Gervonta Davis, the undefeated WBA world lightweight champion, returns to the ring on 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. Great Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) has not fought since April 22, 2023, when he took on one of the biggest challenges of his career against one of the sport’s biggest stars, Ryan Garcia. It took Davis just two rounds to discover 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 bout, Davis landed a crushing body shot that sent Garcia backwards and then into his knee. García would not recover in time.
(Related: How to watch Gervonta Davis against Frank Martin)
The victory cemented Davis as one of boxing’s must-see fighters, but the Baltimore native would soon find himself in a jail cell. Just weeks after the fight with Garcia, Davis pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges stemming from a 2020 hit-and-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 it has now 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 undefeated but unheralded Martin? Bettors don’t seem to believe the same. At BetMGM, Davis is -650 to win and Martin is +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 fight for the WBC interim light heavyweight world title.
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Gervonta Davis vs. Frank Martin Odds, Results and 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: Gary Antuanne Russell (-700) vs. Alberto Puello (+450)
Middleweight: Carlos Adames (-700) vs. Terrell Gausha (+500)