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Two of boxing’s most exciting and popular superstars will share center stage as five-time world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis and unbeaten two-time world champion David “El Monstruo” Benavídez compete in separate attractions Saturday, June 15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
The two fighters will headline a PBC Pay-Per-View event on Prime Video in what will be the historic 100th championship fight night at the popular sports and entertainment venue.
Davis will defend his WBA Lightweight World Championship against unbeaten top contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin, while Benavídez is set to make his 175-pound debut against former light heavyweight world champion Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk in a matchup for the Interim WBC Light Heavyweight Title.
GERVONTA DAVIS-FRANK MARTIN:
Headlining the event will be the return of undefeated boxing superstar Gervonta “Tank” Davis as he puts his WBA Lightweight World Championship on the line in a 12-round clash against consensus top-five lightweight contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin, who will vie for a world title for the first time in his career.
Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) has held the lightweight title since 2019 and has also won world titles at 130 and 140 pounds during his spectacular career. The Baltimore-native put an emphatic end to a years-long rivalry with Ryan Garcia last year in a crossover fight that gripped the sports world, dropping him in round two before ending the action with a vicious body shot in round seven.
The 29-year-old also owns the distinction as the only fighter to stop former three-division champion Leo Santa Cruz and former world champion and current interim welterweight champion Mario Barrios. Davis burst onto the scene with an explosive knockout of Jose Pedraza in 2017 to capture his first world title and won the lightweight strap he currently holds with a 12th-round KO of former unified champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2019.
“I’m excited to be on a card with someone explosive like David Benavidez; this pay-per-view is definitely gonna be worth it,” said Davis. “I’m happy to be back in the ring. That’s where I’m comfortable at. I’m gonna go in there, be flawless, and do what I do best, which is give the fans the best boxing you’ll see. Come June 15, Frank Martin is gonna see there’s a different beast in front of him.”
The 29-year-old Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) most recently showed that his power can last through a 12-round fight as he dropped the previously unbeaten Artem Harutyunyan in the final frame to clinch a unanimous decision victory last July. His previous outing saw him stamp his status as one of the elite 135-pounders in the sport as he dropped and dominated the then-unbeaten Michel Rivera on his way to a unanimous decision in December 2022.
Martin’s initial ascent at 135-pounds saw him begin by stopping then unbeaten Jerry Perez in April 2021 before dispatching of tough contenders Jackson Marinez, Romero Duno and Ryan Kielczweski. Originally from Indianapolis, Ind., Martin now trains in the Dallas-area under the guidance of highly renowned trainer Derrick James.
“I’ve been locked in for a while now and having a really good training camp,” said Martin. “It’ll be an exciting fight on June 15. I expect to get the best version of ‘Tank’, and he’ll get the best version of me. We’ll have a solid game plan to come out with the win on fight night.”
DAVID BENAVIDEZ VS. OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK:
Co-headlining the event will be the all-action star and two-time world champion David “El Monstruo” Benavídez as he makes his 175-pound debut in a 12-round duel against the power-punching former world champion Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk as they meet for the vacant Interim WBC Light Heavyweight Title.
The 27-year-old undefeated Benavídez (28-0, 24 KOs) makes his 2024 debut after a pair of impressive wins marked his standout 2023 campaign. He began the year by besting longtime rival Caleb Plant via unanimous decision in a slugfest from March and followed it up by stopping the previously unbeaten two-division champion Demetrius Andrade in six rounds in November. Benavídez became the youngest-ever 168-pound world champion at just 20-years-old when he defeated Ronald Gavril by split decision for the vacant WBC title in 2017. A Phoenix-native who now lives in Seattle and currently trains in Miami, Benavidez has stamped his place in the super middleweight division but will now look to carry his prodigious talents up to light heavyweight for this fight.
“I’m very excited to be going to the light heavyweight division to compete against the best 175-pound fighters,” said Benavídez. “I’ve been eyeing that division for a long time, and now I feel like it’s my time. I’m going to go unify the division. I’ve watched Gvozdyk for a long time – I know exactly how he fights. I actually sparred him when I was 20 years old and I know he’s a really tough opponent, so I need to be 100%. This is a hard fight, but I’m going to make it look easy.”
Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) turned pro in 2014 and quickly set his sights on the top of the division. He dominated a slew of veteran contenders including Yunieski Gonzalez, Isaac Chilemba, Tommy Karpency and Nadjib Mohammedi on his way to becoming the WBC’s top rated mandatory challenger at 175-pounds. He went on to become WBC champion with an 11th-round knockout of Adonis Stevenson and defended the title in 2019 by stopping Doudou Ngumbu in round five.
After losing the belt in a unification match against Artur Beterbiev, Gvozdyk returned in 2023 to score three straight victories. He bested Josue Obando in February before knocking out Ricards Bolotniks in May and Isaac Rodrigues in September. Now training and residing in California, Gvozdyk’s amateur career saw him compete in over 250 bouts, including three Ukrainian National Championships that led to his Olympic success.
“I’ve never avoided any challenges, and this is no exception,” said Gvozdyk. “Benavidez is a top caliber fighter and that’s exactly what motivates me to train hard each and every day. If you want to be the best, you have to fight the best. I’m ready to become a champion once again.”
Photo: Esther Lin