights, and commentary
Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin: SN live scorecard
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Davis | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | - | |||||
| Martin | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | - |
AND STILL THE WBA LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, GERVONTA "TANK" DAVIS!!!! THE OFFICIAL TIME OF THE KO WAS 1:29.
Round 8: Combination scores from Martin at centre ring. BOOM!!!! TANK BREAKS THROUGH WITH AN ENORMOUS LEFT HAND and just like that THE FIGHT IS OVER! WHAT A FIGHTER TANK DAVIS IS!!!
SN Unofficial Scorecard: -
Round 7: Excellent jab work from Martin, but a big left to the body from Tank has an effect. Jab smacks Tank, whose face is now badly reddened. The challenger is backing up a lot now and isn't punching enough. Martin is standing still against the ropes. BIG LEFT nails Davis. One-two by Tank scores at the bell
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Davis (68-68)
Round 6: Jab still working well from Martin. Terrific counter left over the jab by Tank. Lead left hand by Martin in response. Davis opens up but takes a couple of jabs. Davis still applying a ton of pressure. Davis with a left and a right. The champ is closing the gap with some urgency now. Left hand from Martin lands. Tank releasing heavy blows but missing most of them.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Davis (58-57 Martin)
Round 5: Tank misses wildly with two shots. Great defense from Martin. Double jab scores for the challenger. Jab again from "The Ghost" who quickly disappears. Nice boxing from the challenger. Right hook from Tank scores hard. The champ opens up, but Martin returns fire with effective counters. Good round from the challenger.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Martin (49-47 Martin)
Round 4: Combination from Martin at centre ring and the fighters fall into a clinch. Body shot from Davis. Left counter from Martin. Some swelling under Tank's right eye. Lots of clinching in this round. Body work from Tank. Good left hand from the challenger scores and body shots come in from Tank. VERY close round. Will have to go even on it.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-10 (39-38 Martin)
Round 3: Four-punch combination from Martin and one shot gets in. Davis feints and Martin retreats in a hurry, which brings a smile to the champ's face. Left hand scores for Davis. And a nice one-two. The challenger is now retreating and that's bad news this early. Tank throws a left and falls off balance, but Martin misses the counters. Good combination from Martin at the end of the round but not enough to win it.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Davis (29-28 Martin)
Round 2: The right jab scoring consistently from Martin in this all-southpaw duel. Tank applying LOTS of pressure with his feet, but the challenger is changing direction well and turning Davis. Wild missed left from Tank. Good body shot by Tank, who is finding some rhythm. Let hand from Martin backs the champion up.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Martin (20-18 Martin)
Round 1: All Martin, who dominates the round behind the jab. Tank merely going through reconnaissance. Early days.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Martin
We now switch to round-by-round coverage for the main event between WBA lightweight champ Gervonta Davis and Frank Martin.
David Benavidez vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk: SN live scorecard
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total |
| Benavidez | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 117 |
| Gvozdyk | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 111 |
AND THE NEW INTERIM WBC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD IS "THE MEXICAN MONSTER" DAVID BENAVIDEZ. THE RESULT IS A UNANIMOUS DECISION WIN BY SCORES OF 119-109, 117-111 AND 116-112. BENAVIDEZ IMPROVES TO 29-0 (24 KOs).
Round 12: It's been a game effort from Gvozdyk, who has shown a remarkable engine for a 37-year-old man. The ex-champ is busy in this session and pokes out the left hand to keep Benavidez honest. Benavidez fires back with the jab and takes one back. And it's all over... we go to the scorecards.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Gvozdyk (117-111 Benavidez)
Round 11: Left hand continues to score for Benavidez. Gvozdyk getting by on ring generalship and being defensively adept, but he's way behind and needs something dramatic. A pair of right-hand counters score for Gvozdyk. Two big lefts land for Benavidez and the pace heats up, which forces Gvozdyk to retreat.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (108-101 Benavidez)
Round 10: Benavidez is back behind the jab and it lands solidly. The jab again. Gvozdyk lets go with a flurry, but all the punches are blocked. Benavidez is boxing more now but lands a withering left hook to the body. Benavidez is outboxing the boxer now and is turning in an impressive and layered performance.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (98-92 Benavidez)
Round 9: Benavidez blasts home the jab and targets the body again. Left hook scores for Benavidez. Big body shots land, but Gvozdyk suddenly counters well with a left hook and nails Benavidez with a one-two. The ex-champ looks tired.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (88-83 Benavidez)
Round 8: Gvozdyk working well and is busier in the eighth. Sharp body stab by Benavidez, who might be focusing on making his opponent work in this round. Counter left scores for Benavidez. Combination lands for Benavidez. Edge to Gvozdyk in this round but very close. Benavidez cut over the right eye and the referee insists the damage came from a punch.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Gvozdyk (78-74 Benavidez)
Round 7: Gvozdyk backs off and takes shots to the midsection again. Benavidez backs up to the ropes and allows his opponent to take the lead for a change. Gvozdyk doesn't break through with anything effective and absorbs return fire before the bell.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (69-64 Benavidez)
Round 6: Nice start to the round by Gvozdyk, who scores with the jab and releases some nice power shots. Jab hits him in the mouth. Punishing three-punch combination rocks and hurts Gvozdyk inside. Right hook from Benavidez... and a left. Excellent stuff from Benavidez, who looks every bit as comfortable at this weight as he did at 168.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (59-55 Benavidez)
Round 5: Nice defensive effort from Benavidez here. When Gvozdyk does punch, the former super middleweight champ catches the shots and returns fire. Two jabs ram into the face of Gvozdyk. BIG LEFT HOOK again and these are ominous signs for Gvozdyk. Multi-punch combo from Benavidez scores heavily. Nice right from Gvozdyk but it's a small solace. He's in trouble.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (49-46 Benavidez)
Round 4: The body attack continues from Benavidez and this is going to take a toll on the older man as the rounds go by. Gvozdyk is staying busy, but there's nothing in his punches and Benavidez is happy to walk him down and release shots. BIG LEFT HOOK scores from Benavidez and a pair of rights. BIG ROUND from "The Mexican Monster".
