9.11 p.m. PT / 5.11 a.m UK
TANK’S EXORCISES THE GHOST WITH EIGHTH-ROUND KNOCKOUT
Whenever Gervonta Davis wins by knockout the reaction you get from the crowd is always one of the most deafening in all boxing. The violence is shocking, yet awesome. Tank finished Martin in the corner with a one-shot, left hook knockout after a brief pause from an unrelenting battering. Martin landed on his back with his eyes open, but vacant. He could barely move. That moment — when Tank seals the haunting finish and you wonder whether his opponent is even okay — is one of the most electrifying you can get in ALL SPORTS.
9.08 p.m. PT / 5.08 a.m. UK
WILL MARTIN RESPOND?
Davis gave Martin hell in the seventh and the question now will be whether he can respond, or whether he will wilt.
9.05 p.m. PT / 5.05 a.m. UK
TANK HAMMERS MARTIN!
Round seven was by far Gervonta Davis’ best round, and Frank Martin’s worst. Tank threw with bad intentions early in the round and seemed to only increase the power behind each punch as the frame progressed. A two-shot combo to the body before a solid, chin-cracking right.
8.55 p.m. PT / 4.55 a.m. UK
EDGE-OF-THE-SEAT CHESS
Despite Frank Martin’s elusive abilities, Tank’s accuracy to throw fast with power still saw him sneak his fists around The Ghost’s guard. Unperturbed, Martin closed the gap to land two-shot combos of his own, as an edge-of-the-seat chess match took place. The looming threat of a knockout blow never too seeming out of reach. Martin would have to continue to box smart, to ensure he doesn’t end up like other Davis opponents.
8.49 p.m. PT / 4.49 a.m. UK
MARTIN’S START ONE OF THE BEST TANK HAS SEEN
The way Martin started the fight was so strong it’s likely the best Davis has had to fend against since turning pro. He does, typically, start slow but end things violently. But Martin is landing heavy shots, boxing and moving, and proving, so far, to be athletic and slippery enough to stay clear of the type of Tank cannon shot that can end things in an instant.
8.44 p.m. PT / 4.44 a.m. UK
FRANK MARTIN LANDS PUNCH OF THE ROUND
Though it is Gervonta Davis who commands a lot of praise for his power, as he’s literally left an opponent — Rolando Romero — hanging off the ropes, unconscious, because of one of his hammer blow counter shots, it was Frank Martin who landed the opening round’s best shot.
8.36 p.m. PT / 4.31 a.m. UK
TANK WINS RING WALK ROUND 10-8
As far as entrances go, there are few that have as good vibes as the consistently big US crowds that gather for Gervonta Davis. No matter where he goes, he packs arena in cities from Baltimore to Los Angeles, and Atlanta to Las Vegas. The start of his entrance for Frank ‘The Ghost’ Martin, Davis waits while Ghostbusters plays.
8.25 p.m. PT / 4.25 a.m. UK
MAIN EVENT TIME
The kind of energy-boost that a headliner like Gervonta Davis could provide a show can be really powerful. He’s one of the most intimidating and explosive fighters in all combat sports, and he has crowds throughout the US — from Baltimore to Los Angeles, and Atlanta to Las Vegas — out of their chairs before he’s even made his ring-walk. ‘Tank’ Davis fights Frank Martin tonight in a bout that Martin said would determine the lightweight division’s true alpha.
8.13 p.m. PT / 4.09 a.m. UK
UNANIMOUS DECISION
With wide scores of 119-109, 117-111, and 116-112 in reverse order, Benavidez took home a comfortable unanimous decision win — but will likely have questions to answer. Like how he can increase the pace later in a fight at light heavyweight like he seemingly always could at super middleweight.
“I think it’s a 7 out of 10,” Benavidez told Jim Gray at the end of the fight. “Oleksandr is a great fighter, an Olympic medalist. I feel like I had a great fight, but … we’ll move on.”
8.04 p.m. PT / 4.04 a.m. UK
BENAVIDEZ BOXES THROUGH MOMENTUM SHIFT
Unlike previous fights in which Benavidez would get stronger as the fight progressed, Gvodzyk showed he is one of the few people to try and score a momentum shift. Benavidez boxed through it. But his traditional ability to increase the pace in the second half of the fight seemingly faded at 175.
