Forgive Frank Martin for being a bit chippy about Gervonta Davis’ underwhelming performance against Lamont Roach.
Martin fought Davis in June 2024, running up against arguably the best version of “Tank” to grace the boxing ring yet. Martin landed his desired offense in the first three rounds, as Davis made his customarily slow start. Then Davis began walking Martin down with ruthless impunity, stalking him across the ring and into corners.
In the eighth round, Davis clubbed Martin with a left uppercut against the ropes that he didn’t see, leaving Martin out on his feet, frozen and glassy-eyed. Another clean left hand sent him sprawling to the floor for the count.
Davis had a sterner test against Roach this March. Roach countered his counters, took his shots, and even backed up the WBA lightweight titleholder. Roach earned a draw, with the majority of viewers thinking he deserved the nod.
Martin believes the closer fight was due to Davis underperforming, as well as Roach having the night of his life.
“Roach came out and fought his best fight that he could possibly fight,” Martin told Ron Goodall of FightHype. “He came in with his A-game […] I feel like Tank fought that fight not fully, fully trying to get off. He fought him more relaxed and chill, instead of trying to get him up out of there. I think that he thought the fight may have been easier than it was.”
The biggest source of controversy in the fight was Davis taking a knee in Round 9 after taking a jab to the face from Roach. Davis raced to his corner, where a trainer wiped his face with a towel. (After the fight, Davis said his eyes were stinging from hair grease running into them.) Referee Steve Willis began counting, as is standard when a fighter takes a knee, but did not call a knockdown or disqualify Davis for receiving corner assistance mid-round.
Martin alleged that Davis was the beneficiary of A-side bias.
“It was a close-ass fight,” he told Goodall. “I feel like the draw was cool. But with him taking a knee? Like I say, Tank know, they’re gonna give it to their man. They’re gonna give it to the guy who bringing it all the money.”
Asked whether Tank fought better against him than Roach, Martin said: “For sure. For sure, for sure. Hell yeah. I felt like he was a lot more locked in for me than [he was for] Roach. Roach is a good fighter, but I just felt he was more locked in for me. When you fighting a puncher, fighters who can punch, you’re gonna be more on your shit. You’re gonna be more on your A-game. Because you know a guy can catch you with something. He probably didn’t feel the same way when he fought Roach.”
As for the August 16 rematch between Tank and Roach, Martin favors Davis: “I think the rematch is going to be a good fight, but I think Tank may get him up out of there this fight.”
Martin is also willing to fight Roach, and he took a subtle jab at Roach’s well-publicized celebration tour following the fight – which may have been a moral victory, but was not an actual victory.
“I’m willing to fight him for sure, with his big head-ass,” Martin said.
