The trainer of WBA lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis 29-0 (27) has played down his boxer’s no-show at yesterday’s grand arrivals in Las Vegas, Nevada ahead of his fight against Frank ‘The Ghost’ Martin 18-0 (12) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night.
Baltimore southpaw Davis, 29, was in a surly mood yesterday, posting to social media platform X: “The promotion for this fight has been ass. Now, watch ion [sic] show up to the arrivals shit today.”
Davis didn’t turn up and his trainer Calvin Ford was left to address the media.
“I never seen Tank miss a press conference. One of the times, he did show up for one of these [grand arrivals],” said Ford.
“It’s not like he didn’t want to show up. I don’t know how his body is. Sometimes when y’all got to go to work, do you feel like it all the time? We’re getting ready for the rollout to the world. So, he wants to make sure he puts on that great performance for the fans.
“I’m looking for that fight like we had back in the day where you say, ‘that was an epic fight right there’. You can’t make no mistakes from one to twelve. Again, that’s Gervonta. How many times have you heard Gervonta say so many things?
“I leave that up to him. I let him deal with that. His trainer is here and that means we’re here. Come fight night and weigh in, look for us.”
With Davis nowhere to be seen, Martin had the floor.
“I’m feeling good,” the 29-year-old lefthander from Indianapolis said. “We’ve been training for a while, I’m locked in, I’m focused. You know, the whole goal was to come out here and beat him and I’m ready to take the spot and I’m here for a reason. I ain’t here just to be here, I’m here to take this shit over.”
Asked where he self-confidence comes from, Martin said: “Cause I’m different. I got some things: I got speed, I got power, I got IQ. I feel like I got it all. Ya’ll gonna see. When it’s time to bite down, the world gonna see.
“We got this fight Saturday and I’m going to whoop his ass… We got Saturday to show who’s who.”
Davis did show up at today’s final press conference and the pair spent much of their time jawing at each other.
“I promise you I’m going to break you up,” said Davis.
Martin taunted him: “I’m going to step on you. I’m going to step over you.”
Ford said he wants Martin to step to Davis as it will bring the best out of him.
“He’s here for a reason and I want him to push the buttons, because I haven’t seen the real Tank yet. This camp is totally different. He’s mentally different,” he said.
Trainer Derrick James says his fighter Martin is more than ready for the jump up in class.
“You’ve got to be able to use that fuel for fire,” he said. “We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t believe in ourselves. We will see Frank come out and be the best version of himself… Follow the game plan, follow the strategy and go out there and be phenomenal.”