7.53 p.m. PT / 3.53 a.m. UK
A SPECIAL KIND OF SAVAGE
For a special kind of savage there can be no sweeter shot than a heavy one to the body, especially if it results in a knockout. It’s one of the things that makes Benavidez so TV-friendly as he rams that thing right into the ribs, looking to score damage.
7.49 p.m. PT / 3.49 a.m. UK
OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK’S SUCCESS
Oleksandr Gvozdyk has a better round in the sixth, pulling the trigger and throwing more shots, in an apparent attempt to pause some of Benavidez’s onslaught. It didn’t stop Benavidez from trying though, and leaning down to one side to lean into an uppercut that clattered Gvozdyk on the side of the jaw.
7.46 p.m. PT / 3.46 a.m. UK
THE CROWD EATS UP BENAVIDEZ’S BAD INTENTIONS
A left hooker-cut from David Benavidez landed so solidly it raised an “oh!” from the crowd. When he wants to, and it tends to be often, Benavidez just throws with the worst of intentions.
7.42 p.m. PT / 3.42 a.m. UK
BENAVIDEZ’S LEAD IS COMFORTABLE
Gvodyk starts the fourth landing solid shots. A one-two from Benavidez, to both the body and head, has been a staple move through the fight so far, and this round is no different. More confident in his skills and power at the weight, and perhaps also his general lack of respect for what Gvodyk was doing, Benavidez started throwing combinations with far more shots than the one-two. He missed with the one, but then would land two uppercuts and a right hand, before taking a breather.
7.37 p.m. PT / 3.35 a.m. UK
BENAVIDEZ’S BODYSHOTS LOOK PAINFUL
Benavidez pops a jab in Gvozdyk’s face. Rarely takes a step back, and forces Gvozdyk to take backward step after backward step, with his arms up trying to block the unrelenting attack. Benavidez doesn’t fade and is known to increase his output with each and every round and so if Gvodzyk is struggling here then it may not be long before things get worse. Benavidez chips away at the head. Benavidez boxes like he doesn’t respect Gvozdyk. Whenever he finds a home for it, he whips a right hook above Gvodyk’s hip.
7.32 p.m. PT / 3.32 a.m. UK
PRESSURE BUILDS IN ROUND TWO
Benavidez tucked two shots to Gvozdyk’s midsection as he continued his assault of the body. He’d hammer hooks and land rights. Gvozdyk’s defense was porous, and you’d figure he’d need to build a defense around that in case it ruined his endurance. Benavidez’s hand speed still there despite the additional seven pounds.
7.28 p.m. PT / 3.28 a.m. UK
BENAVIDEZ TARGETS GVOZDYK’S BODY IN THE FIRST
Though he’s spent so much of his career at super middleweight, David Benavidez looked a natural at light heavyweight, and was taller and longer than Oleksandr Gvozdyk. He turned his shoulder to block shots when Gvozdyk was attacking, and commanded the real estate in the middle of the ring for most of the round. Gvozdyk doubled the jab and was accurate with a straight when taking a step back. Benavidez liked targeting the body of the older fighter over and over again. The first round is in the books.
7.18 p.m. PT / 3.18 a.m. UK
THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS ARE IN THE RING
David Benavidez, who makes his debut at 175 pounds, and Oleksandr Gvozdyk, make their ring walks and are minutes away from fighting.
7.11 p.m. PT / 3.11 a.m. UK
A MONSTER RETURNS
A candidate for Fighter of the Year in 2023 for wins over Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade, David Benavidez fights Oleksandr Gvozdyk in the next fight; the co-main tonight. Benavidez has a lot of momentum behind him with a set of big wins, and options. No longer is he reliant on a super fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight championship, as Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh has, Benavidez told me, had talks with him regarding a fight against the eventual undisputed light heavyweight world champion regardless of whether that’s Dmitri Bivol or Artur Beterbiev when they fight in October. Gvozdyk, though, has the hopes of a nation on his shoulders as the Ukrainian aims to follow in the footsteps of Vasiliy Lomachenko, Oleksandr Usyk, Denys Berinchyk, and Serhii Bohachuk who have all scored big wins in 2024. Gvozdyk, the next best Ukraine boxer, wants to keep that run going. Benavidez, though, said he’s confident he’s the one who puts a stop to that country’s hot streak.
