Gervonta “Tank” Davis started slow but finished with a bang after he delivered a vicious knockout to finish Frank Martin in emphatic fashion.

A 15-month layoff definitely affected the undefeated fighter as Davis didn’t put forth a whole lot of effort early, which allowed Martin to take a lead on the scorecards. But it was all part of his game plan as Davis waited for Martin to finally slow down and then he began trapping his opponent against the ropes and in the corner, which is where he began unloading his biggest punches.

The end came after Martin backed up to the corner and David blasted him with a huge uppercut that stunned the Detroit native. A split second later, Davis unloaded another brutal left hand and that one put Martin down and out on the canvas with no chance he was making the 10 count.

With another knockout win on his resume, Davis climbed to the top rope and flipped backwards down to the ring again as he celebrated his latest victory, which followed his devastating finish against Ryan Garcia back in April 2023.

“I’m back,” Davis said after the win. “A couple rounds, I felt like I didn’t warm up completely like I wanted to. It’s OK, no excuses. His footwork wasn’t bothering me. I knew he was going to tire down.

“I was just standing there, being a target for him just so he could tire himself out. Once he tired himself out, I started picking him apart.”

Davis’ assessment is pretty spot on with how the fight actually played out.

The early rounds really came down to Martin staying more active, throwing more punches but not really doing a lot of damage as Davis appeared resigned to just move around the ring with him. Activity really helped Martin win on the scorecards, although he wasn’t really hurting Davis with any of his punches.

To his credit, Martin did clip Davis with a shot that saw significant swelling form on the right side of his face but “Tank” just kept marching forward with no fear at what was coming back at him.

By round five, Davis not only woke up but he was getting much more active with his offense as he started coming after Martin with huge, powerful punches and it was clear he wanted to add another knockout to his resume. As Martin slowed, he also made the cardinal mistake of backing himself into the corner, which allowed Davis to really begin teeing off on him with his blistering combinations.

Like he was chopping down a tree, Davis showed patience as he continued chipping away at Martin and just looking for the best possible opening to put him to sleep for the night.

His final slumber came in the eighth round as Davis came out head hunting with bad intentions behind every shot thrown. Davis backed Martin into the corner yet again and that’s when he unloaded the left uppercut that snapped his opponent’s head back, leaving him dazed and confused.

The next left hand ended Martin’s night as Davis unleashed the final shot needed to score his 28th knockout out of 30 career fights. After Martin slammed down to the canvas, there was no hope he was getting back up again until the fight was already over.

The win moves Davis to 30-0 in his career but more importantly it sets him up for even bigger and better opportunities with names like Vasyl Lomachenko and Shakur Stevenson potentially awaiting him next.

For now, Davis just wants to keep getting better and he anxiously awaits his chance to fight anyone and everyone thrown in his path.

“Most importantly, I want to get back to the drawing board,” Davis said. “Get back in the gym and stay focused. I felt that I was a little rusty but all them guys is on my radar.”