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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’s victory was Davis’ first fight since he stopped Ryan Garcia in seven rounds on April 22, 2023.

Davis has spoken openly about the cathartic experience he endured during a 44-day stay at a Baltimore detention center last summer for violating his house arrest stemming from a November 2020 traffic accident that injured four people.

“Yes, there is some rust, but everything is fine. I’m back,” Davis said. “After a few rounds I feel like I’m not warming up like I wanted to. I warmed up, but I was chilly because the fight was going on in front of me. But it’s ok. No excuses.

“(Incarceration) made me a better person with patience and stuff like that. There are things in life that you have to get through, not try to work around it. It made me a better person and a better father.”

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 kept moving 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 feeble spots.

With 1:32 left in the third quarter, Davis’ body shot dropped Martin to his right hand. Martin was the more busy 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 under 135 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.

Martin admittedly became too comfortable and was inclined to stay in the cannon’s mouth before the large cannon began to roar.

“At first I felt like I was in control, but then I got too comfortable,” Martin said. “I felt comfortable resting on the ropes, trying to find a bigger shot. It didn’t present itself. I stopped going through my motions. … He came in and made a large shot that I hadn’t seen. Really, I just didn’t see the shot.

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Floyd Schofield and Rene Tellez Giron headline the DAZN performance on November 2 in Las Vegas

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Lightweight rising Floyd Schofield. Photo promotions / Golden Boy

Floyd Schofield Jr. in his next fight he will add to his class as he tries to make it to the lightweight division.

The undefeated 22-year-old will face Rene Tellez Giron from Mexico at the DAZN gala on November 2. The location of the event was not disclosed, although The Ring learned that it will land at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Schofield (17-0, 12 knockouts) will fight for only the second time in 2024, although only at the mercy of others. “Kid Austin” was scheduled to face H20 Sylve at the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul Netflix gala scheduled for July 29 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. However, the performance was delayed until November 15 due to Tyson’s hospitalization earlier in the summer.

Sylve’s team handpicked their next opponent for the DAZN Pay-Per-View event in Tampa, Florida. This backfired, as Lucas Bahdi (17-0, 15 KO) emerged as the main contender for the 2024 knockout.

Since Sylve is promoted by Most Valuable Promotions, only his spot would be secured for the fresh date. With this, Schofield and Golden Boy Promotions continued their efforts to advance the career of the Austin, Texas lightweight fighter.

Giron (20-3, 13 KO) is a proven spoiler with a reliable chin.

The 25-year-old from Queretaro, Mexico has won three in a row since a heartbreaking majority defeat to Jose Matias Romero last June in Argentina. Current events included an eight-round unanimous decision over George Acosta at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. Giron also dealt the first defeat of his career to former standout amateur Karlos Balderas.

The victory over Balderas came six months after Giron submitted Michel Rivera to an eight-round decision in June 2019. Both boxers were undefeated at that time. He suffered another defeat in January 2022 against the then undefeated Giovani Cabrera.

Schofield last fought on March 16, losing by disqualification in the fifth round to Esteuri Suero at this stadium. This fight was supposed to be an advancement in the rivalry, but Suero refused to fight under the rules during their miniature romance.

The opportunity will mark Schofield’s third headliner since signing a co-promotional deal with Golden Boy in 2022. Last July, he was the leader of the gala in San Antonio, which was originally intended for the three-canceled fight for the WBA welterweight title between Eimantas Stanionis and Vergil Ortiz.

The Ring has learned that passive super middleweight contender Bektemir “Bek The Bully” Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KO) will appear on the program. Plans call for the 2016 Olympic silver medalist to land a WBA title eliminator, depending on which opponent he secures.

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Bruce Carrington congratulates the tough Sulaiman Segawa for taking him to recent heights

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Bruce Carrington picked up the biggest victory of his career on Friday night, but he remained focused on giving credit where he felt it was due – for believing and facing his toughest challenge yet.

Carrington (13-0, 8 KO) faced his toughest test yet in Sulaiman Segawa (17-5-1, 6 KO), the WBC’s No. 3 featherweight. “You’re a good fighter bro, yeah, definitely my best fighter I’ve had so far,” Carrington said after the fight. He also attributed his faith in the victory, adding: “I want to thank God for my victory, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

The fight was close from the start, with Segawa taking Carrington down early, landing more punches and briefly rocking his undefeated opponent with hooks in the second round. Carrington responded with a piercing counterattack, starting a back and forth fight.

