By Chris Robinson
On Saturday night, June 15, WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis scored another dramatic knockout, halting brave contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin in the eighth round.
The matchup was presented by Premier Boxing Champions and aired on Amazon Prime pay per view from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV.
Davis started the contest at a measured pace, with Martin outlanding him 30-17 while seeming to build an early lead.
Davis eventually picked things up, and would finish the fight in the eighth round, after a viscous left uppercut/left hand combination sent Martin to the canvas.
Davis landed 79 out of 178 (44.4%) punches, while Martin connected on 81 out of 270 (30%).
With the victory, Davis moves to 30-0 with 28 knockouts, while Martin falls to 18-1 with 12 knockouts.
Davis’ star continues to grow, as he is one of the only champions drawing large crowds and headlining regularly on pay per view. He has also handed five current or former champions their first defeats, all by stoppage.
There are many who would say that Canelo is still the face of boxing, or that Terence Crawford or Naoya Inoue have passed him to take that distinction. But Davis brings attention to the sport that very few do.
There are rumors of a fight with IBF lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko next, a fight that has interested fans for several years now.
If that comes off, Davis will have a chance to further elevate his career.
Chris Robinson can be reached at crobinson@hustleboss.com