LAS VEGAS –– Two of boxing’s most enjoyable and common superstars will share heart stage as five-time world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis and unbeaten two-time world champion David “El Monstruo” Benavídez compete in separate sights Saturday, June 15 on the MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment. The 2 fighters will headline a PBC Pay-Per-View occasion on Prime Video in what would be the historic a hundredth championship combat evening on the common sports activities and leisure venue.
The undefeated three-division champion Davis will defend his WBA Light-weight World Championship towards unbeaten high contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin, whereas Benavídez is about to make his 175-pound debut towards former mild heavyweight world champion Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk in a matchup for the Interim WBC Gentle Heavyweight Title. This one-of-a-kind occasion will give viewers the distinctive alternative to see two bona fide fan-favorites on the identical evening in high-stakes championship clashes.
The MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment hosted its premiere boxing occasion in January 1994 and, over its 30-year historical past, the venue has develop into synonymous with the game’s greatest combat nights. Battle followers have watched champions starting from George Foreman and Julio Cesar Chavez to Roy Jones and Shane Mosley step within the ring and placed on a championship show of ability. Epic battles together with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, De La Hoya vs. Mayweather, Holyfield vs. Tyson II, Pacquiao vs. Marquez IV, a number of Barrera vs. Morales title fights, and Mayweather vs. Canelo, amongst others led all boxers to need to combat on the legendary Grand Backyard Enviornment. The June 15 occasion will mark a celebration of the venue’s storied historical past as boxing’s subsequent chapter unfolds with these two high-stakes showdowns.
Along with the PPV being out there for buy on Prime Video, no matter Prime membership, followers may even be capable to proceed to entry the telecast via conventional cable and satellite tv for pc retailers in addition to PPV.com.
Tickets for the dwell occasion go on sale Wednesday, Might 8 starting at 10 a.m. PT and shall be out there via www.axs.com.
Pre-sale tickets shall be out there TOMORROW, Tuesday, Might 7 from 10 a.m. PT to 10 p.m. PT via www.axs.com with the code: BOXING
The occasion is promoted by GTD Promotions, Sampson Boxing, TGB Promotions and Man Down Promotions.
“Saturday, June 15 shall be a spectacular evening of boxing with two true superstars of the game combining forces to ship can’t-miss motion,” stated Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Gervonta Davis has confirmed his star energy time and again, and can return to defend his world title towards one other powerful problem within the undefeated Frank Martin. David Benavídez established himself as a pound-for-pound pressure final yr, and can now search out dominance in a brand new weight class towards the highly effective former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Be sure you tune into this PBC Pay-Per-View occasion or come out to the MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment in Las Vegas.”
“Oleksandr Gvozdyk is an excellent fighter, however David Benavídez is forging a path to greatness,” stated Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing. “I commend David for not wanting to attend for Canelo, and for making this daring transfer to a brand new division. A technique or one other, David will proceed rising his legacy as a real champion.”
“Saturday, June 15 goes to be like a film. Frank Martin has put an incredible quantity of labor in to get thus far and now it’s time for him to reap the advantages,” stated pound-for-pound star Errol Spence Jr., Martin’s promoter. “Gervonta Davis is a superb champion, however on that evening, he’s going to be matched towards a younger, hungry and explosive expertise able to shine on the most important stage. I anticipate all of the combat followers to faucet into what would be the greatest occasion of the yr.”
GERVONTA DAVIS VS. FRANK MARTIN
Headlining the occasion would be the return of undefeated boxing celebrity Gervonta “Tank” Davis as he places his WBA Light-weight World Championship on the road in a 12-round conflict towards consensus top-five light-weight contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin, who will vie for a world title for the primary time in his profession.
Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) has held the light-weight title since 2019 and has additionally received world titles at 130 and 140 kilos throughout his spectacular profession. The Baltimore-native put an emphatic finish to a years-long rivalry with Ryan Garcia final yr in a crossover combat that gripped the sports activities world, dropping him in spherical two earlier than ending the motion with a vicious physique shot in spherical seven.
Previous to that combat, he set a brand new gate file for Capital One Enviornment in Washington, D.C. in January when he stopped the beforehand unbeaten tremendous featherweight world champion Hector Luis Garcia within the ninth spherical. Earlier than that triumph he added one other highlight-reel KO to his resume, as he dispatched longtime rival Rolando Romero with a thudding left hand in February 2022, in one other record-setting occasion at Brooklyn’s Barclays Middle. The 29-year-old additionally owns the excellence as the one fighter to cease former three-division champion Leo Santa Cruz and former world champion and present interim welterweight champion Mario Barrios. Davis burst onto the scene with an explosive knockout of Jose Pedraza in 2017 to seize his first world title and received the light-weight strap he presently holds with a Twelfth-round KO of former unified champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2019.
