Gervonta “Tank” Davis Scores Eighth-Round KO Over Martin to Retain Title

In a lightweight title bout that concluded earlier today, WBA (Regular) champion and three-division world titlist Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) lived up to expectations, stopping newcomer Francisco “The Ghost” Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) in the eighth round to successfully defend his WBA 135-pound crown for the fifth time.

The match took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, headlining a PBC event. Martin had a solid start, focusing on point-scoring with his agility and effective counterpunching, momentarily unsettling Davis. However, from the third round onwards, Davis increased his aggression, causing Martin to become more cautious and reducing his offensive output. As the rounds progressed, Davis gained control of the pace, landing more combinations and tilting the contest in his favor. Martin’s power proved insufficient, failing to make a significant impact on Davis, and his early points advantage dwindled.

In the eighth round, Davis cornered Martin and unleashed a barrage of punches. Martin, trying to evade, was caught by a devastating left hook from Davis amidst the chaos, resulting in a direct knockout.

With this victory, the 29-year-old Davis’ professional record improves to 30 wins with no losses, 28 of them coming by way of knockout. He is currently ranked number one by BoxRec in the 135-pound division. Davis is expected to face IBF lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) in a unification bout in November, although negotiations are still ongoing.