Los Angeles, CA – February 23: Boxer Gervonta Davis (Photo by: Kevork Djansezian/Getty) … [+]
Boxing’s lower divisions are full of attractive stars, and Gervonta Davis may be the best of the group.
Davis will return to the ring on June 15th to defend his WBA lightweight title against Frank Martin. The bout will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on the Premier Boxing Champions card, which will be streamed on Amazon Prime.
In the co-main event, David Benavidez will face Alexander Gvozdyk in his light heavyweight debut.
Davis, 29, last fought in April 2023, when he lost by seventh-round knockout to Ryan Garcia. Davis’ speed and power make him one of the best boxers in the world, and his record of 29 wins, 0 losses, and 27 KOs proves that he is one of the best boxers in the sport.
Like Davis, the 29-year-old Martin is 18-0 with 12 KOs. His last match was in July 2023, when he defeated Artem Harutyunyan. Martin was scheduled to fight Shakur Stevenson in late 2023, but his contract fell through and Shakur Stevenson will fight Edwin de los Santos in November.
Stevenson won that bout by unanimous decision.
Martin will face Davis, who is both a stronger puncher and a star with the biggest following. The fight with Davis presents a huge opportunity for Martin.
Davis’ absence from the ring has been marked by lingering legal troubles. Davis is charged with a hit-and-run accident and domestic violence. The latter charges were dropped in May 2023.
As Davis’ return approaches, questions about ring rust will become inevitable. The nearly 14-month layoff is the longest of Davis’ career. Martin isn’t known as the biggest puncher, but he is considered one of the top fighters in his division.
Martin isn’t Devin Haney or Stevenson or Teofimo Lopez, but he isn’t soft-touch either. It will be interesting to see how Davis performs against legitimate contenders after such a long layoff.
The timing of Davis’ announcement was also interesting.
The same night Garcia challenged Haney for the WBC super lightweight title, Davis and his PBC team announced news of his fight. One of Davis’ managers Leonard Ellerbecaptured footage on social media of what appeared to be a less-than-full venue for Haney vs. Garcia.
Davis is one of the game changers in boxing.
If he returns and is ready to be active for the remainder of 2024, Davis could headline another major event in the fourth quarter of this year. First, he must defeat Martin and shake off the rust.
Martin has a chance to jump into the same category as Davis and Haney. If he can win or push Davis, there will be another name in the conversation.
