Gervonta Davis will defend his WBA ‘regular’ lightweight title next against #2 Frank Martin in “spring or early summer” in a PBC event on Amazon Prime PPV.
Martin: A Legitimate Test
Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) is an upgrade for Tank Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) from the opposition he’s been fighting during the last three years, and he could give him problems if the former Mayweather Promotions fighter isn’t in top form.
It’ll be interesting to see the PPV price for Tank Davis vs. Frank Martin. If PBC prices it too high, fans will turn their noses up and ignore the fight.
Tank has been taking it easy through most of his career, fighting lesser opposition but still making money without fans getting tired of his act.
Mike Coppinger of ESPN reports that Tank and Martin are confirmed for this clash on PPV next in spring or summer.
Following Mayweather’s Blueprint?
Tank must keep busy because his popularity will drop if he stays inactive. It’s bad enough that he’s not facing the best at 135, like Shakur Stevenson, Vasily Lomachenko, Raymond Murtalla, and Andy Cruz. He appears to be taking the Floyd Mayweather Jr. approach of letting the best fights marinate for years and years.
Tank is a 10-year pro; sooner or later, he will start fighting the best in this division. While Frank Martin is a good fighter, he’s not on the level of Shakur, Lomachenko, Murrtalla, Cruz, and Abdullah Mason.
Gervonta turned down a reported $25 million from Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn to face Conor Benn. The question is, will Gervonta get the $25M to fight Frank Martin? That’s the kind of money that Tank received for his fight with Ryan Garcia, and Martin isn’t a big name with casuals.
So, Tank may have shot himself in the foot by rejecting the Benn fight in favor of a smaller payday against Martin.
Martin’s Power vs. Exposed Weaknesses
Martin has power, but he struggled in his last fight against Artem Harutyunyan last July and would have lost that fight if not for a late rally.
The fight showed that Martin has a lot of holes in his game and can be outboxed. Martin looked average until Harutyunyan gassed out, and he’s just lucky that the guy faded. Martin was exposed in that fight and was fortunate to win.