“I’m excited to be on a card with somebody explosive like David Benavidez; this pay-per-view is certainly gonna be price it,” stated Davis. “I’m joyful to be again within the ring. That’s the place I’m snug at. I’m gonna go in there, be flawless, and do what I do greatest, which is give the followers the perfect boxing you’ll see. Come June 15, Frank Martin is gonna see there’s a distinct beast in entrance of him.”
The 29-year-old Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) most not too long ago confirmed that his energy can final via a 12-round combat as he dropped the beforehand unbeaten Artem Harutyunyan within the last body to clinch a unanimous resolution victory final July. His earlier outing noticed him stamp his standing as one of many elite 135-pounders within the sport as he dropped and dominated the then-unbeaten Michel Rivera on his option to a unanimous resolution in December 2022.
Combating below the Man Down Promotions banner ,led by high pound-for-pound fighter Errol Spence Jr., Martin’s preliminary ascent at 135-pounds noticed him start by stopping then unbeaten Jerry Perez in April 2021 earlier than dispatching of powerful contenders Jackson Marinez, Romero Duno and Ryan Kielczweski. Initially from Indianapolis, Ind., Martin now trains within the Dallas-area below the steerage of extremely famend coach Derrick James.
“I’ve been locked in for some time now and having a extremely good coaching camp,” stated Martin. “It’ll be an thrilling combat on June 15. I anticipate to get the perfect model of ‘Tank’, and he’ll get the perfect model of me. We’ll have a strong recreation plan to return out with the win on combat evening.”
DAVID BENAVIDEZ VS. OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK
Co-headlining the occasion would 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 towards the power-punching former world champion Oleksandr “The Nail” Gvozdyk as they meet for the vacant Interim WBC Gentle Heavyweight Title.
The 27-year-old undefeated Benavídez (28-0, 24 KOs) makes his 2024 debut after a pair of spectacular wins marked his standout 2023 marketing campaign. He started the yr by besting longtime rival Caleb Plant by way of unanimous resolution in a slugfest from March and adopted it up by stopping the beforehand unbeaten two-division champion Demetrius Andrade in six rounds in November. Benavídez turned the youngest-ever 168-pound world champion at simply 20-years-old when he defeated Ronald Gavril by cut up resolution for the vacant WBC title in 2017. A Phoenix-native who now lives in Seattle and presently trains in Miami, Benavidez has stamped his place within the tremendous middleweight division however will now look to hold his prodigious skills as much as mild heavyweight for this combat.
When he was 15 years outdated, Benavídez went from weighing 250 kilos to a boxing prodigy below the watchful eye of his father and coach, Jose, Sr., and his brother and veteran contender Jose Jr., as he famously held his personal in sparring towards middleweight champions Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin as a young person. Benavídez rode a string of six straight knockout victories heading into the bout towards Plant, together with KOs of former world champions Anthony Dirrell and David Lemieux.
“I’m very excited to be going to the sunshine heavyweight division to compete towards the perfect 175-pound fighters,” stated Benavídez. “I’ve been eyeing that division for a very long time, and now I really feel prefer it’s my time. I’m going to go unify the division. I’ve watched Gvozdyk for a very long time – I do know precisely how he fights. I really sparred him after I was 20 years outdated and I do know he’s a extremely powerful opponent, so I have to be 100%. It is a laborious combat, however I’m going to make it look straightforward.”
After incomes a bronze medal representing his native Ukraine on the 2012 Olympics, Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) turned professional in 2014 and rapidly set his sights on the highest of the division. He dominated a slew of veteran contenders together with Yunieski Gonzalez, Isaac Chilemba, Tommy Karpency and Nadjib Mohammedi on his option to turning into the WBC’s high rated necessary challenger at 175-pounds. He went on to develop into WBC champion with an Eleventh-round knockout of Adonis Stevenson and defended the title in 2019 by stopping Doudou Ngumbu in spherical 5.
After shedding the belt in a unification match towards Artur Beterbiev, Gvozdyk returned in 2023 to attain three straight victories. He bested Josue Obando in February earlier than knocking out Ricards Bolotniks in Might and Isaac Rodrigues in September. Now coaching and residing in California, Gvozdyk’s beginner profession noticed him compete in over 250 bouts, together with three Ukrainian Nationwide Championships that led to his Olympic success.
“I’ve by no means prevented any challenges, and that is no exception,” stated Gvozdyk. “Benavidez is a high caliber fighter and that’s precisely what motivates me to coach laborious every day. If you wish to be the perfect, you need to combat the perfect. I’m able to develop into a champion as soon as once more.”
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