7.06 p.m. PT / 3.06 a.m. UK
7.01 p.m. PT / 3.01 a.m. UK
A left hand to the cup at the end of the 12th put Gary Antuanne Russell on the floor on one knee from the low blow. Puello then finished strong with a succession of solid left hooks when the American got back to his feet. A solid end finish.
6.42 p.m. PT / 2.42 a.m. UK
POINT DEDUCTION FOR PUELLO
The referee took a point away from Alberto Puello, seemingly for holding, though appeared to be without warning. The point comes at a pivotal time in the fight as it returns some momentum back to Gary Antuanne Russell.
6.35 p.m. PT / 2.35 a.m. UK
BLOGGED TOO SOON
Looks like my trigger fingers got the better of me with the last note, as Alberto Puello, though likely still trailing, has brought some rounds back to make the fight more competitive through his counters.
6.20 p.m. PT / 2.20 a.m. UK
GARY ANTUANNE RUSSELL BUILDS AN EARLY LEAD
Whether he’s unable to get the knockout or not, Gary Antuanne Russell builds his win early by tallying rounds often on aggression.
6.10 p.m. PT / 2.10 a.m. UK
HERE WE GO
Alberto Puello gets a chance to put a halt on Gary Antuanne Russell’s flawless knockout streak as their super lightweight fights gets underway.
6.03 p.m. PT / 2.03 a.m. UK
CARLOS ADAMES GETS THE W
The judges rewarded Adames with a unanimous decision.
5.59 p.m. PT / 1.59 a.m. UK
12TH LIKE THE 6TH
The 12th was the round most similar to the sixth, in that it finally had a modicum of action. But I can’t lie, hearing the end-of-fight klaxon was great. Let’s hear this result, move to the next, and get closer to the double-header.
5.52 p.m. PT / 1.52 a.m. UK
THE CROWD GOES MILD
Both Gervonta Davis and David Benavidez have already graced the big screen, yet because the crowd remains thin, there were very few cheers. The atmosphere at some of boxing’s biggest bouts is weirdly hit and miss in Las Vegas, still, as fans too often come to events too late. Annoyingly for this point, they’re not really missing much as the Gausha and Adames fight is missable.
5.49 p.m. PT / 1.49 a.m. UK
TRUTH BE TOLD …
The fight returned to being a bit of a stinker.
5.41 p.m. PT / 1.41 a.m. UK
THE ACTION PICKED UP IN THE SIXTH
That changed in the sixth round as the fighters picked up the pace and started throwing thumping shots.
5.35 p.m. PT / 1.30 a.m. UK
CARLOS ADAMES EDGES AHEAD OF TERRELL GAUSHA
Carlos Adames, low output, got the better of Terrell Gausha, who had even lower output, in most of the first half of their WBC world middleweight title fight.
5.20 p.m. PT / 1.20 a.m. UK
TANK WILLING TO SWAP ROLES WITH BENAVIDEZ IN THE FUTURE
Speaking to All The Smoke Productions, in a clip broadcast on the ATS_Fight account on X, Gervonta Davis hinted at another double-header event with David Benavidez but, this time, rearranging the bout order so that The Mexican Monster was in the main event, and Tank competed in the co-feature.
“I’m willing, you know, we swap it,” he told host Stephen Jackson, former NBA champ. “He [the] main event, and I go on his undercard.”
5.10 p.m. PT / 1.10 a.m. UK
THE FOUR-FIGHT MAIN CARD BEGINS
The ever-classy Jimmy Lennon Jr. introduces the show, with a WBC world middleweight title fight between Carlos Adames and Terrell Gausha setting it all up for those watching at home on Prime Video or PPV.com.
