There is a quiet confidence around Frank Martin.
On Saturday (June 15), he challenges Gervonta “Tank” Davis for the WBA lightweight title and understands that he is second favorite with the oddsmakers.
But that suits the 18-0 (12 KOs) underdog from Detroit just fine.
“These type of fights are the ones that define you,” said the 29-year-old southpaw, on the PBC’s Gloves Off build-up show. “I feel like I’ve been the underdog in the sport since I started, so it ain’t nothing like I’m used to. I’m ready for this opportunity that’s in front of me. I feel that right now I’m highly slept on but you can’t blame people for being blind if you don’t wake them up. So with me getting this fight here, it’s the perfect opportunity to show the world who I am.”
There are question marks over Martin’s experience. Davis had had 11 more pro fights and already had bigger nights in the office than this, not least last April when he stopped Ryan Garcia with a ninth-round body shot.
This is a considerable step for Martin, in terms of occasion and competition, and he even admits that 29-0 (27 KOs) Davis might be seen as “the top guy in the world.”
Martin has been a gifted all-round sportsman who has tried his hand in many disciplines, including football.
“When people doubt me, it fuels me,” he said. “’He thinks it’s too soon’. ‘He thinks I ain’t ready’. I see it as an opportunity to shock the world. It’s my moment. It’s my time. We might see the top guy in the world get knocked out. I feel that they fucked up. By accepting this fight, they gave me the opportunity. I used to always say, ‘Give me the ball. I’ll show y’all’.
“That’s what I feel about this fight.”
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