Gervonta Davis and David Benavidez are showing mutual respect ahead of their June 15 pay-per-view fights at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, where the pair of knockout artists will be featured in the main and co-main events, respectively.
Davis will face Frank Martin in the main event for the WBA lightweight title, while Benavidez will fight Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his debut in the light heavyweight division, with an interim WBC light heavyweight title on the line.
Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) expressed excitement about fighting as a co-featured combatant alongside one of the sport’s biggest names, Davis. The 27-year-old Benavidez has won all but four of his fights by knockout, including a stoppage of former two-division titleholder Demetrius Andrade in November.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Benavidez said at the press conference announcing the fight. “I have always wanted to fight on the same card as Gervonta Davis, and now that we’ve set it up, this is going to be the biggest card of the year.”
Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs), the 37-year-old former light heavyweight titlist, retired after being stopped by Artur Beterbiev in 2019. He returned to the sport in 2023 and now, nearly a year and a half later, has landed a major bout.
Meanwhile, Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) was elevated to WBA lightweight titleholder after the previous titlist, Devin Haney, left the division and vacated the belt. Davis’ first test as champion will be against the 29-year-old Martin (18-0, 12 KOs), who is coached by Derrick James and has emerged as a force in the division after a dominant win over Michel Rivera in 2022.
For Davis, 29, who has won all but two of his fights by knockout, sharing the stage with another devastating power puncher is a thrill.
“I’m definitely excited to be on a card with someone like David Benavidez,” Davis said.
Davis, who last fought in April, knocking out Ryan Garcia in a highly successful pay-per-view, admitted that he didn’t realize how formidable a fighter Benavidez was until he saw him in action.
“I went to a David Benavidez fight when he fought Caleb Plant,” Davis said. “At first, I didn’t know he was one of those guys until I actually went to his fight and put the earphones on. I was close up.”
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