5.03 p.m. PT / 1.03 a.m. UK
ACCURACY OVER ACTIVITY
One of the storylines from the Davis and Garcia bout was underlined by Compubox data which was sent to Boxing News. “Garcia threw 225 more punches than Davis,” statistician Ben Chan said in his Compubox note. “But Davis landed 30 more punches.”
4.52 p.m. PT / 12.52 a.m. UK
DAVIS DEDICATES WIN TO THE MEMORY OF A FAMILY MEMBER
Fighting back tears, Davis said his cousin recently passed away. “This is for her,” he told PBC presenter Jordan Plant.
4.45 p.m. PT / 12.45 a.m. UK
ELIJAH GARCIA AND KYRONE DAVIS BATTLE
Kyrone Davis looked to have gotten the better of Elijah Garcia from my viewpoint in their middleweight 10-rounder. We’re just waiting the scores here from the judges. Davis gets one score of 97-93, which looks good to me. But then it gets a bit dodgy with a weird score of 98-92 for Garcia. Davis is made to sweat until a second score of 97-93 goes his way for the split decision win.
4.30 p.m. PT / 12.30 a.m. UK
RYAN GARCIA COMMANDS A LOT OF TALK AMONGST MEDIA, INDUSTRY BACKSTAGE
Though he’s not even fighting tonight, Ryan Garcia is commanding a lot of attention amongst media members and industry insiders backstage, as he’s been talking recklessly on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, about Caleb Plant’s wife Jordan, who is a Premier Boxing Champions presenter. A potential issue for Garcia is that he’s down as an attendee tonight … and so is Caleb. Considering Plant had no issue slapping Jermall Charlo at an event last year, he’s possibly the type of person to seek Garcia out to get, at least, an explanation for his problematic comments — if not instigate something worse right here in the arena, or in the hallways backstage. I’ll keep you posted on a possible fight of the night outside the ropes.
4.22 p.m. PT / 12.22 a.m. UK
MAGSAYO SCORES ROUTINE WIN
With scores of 99-90 and 97-92 (twice) Magsayo secured a routine unanimous decision win, and advanced his pro boxing record to 25-2 (17 KOs).
4.10 p.m. PT / 12.10 a.m. UK
MAGSAYO A MENACE
Though his activity level seemed to dip in the fourth, Magsayo continued to throw the more significant shots in the fight, many of which targeted Ramirez’s body. In the fifth, with 22 shots landed from 54 thrown compared to 12 from 41, Magsayo out-landed Ramirez by a near 2:1 ratio.
4.01 p.m. PT / 12.01 a.m. UK
FAST START FROM MAGSAYO
It was a fast start from Mark Magsayo as he out-landed Eduardo Ramirez in each and every round through the first three frames, enjoying near-dominance in the third, and flooring his opponent in style to gain a comfortable lead.
3.45 p.m. PT / 11.45 p.m. UK
MAGSAYO vs RAMIREZ NOW ON DECK
Making their walks now are super featherweight fighters Mark Magsayo, one of Manny Pacquiao’s proteges, and Eduardo Ramirez, a teak tough boxer from Mexico, who are scheduled to box over 10 3s imminently.
3.10 p.m. PT / 11.10 p.m. UK
I’VE JUST GOT WIND OF THE CELEBRITY LIST FOR TONIGHT’S EVENT
If there’s one thing that is a constant at Gervonta Davis events, it’s that they can be star-studded affairs with appearances from elite boxers who appreciate his skills, to hip-hop stars, and athletes in other sports. Tonight is no different as Andy Ruiz Jr., Caleb Plant, Errol Spence Jr., Jermell Charlo, Mario Barrios, Ryan Garcia, and Stephen Fulton are amongst the boxers attending, and Cardi B, Damian Lillard, and Mark Davis make up celebrities from other industries.
3.04 p.m. PT / 11.04 p.m. UK
SOME WHIFFY WALK-OUT MUSIC
Make it stop.
2.50 p.m. PT / 10.50 p.m. UK
JUSTIN VILORIA WINS HIS SIXTH FIGHT AGED 19
The Californian southpaw Justin Viloria, 19, cantered to the sixth win of his pro career, four of which are now by knockout, as he brutally finished Angel Contreras with a nasty bodyshot in the fifth round. One to watch, as that was a banger.
