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Gervonta Davis wasn’t in his peak form in his first fight in 14 months, but he was still able to knock out Frank Martin in the eighth round to score his 30th straight professional victory.
Davis finished Martin with a left-handed KO with 1:29 remaining in Round 8 on Saturday, retaining his WBA lightweight championship in the process. He was ahead 67-66 on all three scorecards through seven rounds, with each of the judges handing the first three rounds to Martin as Davis worked his way back into form.
“Yeah, there’s a little rust, but it’s OK. I’m back,” Davis said after the fight. “A couple rounds, I feel as though I ain’t warm up completely how I wanted to. I did warm up, but I got cold as the fight was going on before me. But it’s OK. No excuses.”
Davis has won via knockout in 28 of his 30 pro bouts. The 29-year-old was stepping into the ring for the first time since knocking out Ryan Garcia in April 2023.
“The brick just finished it off. I’ve been training since I was 7 years old, competing since I was 8. You know what I mean?” Davis said. “So it’s like a second nature, you know what I mean? It’s just about staying focused and making sure my mind is on the goal, and that’s always to come out on top.”
Davis is No. 7 on ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings and could be looking for a larger prizefight next time out. A bout against Shakur Stevenson would pit two of the top pound-for-pound American fighters in the world against one another and potentially create a PPV firestorm.