WBA Lightweight World Champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis may have turned heads when he ghosted fans and media at his own fight’s Grand Arrival festivities, but the next day at his final press conference, he arrived as animated as ever, promising to make it up for it on fight night, predicting an eighth-round knockout victory.
This past Saturday in front of over 13,000 fans at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Tank delivered on his promise with a jaw-dropping eighth-round knockout over “The Ghost” Frank Martin.
And while many equate Davis’ fight week antics as those of disruptive middle schoolers, the southpaws growth as a fighter since realizing his star potential with or without Floyd Mayweather’s endorsement is undeniable. The once-labeled “undisciplined” southpaw was perceived as a pure power puncher, as he broke sparring partner’s noses before demolishing opposition in the ring, but ballooned up in weight in-between camps, leading to losing his IBF junior lightweight title to the scale in 2017, amongst other out-the-ring controversies.
With his childhood coach still by his side and lessons learned (or so he says) from the consequences of his earlier missteps, Davis redirected his focus solely on the goal of becoming the new face of boxing. With the brutal disposal of most of his opponents besides Isaac Cruz, who was a late-replacement for Rolando Romero, and now his fourth consecutive undefeated fighter, he created a star power similar to the likes of Canelo Alvarez and joined the conversation for “Face of Boxing” contention.
Frank, who was only one round behind at the time of the stoppage, did the best he could do against Davis’ underrated punch selection mixed with lethal punching power. Capitalizing on constantly pinning Martin against the ropes, Davis delivered a left uppercut that stunned Martin, followed by a straight left that turned the lights out as his head bounced on the canvas.
While it's valid to say that Davis has yet to prove his status as the best in the division until he unifies, he is more than just a champion; he is an attraction. Witnessing Tank Davis adapt to his opponents in real-time and culminating in ecstatic knockouts is an experience.
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