As the rounds progressed, Carrington began to take control. He landed a solid right hand in the fourth round that energized the Modern York crowd, and then he adjusted his strategy, focusing on body shots to leisurely Segawa’s pace.

After a header in the seventh over, Carrington suffered a noticeable knock, but he kept pushing forward in the final overs, pushing for action while Segawa took clumsy, defensive shots. Ultimately, the judges scored the fight 95-95, 97-93 and 97-93 in favor of Carrington.

Contemplating victory, Carrington accepted Segawa’s challenge. “I owe him a lot,” Carrington said. “This will just take me to the next level.”

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Will Haney become an outcast after the Garcia trial?

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Image: Keyshawn Davis: "I Know I Would Stop Devin Haney"

Devin Haney risked his career and decided to sue Ryan Garcia over the events that occurred on April 20 earlier this year in Brooklyn, Modern York.

If Haney loses the lawsuit, it could damage his career by making him a pariah among top-flight players and treating him like a member of an untouchable class. A lawsuit is a huge risk and could end Haney’s career, leaving him in a much worse situation than he would have been.

Did Haney make a bad move?

Perhaps instead of filing a lawsuit, Haney should have started generating interest in a rematch with Ryan Garcia by conducting repeated interviews and posting on social media. By the time Ryan’s suspension ends in April 2025, fan interest will be high.

Haney would have a desire for revenge and wouldn’t be seen as frail like many fans now see him because of his lawsuit. Even if Haney lost the rematch, he would still make a lot of money.

There is a very real risk that Haney’s lawsuit could result in him losing out forever on the biggest payday of his career in a rematch with Ryan, which would be a huge missed opportunity.

If Haney wins the lawsuit and receives tens of millions, it may not matter. After giving his lawyer part of his estate, he will have enough money to live comfortably and not worry that his career will be ruined. Actually, it already happened, but a lawsuit would be the final straw.

The lawsuit could hurt his chances of fighting other big-name fighters unless His Excellency Turki Alalshikh takes him under his wing. Turki would have the money to lure fighters to fight Haney, but otherwise he might be an outcast. It’s unclear how Turki will view Haney after all this. Will he find him worthy of pumping money into his career like he did with the aging Terence Crawford, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, or will he ignore him?

Garcia (24-1, 20 KO) tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine and was 3.5 pounds overweight heading into his 140-pound title fight for Haney’s WBC welterweight belt.

“Devin’s father made great decisions for his son. I think it’s another great decision,” coach Greg Hackett said Fightin response to Devin Haney filing a lawsuit against Ryan Garcia, alleging fraud, battery and unjust enrichment in connection with the fight that took place on April 20.

Taking Ryan to court doesn’t seem like a well-thought-out idea, as it seems more like an action based on emotion rather than looking at the bigger picture. If you look at the lawsuit from a narrow perspective, it makes sense, but now when you consider how it ruins Haney’s chance at a rematch. If top players avoid Haney from now on, he has shot himself in the foot.

Is Ryan Garcia being milked?

“My opinion is a little different. I would like to hurt Ryan Garcia [in the ring]but in business and the world of finance they always utilize this expression: ‘You’ve got to hit it where it hurts,’ which is the bank,” Hackett continued.

“I saw Devin doing this because not only was it not what he did well, but we really want you to pay for it. We really want him to understand this [stuff] it wasn’t nippy and it doesn’t need to be repeated,” Hackett said.

If Haney feels his career is over, a lawsuit makes sense. However, if Haney sees this as a way milking Ryan Garcia like a cow extracting as much money from him as possible and then arranging a rematch would only disappoint him.

You never know. This may be something Devin wants to do to maintain attention. I wouldn’t do it, but I can’t be mad at him for doing it. In the world of entertainment, it is a completely different world from what we are used to in everyday life. Sometimes you have to deal with these things,” Hackett said.

“If something happened, we’re talking about the entire empire [Haney’s career]and construction took years. Boom! They wouldn’t let him make more money if something stupid happened to the kid because of him. So you have to sue him.

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