2.35 p.m. PT / 10.35 p.m. UK
BETWEEN FIGHTS IN THE US, BEN WHITTAKER CATCHES THE EYE BACK IN THE UK
Being in the US, but from London, I try to keep an eye on the British boxing scene and there has, for a while, been one fighter who screams superstar potential at me — Ben Whittaker. Whether you think it’s disrespectful (I don’t), or hilarious (I do), his showboating polarizes the boxing Twitter-space and keeps him in the limelight. Whittaker’s unserious antics got him butted earlier today, but he seemed to shake it off well and walk back to his corner. Yet another viral moment for the light heavyweight prospect.
2.20 p.m. PT / 10.20 p.m. UK
WE’RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE TELEVISED PART OF THE CARD
Brayan Gonzalez’s win over James Mulder was the last non-televised part of the 11-fight card. Next up is California prospect Justin Viloria, who fights Angel Contreras in a super featherweight six-rounder.
2.12 p.m. PT / 10.12 p.m. UK
GONZALEZ TAKES HOME THE WIN
A good debut performance in the bank, with no obvious jitters, as Brayan Gonzalez defeats James Mulder by unanimous decision. Gonzalez jumps onto a neutral corner to celebrate, with pockets of fans cheering from what remains a near-empty MGM Grand Garden Arena.
2.01 p.m. PT / 10.01 p.m. UK
IT’S NOT ALL ONE-WAY TRAFFIC
Mulder checked Gonzalez’s chin with a crafty shot, as he shook off the knockdown in the first, to give some kind of account of himself in the second. Regardless, he’s got a mountain to climb considering this is only a four-rounder.
1.59 p.m. PT / 9.59 p.m. UK
GONZALEZ GETS AN EARLY KNOCKDOWN
It’s a dominant display from Gonzalez as the debutant gets an early knockdown in the very first round! A 10-8 against the once-beaten one-fight novice from California.
1.57 p.m. PT / 9.57 p.m. UK
BRAYAN GONZALEZ MAKES HIS PRO DEBUT
Super bantamweight novice Bryan Gonzalez, from the boxing hotbed of Phoenix in Arizona, makes his pro debut against James Mulder.
1.54 p.m. PT / 9.54 p.m. UK
OUR FOURTH FIGHT OF THE NIGHT ARRIVES
There are two walkouts and, to me at least, they look like a couple of briskets on legs.
1.51 p.m. PT / 9.51 p.m. UK
LOOKING AROUND AT OTHER MEDIA MEMBERS ON PRESS ROW AND WONDERING WHO ELSE IS THINKING BACK TO THAT BRISKET
1.46 p.m. PT / 9.46 p.m. UK
I’M STARTING TO THINK ABOUT FOOD
The wait continues for the fourth fight of the night, and my stomach rumbles. I heard there’s going to be a buffet in the media ballroom in a few hours. Sometimes it’s good. There was brisket earlier in the week which I unashamedly smashed. Bad day to be a buffet with Alan Dawson in the house.
1.39 p.m. PT / 9.39 p.m. UK
GARY ANTUANNE RUSSELL’S FIGHT IS ONE TO WATCH LATER, ALSO
While we wait for the next set of fights to get underway, tonight is not just about the double-header which sees Gervonta Davis and David Benavidez compete in separate matches. We also have Gary Antuanne Russell — who has a flawless, undefeated record of 17 wins and 17 knockouts — fight Alberto Puello in a WBC interim super lightweight title fight. Puello also puts his unbeaten record on the line, having won 22 fights with 10 knockouts.
