Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin: Tale of the Tape

Gervonta Davis will make his long-awaited return to the ring in June as he prepares to fight Frank Martin in Las Vegas.

Davis is widely regarded as one of boxing's biggest names, but he was last in action in April 2023, when he stopped Ryan Garcia in their super fight at the T-Mobile Arena.

'Tank' will once again be put through his paces against another unbeaten fight as he defends his WBA lightweight title.

Martin has yet to lose in his first 18 fights, but he has not boxed at the same level as Davis and their summer showdown will be a fascinating battle for a world title.

Fighter Bio	Gervonta Davis	Frank Martin
Odds:	-600	+400
Age:	29	29
Nickname:	Tank	The Ghost
Height:	5’5”	5’8”
Reach:	67.5in	68in
Weight:	Lightweight	Lightweight
Trainer:	Calvin Ford	Derrick James
Record:	29-0	18-0
Last Fight:	Win against Ryan Garcia (April 22nd, 2023)	Win against Artem Harutyunyan (July 15th, 2023)

Read Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin fight date, ring walk time, how to watch, undercard & odds on site.

Gervonta Davis Profile

It is fair to say Davis has learned his craft from a young age, with the American first lacing a pair of gloves at five years old. 

The 29-year-old was a decorated amateur, winning the 2012 National Gloves Championship, while he also won three straight National Silver Gloves Championships from 2006 to 2008.

Davis also won two Junior Olympics gold medals and finished his amateur career with a record of 221-5.

'Tank' made his professional debut aged 18 in February 2013 and beat Desi Williams inside the first round in Washington.

Davis wasted no time in racking up the wins, racing to eight victories by August 2014. Four months later, he was taken the distance for the first time by German Meraz, despite the fact that he knocked Meraz down twice.

Further wins over Israel Suarez, Alberto Mora, Recky Dulay, Cristobal Cruz, Luis Sanchez, Guillermo Avila and Mario Antonio Macias saw him move to 16-0.

Due to his rise through the rankings, Davis' first world title fight came within four years of him turning professional.

He faced off against the undefeated Jose Pedraza in January 2017 for the IBF super featherweight title, beating him in the seventh round after a devastating performance.

Promoter and mentor Floyd Mayweather Jr. declared after the bout that his fighter was the future of boxing. He added to those plaudits in May 2017, stopping Liam Walsh in three rounds at the Copper Box Arena in London.

Davis' first weight issues started as he defended his belt against Francisco Fonseca. He missed the weight ahead of their bout at the T-Mobile Arena, meaning only Fonseca could win the title should he win.

Thankfully for Davis, he stopped his rival in the eighth round, but he was stripped of his crown due to his error on the scales.

He won the WBA (Super) super featherweight title by beating Jesus Cuellar in April 2018, defending that belt twice before stepping up to lightweight in December 2019.

Davis won the WBA regular lightweight title after stopping Yuriorkis Gamboa. He then produced the performance of his career to beat Leo Santa Cruz as he unified the division in October 2020.

Despite Santa Cruz making a fast start, Davis rocked him with a counter uppercut, ending the fight in the sixth round.

Davis has since beaten Mario Barrios, Isaac Cruz, Rolando Romero, Hector Garcia, and Ryan Garcia, and he has 27 wins within the distance from his 29 victories.

Strengths	Weaknesses
Hand speed	Lacks height
Counter-punching	Lack of output
Toughness	Poor defensive movement

Frank Martin Profile

Like Davis, Martin enjoyed plenty of success as an amateur and he won the 141 lbs Golden Gloves Championship in 2016.

The Detroit native turned professional a year later, beating John Edwards Lockette in October. Unlike Davis, Martin was fighting on smaller shows, but he finally got the breakthrough in April 2021 after moving to 13-0.

He beat fellow unbeaten fighter Jerry Perez in the seventh round before battling past Ryan Kielczweski at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada in August 2021.

He has since beaten Romero Duno, Jackson Martinez, Michel Rivera, and Harutyunyan.

Martin's CV certainly lacks star-studded names, but he has raced to 18-0 as a professional and will look to make a name for himself in his first world title fight. 

Strengths	Weaknesses
Hand speed and combinations	Willing to trade and fight
Elusive defence	Poor offensive movement
Supreme fitness

Odds mentioned in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.