By Mekhi Abbott
AFRO Sports Intern
mabbott@afro.com
Gervonta “Tank” Davis will defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight world title against Frank Martin at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on June 15. Both fighters in the pay-per-view (PPV) bout are currently undefeated. The fight will be available via Amazon Prime.
The event kicks off at 8 p.m. EST, with ring walk-outs for both Davis and Martin expected to commence at 11 p.m. Davis will be co-headlining the event with David Benavídez, who will be fighting Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Davis is a five-time world champion and has been holding the WBA lightweight world title since 2023.
“Tank gave him the opportunity. So come Saturday night, I guarantee you is going to put on a great show and a great performance,” said former WBA welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. at the official final press conference for the fight. Spence is serving as Martin’s promoter. “He is going to show you why he is the greatest 135-pounder in the world and the new WBA champion of the world.”
Davis boasts a record of 29-0 with 27 of those victories being knockouts. Martin’s record is 18-0, with 67 percent of victories being knockouts. Davis’ last bout was against Ryan Garcia in April 2023. Davis defeated Garcia by knockout. After knocking him down in round two, Davis caught Garcia with a body shot in the seventh round forcing Garcia to his knees, and unable to recover in time. Prior to the Davis-Garcia bout, the Baltimore native broke a gate record at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., and defeated Hector Luis Garcia in nine rounds.
Davis trains at Uptown Boxing Center in Baltimore. He is coached by Calvin Ford, and Floyd “Money” Mayweather is typically a mainstay in Davis’s corner at big fights as a mentor. Davis used to be represented by Mayweather Promotions but left in 2022. TGB Promotions serves as the promotion team for Davis, and Spence’s promotion company, Man Down Promotions, is representing Martin.
“I just want to come out and give a great performance,” said Davis during the press conference. “That’s my gift back to the fans and everybody that played a part in this event.”
The event will mark a historic 100th championship fight night at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The venue was also home to classic fights such as Mayweather vs. Pacquiao and Holyfield vs. Tyson II.
The telecast of the fight will be available on traditional cable television and satellite outlets. The fight is also available on PPV.com. Tickets for the bout are available on www.axs.com, ranging from $305 to over $1,200.