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (39-37 Benavidez)
Round 3: Right to the body by Benavidez. Sharp jab back from Gvozdyk. Pressure continues to crank up from Benavidez, who scores well to the body with the right. The older man is being made to work very hard here. Gvozdyk nailed by a right hand. Nice punch picking by Benavidez, who switches lefty and goes down to the body again.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (29-28 Benavidez)
Round 2: Power jab scores for Benavidez. Gvozdyk looks so much bigger than "The Mexican Monster" but he still backs off in a hurry. Another jab lands for Gvozdyk and a right behind it. Body shot from Benavidez. Gvozdyk returns fire impressively. Left hook to the body nails Gvozdyk and it's a beautiful shot. Benavidez has joined the fight in earnest.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Benavidez (19-19)
Round 1: Sharp shots from Gvozdyk on the outside. Benavidez is chasing his man down, making him work hard and targeting the body. Jab lands for Gvozdyk. Nice round for Gvozdyk, but it's very early.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Gvozdyk
We now switch to round-by-round coverage for the co-main event between "The Mexican Monster" David Benavidez and former WBC light heavyweight champ Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
SHOCKER!!! THE INTERIM WBC SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION IS ALBERTO PUELLO VIA AN UPSET 12-ROUND SPLIT DECISION. SCORES ARE A SHOCKING 118-109 FOR RUSSELL, OVERRULED BY TALLIES OF 115-112 AND 114-113 SCORES FOR PUELLO.
10:05 p.m. ET: GREAT ACTION round in the 12th that was interrupted by a low blow from Puello. Both men exchange vicious shots down the stretch in a bid to land something fight-ending. Once again we go to the scorecards.
9:57 p.m. ET: A big left hand lands for Puello in the eleventh. That was probably his best punch of the fight, but Russell keeps marching forward and applies plenty of pressure. Puello's success is sporadic, whereas Russell has been working harder. Russell goes into the 12th round of a fight for the first time in his career.
9:48 p.m. ET: Puello deducted a point in round nine for holding which seemed extremely harsh. There had been no hard warnings by the referee and a moment like that could damage the visitor badly in the scoring. Russell should still be ahead as we go into the final quarter of the fight.
9:38 p.m. ET: We're through six rounds and Russell has won the majority of them. Puello can sneak home the odd effective counterpunch, but he hasn't been consistent enough to make a serious impression on the more aggressive and quicker man.
9:27 p.m. ET: The action heats up in round three as Russell punishes Puello on the inside. The shots don't hurt the Dominican fighter, but he's falling behind in the scoring. Back in the dressing room, Tank is having his hands wrapped and looks calm and relaxed.
9:23 p.m. ET: Russell is on the front foot in this all-southpaw battle and has likely edged the first two rounds on the jab and some sharp body work. However, Puello is boxing well and his reach and safety-first style are presenting stylistic problems for the American.
9:12 p.m. ET: Our next fight sees the super-skilled and super-quick Gary Antuanne Russell go against Alberto Puello for the interim WBC super lightweight title. The fighters are being introduced and we can only hope for better action than we saw in Adames vs. Gausha.
AND STILL THE WBC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD... CARLOS ADAMES. OFFICIAL SCORES ARE 119-109, 118-110, 118-110. ADAMES IMPROVES TO 24-1 (18 KOs) WHILE GAUSHA FALLS TO 24-4-1 (12 KOs)
9:00 p.m. ET: A forgettable 12 rounds of championship boxing has come to an end and we go to the scorecards. Will Carlos Adames retain his WBC middleweight title, or will we have a new champion in Terrell Gausha?
8:55 p.m. ET: We're in the championship rounds of what has been a very disappointing fight. There's no telling which way the WBC middleweight title will go because this one has been very difficult to score. The good news is that David Benavidez is all wrapped and ready to rock in the co-main event against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, which will be coming up later.
8:41 p.m. ET: A very one-paced fight springs to life in Round 7 as Adames finally breaks through with a bursting assault to head and body. Gausha avoids the worst of it, but it's the biggest round of the fight for the champion.
8:29 p.m. ET: We're through four rounds and Adames, who is the first-ever middleweight champion from the Dominican Republic, appears to have a slight edge on points. Neither fighter has been hurt and the action remains cagey.
8:12 p.m. ET: Our first fight is about to get underway. The hard-hitting Carlos Adames defends his WBC middleweight title against Terrell Gausha. This is Adames' first title defense since being upgraded to full champion.
7:00 p.m. ET: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the WBA lightweight title fight between Gervonta "Tank" Davis and Frank Martin. We're in the countdown to the event commencing and will be with you in one hour.
Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin fight card, odds
- Gervonta Davis (c.) def. Frank Martin via KO 8 (1:29) for the WBA lightweight title
- David Benavidez def. Oleksandr Gvozdyk via UD 12 (119-109, 117-111, 116-112) for the interim WBC light heavyweight title
- Alberto Puello def. Gary Antuanne Russell via SD 12 (115-112, 114-113, 110-118) for the interim WBC super lightweight title
- Carlos Adames (c.) def. Terrell Gausha via UD 12 (119-109, 118-110, 118-110) for the WBC middleweight title