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Tank Davis defeats Frank Martin in his eighth fight to retain his WBA lightweight belt

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Gervonta Davis catches Frank Martin with a right during their WBA 135-pound title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

by Joseph Santoliquito |

Gervonta “Tank” Davis is a boxing savant. His mind is a computer that can smash his opponents, knowing that eventually the hammer will land once he has it figured out.

It fell to Frank “The Ghost” Martin in the eighth round before 13,249 on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Gervonta Davis ends Frank Martin’s night with a shocking left (photo: Esther Lin-Premier Boxing Champions)

Davis (30-0, 28 knockouts) successfully used his clay hands and natural boxing sense, despite 421 days between fights, to defend his WBA lightweight title, stopping Martin at 1:29 of the eighth. According to judges Tim Cheatham, Steve Weisfeld and Max De Lucy, Davis was leading 67-66 at the time.

Martin (18-1, 12 KO) and Davis started slowly, with Martin trying to establish the jab and Davis sitting on his back left foot. Martin landed a left to the body and even lifted Davis as the two locked up in the final 30 seconds of the round.

Martin started the second half quickly, firing several innocent body shots at Davis. Keeping his guard high, Davis continued to move forward, following and staying in front of Martin. With 1:11 left in the round, Davis hit a counter to the body, which apparently made Martin nervous. With 20 seconds left, Martin grabbed Davis again. After two, Martin seemed to have the advantage.

As he had done many times before, it also looked as if Davis, The Ring’s No. 2 lightweight behind Vasily Lomachenko, was taking mental notes. Gradually he chiseled away at Martin, looking for faint spots.

With 1:32 left in the third quarter, Davis’ body shot dropped Martin to his right hand. Martin was the more vigorous fighter and probably could have won this round as well.

Martin, the No. 5 ranked lightweight in The Ring, vowed to try to screw it up and make it an ugly fight. His main priority was to ruin Davis’ rhythm. With about 30 seconds left in the fourth round, Davis nailed Martin to the body, causing Martin to put his hands down again.

Can anyone 135 or younger beat Gervonta “Tank” Davis? (Photo: Esther Lin-Premier Boxing Champions)

By the fifth, Davis had found his striking range. His hit Martin with a right hook and Martin hit Davis with the opposite left, causing Davis’ right cheek to swell.

Martin found success in the middle of the ring. With 1:55 left in the sixth, Martin hit Davis in the face with his left hand. Martin also made Davis miss him – and miss him blatantly. Davis put more pressure on Martin in the sixth set, landing a left to the head.

After the sixth, Calvin Ford, Davis’ coach, told him, “We need all these innings.”

With 2:30 left in the seventh set, Davis hit Martin with a left to the body and tried to match Martin’s left with a counter left uppercut. Martin’s energy level gradually decreased. Urged to “keep moving” from his corner, Martin was flat-footed and vulnerable to impact, and Davis made sure of that, catching Martin in the face with a left.

By the end, the seventh round was Davis’ best round.

With 1:47 left in turn eight, Davis trapped Martin in the corner and hit him with overhand left hands. Davis stunned Martin with a left uppercut, then followed it up with a straight left shot to the head that knocked Martin out.

Referee Harvey Dock counted to 10 at 1:29 of the eighth.

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Boxing

The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena

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Rocha vs Curiel

In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).

The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”

Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00

“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”

Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.

“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.

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George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team

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George Kambosos beats Teofimo

Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.

Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.

The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.

Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.

The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.

“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.

“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.

“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”

Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.

“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].

Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.

“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.

Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.

“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.

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Boxing

Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul

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Mike Tyson comeback black

One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.

WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.

Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.

“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.

“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.

“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.

He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”

Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.

Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.

Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.

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