1.30 p.m. PT / 9.30 p.m. UK
TANK-MARTIN SPARRING IS ONE OBVIOUS NARRATIVE
We’ve got a break in the action at the venue, and event organizers are broadcasting a promo for Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin on the big screen above the ring. It tells the story of one, obvious narrative heading into the main event — and that is that these guys once sparred many moons ago, and how the to-and-fro of that sparring has been used, by Tank, to make Martin feel a certain kind of way. At the kickoff presser Boxing News attended in May, during the Canelo-Munguia fight week, Tank and Martin got things off to a hot start straight away with loud jawing, and attempted mind games. One of Tank’s mind games was that he brought video footage on his cell phone and showed Martin what he implied was a clear weakness of his from the spar — a vulnerability to bodyshops. Last week, when I was at the Pound-For-Pound boxing club in Las Vegas to watch Martin train, he talked about Tank’s antics and said there was nothing on the video and Tank was just trying to convince fans, and media, that nothing was really something.
1.15 p.m. PT / 9.15 p.m. UK
WE HAVE OUR FIRST FIRST-ROUND KNOCKOUT OF THE NIGHT!
Daniel ‘Iceman’ Blancas showed skills can beat experience as the prospect advanced to 10-0 (5 KOs) after hammering the 31-fight veteran Pro Schwartz with ease! Woah! It took only a round for Blancas to get his win, with the ring walks seemingly taking longer than the actual fight itself. Good victory for Blancas, who, aged only 22, continues his development and trajectory in the super middleweight division.
1.05 p.m. PT / 9.05 p.m. UK
MARGARET WHITMORE WINS
In the second result of the evening, two ringside judges overruled a draw score of 38-38 to award Margaret Whitmore with a split decision win over Mia Ellis, thanks to other scores of 39-37.
12.59 p.m. PT / 8.59 p.m. UK
THIS IS AN ANNIVERSARY SHOW AT THE MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA
One thing to note is that this is an anniversary show for the MGM Grand Garden Arena as it plays host to its 100th boxing event. I’ve lived in Vegas for almost three years now and have seen fight events here, at the Michelob Ultra Arena, T-Mobile Arena, The Cosmopolitan, Virgin Hotels, Resorts World, and even Circa. The UFC is even planning to hold an event at the $2 billion venue The Sphere in September, which UFC boss Dana White keeps on telling me will be badass. However, there’s nothing quite like boxing at the Garden Arena. And the reason why is that the combined history, with fights involving Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar de la Hoya, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao, amongst others, combine to create this icon. So Gervonta Davis, Frank Martin, David Benavidez, and Oleksandr Gvozdyk have their chance later to etch their name alongside legends.
12.55 p.m. PT / 8.52 p.m. UK
BACK-TO-BACK WOMEN’S BOUTS KICK OFF THE PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS CARD
We’ve got two women’s fights kicking off the Premier Boxing Champions event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The first fight saw Reina Tellez pick up a convincing win by decision, with three scores of 40-36 against Beata Dudek, and the second, which is going on right now, os between Mia Ellis, who has proven punching power, against novice fighter Margaret Whitmore, at super featherweight.
12:45 p.m. PT / 8.45 p.m. UK
HELLO AND WELCOME!
What’s good fight family this is Alan Dawson reporting live from Las Vegas for one of the summer’s hottest fight events — a double header involving David Benavidez in his light heavyweight debut against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, and Gervonta Davis in a lightweight battle against Frank Martin. These are two bad men, as Benavidez has a fighting style like a swarm of killer bees, and ‘Tank’ Davis is a silent assassin. I can’t wait to see these fights, which should tee up the winners for even bigger things later in the year. But first, we have an 11-fight card to get through, starting with a featherweight four-rounder between Reina Tellez and Beata Dudek.
Gervonta Davis and Frank Martin square off for the WBA lightweight world title at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.
Action begins on Amazon Prime PPV from 10:30pm UK, 5:30pm ET and 2:30 PT.
Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin Weights and Running Order
12 x 3 mins WBA Super World Lightweight Title
Gervonta Davis (133.4lbs) vs. Frank Martin (134.4lbs)
12 x 3 mins Light Heavyweight
David Benavidez (174.2lbs) vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk (174.2lbs)
12 x 3 mins WBC Interim Super Lightweight Title
Gary Antuanne Russell (138.2lbs) vs. Alberto Puello (139.8lbs)
12 x 3 mins WBC Middleweight Title
Carlos Adames (159.2lbs) vs. Terrell Gausha (160lbs)
