One of the most talented and polarizing stars in boxing is back in the ring on Saturday.
Following a near-14-month layoff, undefeated WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KO) will defend his title against the undefeated Frank Martin (19-0, 12 KO) in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions PPV card on Amazon Prime.
Here is how you can watch the card featuring David Benavidez taking on Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the co-main event.
- Date: Saturday, June 15
- Time: 8pm ET
- TV: Prime Video ($74.95) or PPV.com ($74.99)
- Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas
What Are the Key Storylines Leading Up to Davis vs. Martin?
The 135 to 147-pound weight region is one of the hottest in the sport.
Davis, Devin Haney, Vasyl Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson, Teofimo Lopez, Jaron Ennis, William Zepeda, Subriel Mattias, and a handful of others have boxing’s collective eye on them.
The battle between Davis and Martin pits two of the top fighters in the weight region against each other, with their respective undefeated records on the line. Both men are 29 and have a history in the ring as up-and-comers in the sport.
The two sparred in Floyd Mayweather’s gym, and it seems it was a spirited session. Davis admitted Martin landed a big left hand that he felt, but he insists the latter felt his power, too.
Here is an episode of Gloves Off on PBC’s YouTube channel that discusses both fighters’ journeys.
Davis hasn’t fought since he stopped Garcia in April 2022. Legal issues have kept him out of the ring, so that that ring rust will be a concern and topic of conversation.
Martin is not a soft touch for Davis in his comeback fight. Martin is promoted by Errol Spence’s Man Down group, but he hasn’t faced many known fighters, which is part of the reason he and Davis don’t have any common opponents.
In Martin’s last fight, he won a unanimous decision over Artem Harutyunyan in July 2023. Martin was a standout athlete in wrestling and football but has found himself in boxing on another level.
The fight with Davis will undoubtedly bring the largest payday of his professional career, which likely signals he made the right professional choice. Martin is trained by the acclaimed Derrick James, who trains Ryan Garcia and others. The fight with Davis also represents another opportunity for James’ training to take center stage.
Ultimately, it will come down to Martin’s performance. Davis-Martin is an intriguing fight because it’s a matchup between two elite athletes who are world-class fighters too. That dynamic always brings an opportunity for an explosive result.
The Co-Main Event: Benavidez vs. Gvozdyk
David Benavidez wants to fight Canelo Alvarez, but it doesn’t seem like the feeling is mutual. In the meantime, the hard puncher from Arizona is moving up to light heavyweight to face Gvozdyk for the WBC interim title and a championship distinction in a different weight class.
Benavidez is one of the most prolific knockout punchers in boxing. The undefeated 27-year-old is 28-0 with 24 KOs. He’s coming off an impressive victory over Demetrius Andrade in November 2023. Andrade couldn’t answer the bell to start the seventh round.
In addition to moving up a weight class, it’s possible Benavidez could be set to meet an even tougher opponent overall on Saturday.
Gvozdyk, 37, has just one pro loss, a 10th-round TKO defeat to Artur Beterbiev.
However, Gvozdyk was up on two of the three judges’ scorecards when he was stopped. In Gvozdyk’s last fight, he demonstrated his power with a second-round KO win over Isaac Rodrigues.
The bout was only scheduled for eight rounds, which could have been a strategic move by Gvozdyk’s camp to keep their fighter busy while waiting for an opportunity like the one he will have against Benavidez on Saturday.
Davis and Martin are rightfully receiving the most attention as the headliners, but fans shouldn’t sleep on the potential for Benavidez-Gvozdyk to produce something special.
