Gervonta Davis, the undefeated WBA lightweight world champion, steps back into the ring Saturday (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video PPV) after a 14-month layoff to face Frank “The Ghost” Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) hasn’t fought since April 22, 2023, when he took on one of the biggest challenges in his career against one of the bigger stars in the game in Ryan Garcia. It took Davis only two rounds to figure out Garcia’s biggest weaknesses and score a knockdown. And then it took a few more rounds to really capitalize on Garcia’s mistakes. In the seventh round of their 136-pound catchweight fight, Davis landed a crushing body shot that sent Garcia back and then to his knee. Garcia wouldn’t recover in time.
[Related: How to watch Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin]
The win cemented Davis as one of boxing’s must-watch fighters, but the Baltimore native would soon find himself in a jail cell. Just weeks after the Garcia fight, Davis pleaded guilt to four misdemeanor charges stemming from a 2020 hit-an-run accident in which four people were injured, including a pregnant woman. He was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest, but was taken into custody after violating the terms of that sentence.
Davis spent 44 days in a Baltimore detention center and now it’s been 420 days since he last stepped into the ring. Will the long layoff and troubled personal life affect the champion Saturday night against the unbeaten but unheralded Martin? Oddsmakers don’t seem to think so. At BetMGM, Davis is -650 to win with Martin at +450. Davis by KO/TKO/Technical Decision or DQ is -190.
In the co-main event, two-time 168-pound champion David Benavidez makes his light heavyweight debut against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in a bout for the interim WBC light heavyweight world title.
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Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin odds, results, highlights (Start time 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime PPV)
Lightweight: Gervonta Davis (-650) vs. Frank Martin (+450)
Light heavyweight: David Benavidez (-450) vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk (+350)
Super lightweight: Alberto Puello def. Gary Antuanne Russell by split decision (109-118, 115-112, 114-113)
Middleweight:Carlos Adames def. Terrell Gausha by unanimous decision (119-109, 118-110, 118-110)
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