Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin, David Benavidez vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk: Top storylines to watch in Las Vegas

Two of boxing’s biggest emerging stars will headline a PBC on Prime Video pay-per-view card this Saturday in Las Vegas, with Gervonta “Tank” Davis and David Benavidez returning in two high-profile fights.

Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) will have a 14-month layoff when he defends his WBA lightweight title in the main event against top contender Frank Martin (18-0, 12 KOs). The MGM Grand Garden Arena will also be home to a must-see fight in the 175-pound division as David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) moves up in weight to face former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs).

As we get closer to this weekend’s action, let’s take a closer look at the biggest takeaways.

1. It’s “Tank” against the world

Or, at least, that’s how it felt on social media in recent months. At 29, “Tank” remains one of the sport’s biggest stars despite returning to the ring for the first time since knocking out Ryan Garcia in their blockbuster showdown in April 2023. Davis served prison time to end the year civilian and, for a stretch, found himself out of the spotlight of day-to-day boxing. The time away seemed to create a considerable chip on his shoulder as fighters like Garcia returned to the spotlight thanks to a comeback from Davis’ fellow 140-pound titleholder and former undisputed lightweight king, Devin Haney. From the dismissive attitude he displayed toward Martin at his initial press conference in May to his multiple online spats with other elite fighters, including lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, Davis has demonstrated an unmistakable desire to remind the boxing public exactly who he is. Davis even traded barbs with former promoter Floyd Mayweather Jr., along with former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., who promotes Martin, as payback for Spence picking Davis’ opponent to win. Davis came out of training camp in the best shape of his career and brings an extra level of danger to the fight given the added layer of threatening focus he brought to the preparation. With the longest layoff of his professional career now behind him — along with an additional reason to mature into the next level of adulthood given his public mistakes — it may be time for the best version of Davis to arrive on Saturday.

2. That said, Frank Martin is no one to be trifled with

The idea that Davis returns against any form of soft-touch or busy opponent couldn’t be more wrong. Martin, 29, who mostly speaks inside the ring, may not be the most enthusiastic man in the sport. But the rugged southpaw from Indianapolis can box just as well as fight when the action heats up inside the ring. Martin’s stock took an unnecessary blow last July when he failed to pursue or submit Artem Harutyunyan, and was blamed almost exclusively for the fight’s lack of entertainment, despite the fact that Harutyunyan stayed away from the fight for most of the fight. . A quick look, however, at the two 2022 wins that got him to this point – a late stoppage of former title challenger Jackson Marinez and a one-sided schooling of undefeated Michel Rivera – and it’s easy to see how much of a threat Martin is. it could be. Being coached by elite coach Derrick James also allowed Martin to spend time in camp with players like Garcia and Spence to further sharpen his sword (although Spence and James had a recent falling out). Martin is quick, sharp and compact, with the power to hurt Davis and the combination of courage and confidence to risk his first defeat and have the best chance of a decisive victory.

3. No Canelo, no problem for David Benavidez’s best-laid plans

Although fans and critics can’t seem to (rightfully) get over undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez’s lack of interest in defending his titles against Benavidez, the former two-time 168-pound champion deserves credit for how little he allowed that to slow him down. . Even with Alvarez-Benavidez at the top of most people’s wish lists of the best fights for 2024, the 27-year-old “Mexican Monster” has already turned into an incredible opportunity in the new year. Benavidez will move up to 175 pounds when he faces Gvodzyk, the 37-year-old former titleholder who won a trio of comeback fights in 2023 after a retirement that lasted nearly four years. The fight presents the perfect technical challenge for Benavidez against an experienced opponent to really test the waters in his new division, which should make Benavidez’s ambitious weight cut much more manageable. More importantly, it’s what Benavidez is going for that makes the Gvodzyk fight even more important. Turki Alalshikh, the man responsible for Saudi Arabia’s extensive financial investment in the sport over the past year, has chosen Benavidez as one of his favorites and hopes to face him against the winner of the undisputed championship fight in October between the undefeated 175 title holders. pounds, and future Hall of Famers Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. While none of those names were able to net Benavidez the kind of overnight star potential that Alvarez could, he may already be on his way there without it (especially after getting his nickname from Mike Tyson). But it’s the fight against the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol that also gives Benavidez the chance for a real financial and critical breakthrough, given the outcry from Saudi Arabia and the fact that both light heavyweight kings currently join Benavidez on the list of the 10 best pound-for-pound. No fan would be wrong to lament a missed opportunity as big as Alvarez’s fight. However, the fact that Benavidez refuses to sit around and beg shows how much he believes in his talent and that, after some mistakes outside the ring early in his career, he is not willing to leave his future in the hands of anyone else. no one except your own.

4. It’s time to find out how good Gary Antuanne Russell really is

Russell, the undefeated southpaw who is the younger brother of former champion Gary Russell Jr., has knocked out all 17 of his professional opponents, including a recent trio of wins over household names like Viktor Postol, Rances Barthelemy and Kent Cruz. But Russell, 27, steps up to title level this weekend when he faces undefeated former champion Alberto Puello in a fight for the interim WBC championship in the 140-pound weight class. Unlike his older brother, this Russell doesn’t rely so much on speed and movement as he does on pure strength and technique. A win over Puello would boldly announce Russell among the top names in junior welterweight, which currently holds some of the most marketable fighters in the sport, including Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez Jr.

5. Can the PBC continue to be a truly powerful actor?

It’s an interesting question to ask, not only considering the arrival of Saudi Arabia, but also PBC’s own difficulties in transitioning from a lucrative deal with Showtime in recent years to more limited (and PPV-dominant) programming with Prime Video. Not only has PBC been quietly losing quality fighters to rival promoters since the start of 2024, it has also arrived late to the party to cash in on the windfall profits provided by Alalshikh. That will change, of course, when the PBC allows several top fighters to appear on the August 3 PPV card in Los Angeles, which will also be Alalshikh’s debut event outside of Saudi Arabian soil. But that PPV card will be produced by DAZN (not Prime Video) and promoted by PBC rival Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport. The PBC still retains several of the sport’s biggest names, including Davis, but may have trouble during the remainder of 2024 raising funds to promote its biggest stars in big fights without the financial intervention of others (namely Alalshikh). The remainder of 2024 should tell us a lot about the future of PBC.