WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) staged a dramatic comeback, clinching an eighth-round knockout against the previously undefeated Frank Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) during the main event on PBC on Prime Video PPV this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. For the initial six rounds, Martin showcased superior skills, making Davis appear outmatched. However, Davis turned the tables in the eighth with a powerful left hand that sent Martin to the canvas, prompting the referee to call off the fight at the 1:29 mark of the round.
In the undercard action, David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) triumphed in his light heavyweight debut, outpointing former WBC 175-lb champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KOs) with a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision. The scorecards read 116-112, 117-111, and 119-109. Despite a strong start, Benavidez lost steam after six rounds, with Gvozdyk taking control in the latter half of the fight. The busier Gvozdyk seemed to have done enough for a draw, but the judges favored the more prominent fighter.
With such a blockbuster showing as the collision between lightweight phenom Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis (30-0) and sensational southpaw Frank ‘Ghost’ Martin (18-1), bolstered by a spectacular undercard, it is easy to neglect the rather large showcase of growing and emerging talent that was the preliminary card.
Under the bright lights of the MGM Grand, as well as the watchful eye of Amazon Prime viewers, how did the fighters of tomorrow present themselves?
With the monumental task of opening the show – at such a historic venue – Reina Tellez (8-0-1), a 21-year-old Texas resident, took the opportunity in her stride, toying with Hungarian fighter Beata Dudek (4-2) over a brisk four rounds of female super bantamweight conflict.
Having a fairly prolific amateur career – in which she would win multiple competitions – the Floridian fighter has only been halted by a draw; one that she incurred in her first professional bout. And, with a KO percentage of 62 – equalling out to five stoppages in eight wins – Tellez appears to be an adept stoppage artist thus-far, one with grand aspirations.
In the men’s super bantamweight division, fresh-faced 18-year-old Brayan Gonzalez (1-0) made his professional debut. The Arizona southpaw put on a masterclass to shut-out James Mulder (0-2) over four rounds.
The youngster has excelled in the amateur ranks, with Boxrec recording 11-3 and a variety of wins from the Mexican Youth National Games and USA Junior Olympics.
Joining the bright, promising talents of the preliminaries, Margaret Whitmore (3-0) – a super featherweight from Ohio – earned a majority-decision win over the more experienced ‘Killer Bee’ Mia Ellis (7-3) in a four round competition.
It was a rather close bout, particularly in comparison to the previous two, although Whitmore showed heart in controlling the contest; only one judge scored the bout a draw. There is certainly promise, although, at 31-years-of-age, father time might be the greatest adversary in the progression of the USA Eastern Elite Semi-Finalist.
In the men’s super featherweight division, 19-year-old prospect Justin Viloria (6-0) extended his winning ways with the first stoppage of the night; a fifth round TKO of Mexico’s Angel Antonio Contreras (15-9-2).
Certainly not an impressive fighter by any means, but one with a higher number of wins than losses, proving that the young prospect can deal with more experienced fighters with relative ease.
At only 19-years-of-age, opportunities are sure to come thick and fast for the California native, particularly as all of his bouts have been broadcast under the PBC banner.
The first familiar face of the preliminaries came in the way of former WBC World Featherweight champion Mark Magsayo (26-2), who brought ‘Magnifico’ energy to the MGM with a spirited performance against former world challenger Eduardo Ramirez (28-4-3).
With the battle, the Filipino earned the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Super-Featherweight title, proving that he deserves to be mixing with the best-of-the-best in the process. With the landscape of super featherweight seemingly wide open, Magsayo could earn a shot at becoming a two-weight world champion.
After all, the last man to earn the WBA Inter-Continental Super-Featherweight belt, Irishman Feargal McCrory (16-0) is currently set to face WBA champion Lamont Roach (24-1-1). Perhaps Magsayo could line himself up to face the winner.
Finally, closing out the preliminaries, Elijah Garcia (16-1) suffered the first loss of his career; an upset by Delaware native Kyrone Davis (19-3-1), who ‘Shut It Down’ to earn a split-decision victory.
The middleweight from Arizona experienced issues in making the weight previous to the bout and that would show, as the bout was far more of a close contest than pundits expected. Despite the loss, Garcia is only 21-years-of-age and has the chance to learn and come back stronger.
Davis, on the other hand, has been given a lifeline in a career that seemed to be faltering, after a draw against Anthony Dirrel (34-3-2) and a loss to David Benavidez (29-0) – who also featured on the card.
So, ultimately, the preliminary bouts featured all sides of boxing; the good, the bad and the ugly – all before the main card had even begun.