WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and Frank Martin have reportedly agreed to a deal to fight on PPV in a PBC clash for Sring or early summer.
Mike Coppinger says Tank (29-0, 27 KOs) and #2 WBA Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) have agreed to a deal to meet next, ending speculation about who the Baltimore native would be fighting next.
A Step Up, But Not a Mega-Fight
It’s a good fight, but not one that has 1 million PPV buys on it, like Gervonta’s last fight against Ryan Garcia. For Tank to bring in the buys, he needs fighters like Ryan, Devin Haney, and Shakur Stevenson.
There’s no word what the guaranteed purse will be for Tank Davis, but it would be disappointing if he fails to receive the $25 million that promoter Eddie Hearn said that Gervonta could potentially have made for a fight against welterweight contender Conor Benn.
Tank inexplicably turned that fight down for a fight against the 29-year-old Frank Martin, who had a lot of trouble in his last fight against Artem Harutyunyan last July. Martin had to rally to pull out a 12-round unanimous decision after being outboxed by the better-skilled Harutyunyan in the first six rounds of the contest.
Davis has been dealing with legal problems that have kept him out of the ring since his seventh-round knockout win over Ryan Garcia last April.
Tank made a lot of money in that fight, and some believe that the gigantic payday spoiled him, factoring in his refusal of the $25 million deal that promoter Eddie Hearn offered him for a clash against Benn.
PBC’s Gamble on PPV
It’ll be interesting to see if PBC turns a profit from a Tank Davis vs. Frank Martin on Amazon PPV, considering that it’s not a clash that guarantees massive PPV success.
Martin’s best career wins:
Artem Harutyunyan
Michel Rivera
Jackson Marinez
Romero Duno
The 29-year-old Martin is a good fighter, but not on the level of Andy Cruz, Vasily Lomachenko, Floyd Schofield, William Zepeda, Raymond Muratalla, Shakur Stevenson, Edwin De Los Santos, Abdullah Mason or Emanuel Navarrete. If Tank Davis loses to Martin, it would be a major career blow for him.
Gervonta Davis and Frank Martin have agreed to a deal for a PBC PPV fight in late spring/early summer for Tank’s WBA lightweight title, sources tell ESPN. Davis’ legal trouble sidelined him the second half of last year, but now he’s back vs. a legitimate top 10 lightweight. pic.twitter.com/unY9N17Wqc
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 22, 2024