Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin fight: Who is the man fighting ‘Tank’ and why is he getting the opportunity?

WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis returns to the ring this Saturday and already has a “hit list” from renowned fighters like Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney. Before those fights come to fruition, Davis will have to pass a tricky test in the form of Frank Martin.

If you’re outside the boxing bubble, you might be wondering who Martin is and why he’s facing the man who became, without a doubt, “the face of boxing” with the easy destruction of Ryan Garcia in April 2023.

Let’s start with why. In all honesty, Martin isn’t the best fight available for Davis and this isn’t the first time Davis’ level of opposition has been questioned. What won the fight for Davis was his promoter, as he, like Davis, is promoted by Premier Boxing Champions, a team that has always preferred to keep matchmaking as internal as possible.

Davis used his power as one of boxing’s few true stars to fight the fight with Garcia, which was a huge financial success and only gets better on Davis’ resume after Garcia’s impressive – and controversial – showing against Haney. But it wasn’t a surprise to see Davis turn things around instead of pursuing a fight with WBC champion Stevenson.

Despite not being the biggest name option, Martin is a legitimate top 10 – if not top five – lightweight contender and it’s hard to argue that he didn’t win the world title after an 18-0 start to his career.

Martin’s 2022 campaign was a true banner year, culminating in a stunningly lopsided victory over Michel Rivera in a fight that, on paper, was expected to be highly competitive. Instead, Martin dominated the fight from the start and had a case to win all 12 rounds, utilizing his guile, speed and technique to destroy Rivera.

The Rivera fight was supposed to be Martin’s biggest test, while also serving as a WBA eliminator and putting Martin in position to face then-champion Haney.

When his title opportunity did not materialize immediately, Martin fought unknown Artem Harutyunyan. Harutyunyan won bronze at the 2016 Olympics, but was untested at the professional level and entered the fight as a huge underdog against Martin, whose stock was high.

The fight did not go as expected, however, with Martin struggling to cut off the ring and often being knocked down by Harutyunyan’s head movement. Although Martin had a few rounds where he was explosive and accurate, it took a knockdown in round 12 for Martin to win by unanimous decision. Without the knockdown, Martin would still have gotten the win, even though he would have been tied on one of the three official scores.

Although Martin ultimately got the win, his struggles in the fight caused his stock to suffer a bit and he no longer looked like a surefire player at the top of the 135-pound division.

Martin will have the opportunity to rewrite that narrative again on Saturday, but he will face a huge challenge if he is to do so.

Davis vs. Martin is a showdown between southpaws who fight very similarly, but Davis probably has the edge in all the important areas.

Davis is known for his punching power, and for good reason, but he is more than a hitter who throws powerful punches with abandon. Instead, Davis is extremely patient and selective in choosing his punches and is a much more tactical boxer than he gives himself credit for.

Martin’s biggest problem against Harutyunyan came when he was not aggressive enough and allowed his opponent to take the lead. Against Davis, Martin has to figure out a way to not sit back and let the action come to him, while also not being so aggressive that he falls into a trap and receives clean power punches from Davis.

Ultimately, Martin is a good fighter who was offered the fight due to promotional ties and who is capable of beating most lightweights. But he will have to be a better fighter than ever to beat Davis and shake up the boxing world.