Frank Martin: “I’m going to go out and shock the fucking world”

LAS VEGAS – Frank Martin is on the biggest stage of his life.

He’s almost finished a week of fighting Gervonta “Tank” Davis and on the eve of the fight he’s been gearing up for.

The WBA lightweight title challenger fulfilled his media obligations, apparently enjoying the preparation and striving to meet the laborious demands of a fight that will likely sell well anyway.

Martin also had something to say this week, talking about Davis, his opportunity, their now infamous fight and the fact that he’s taking a substantial step up in class to face one of the best fighters in the world.

And it’s not just that; it’s an opportunity that is sometimes intimidating and too difficult to handle. Because Martin has never seen anything like it, in an event that attracts celebrities, athletes, musical artists and even footballers from the English Premier League.

“I feel like he just understood the culture. I feel like he has all the athletes supporting him, the hip-hop artists, the rap industry, the boxing world,” Martin said, when asked by BoxingScene about Davis’ star power . “I mean, just his personality – also that push with Floyd (Mayweather) behind him too, early on, and stuff like that – all that played a role, and who he is.”

On Saturday, “The Ghost” will share the stage, determined not to just be a walk-on role for the certainly elaborate Las Vegas production.

“It means everything,” Martin said, speaking of the possibility of changing his life overnight. “It’s my first fight at MGM, which is a blessing, and for that, the 100th fight (on site) is even dope. And facing Gervonta Davis, one of the faces of boxing, it doesn’t get better than that. So it’s a great blessing.

Of course, oddsmakers don’t see this as a blessing for 18-0 (12 KOs) underdog Martin, a southpaw, as the champion.

But throughout the week, Martin increased his confidence. Davis felt that Martin was shaking during the press conference, implying that he was unnerved by the enormity of the experience. That’s not the case, Martin argued.

“You need to hear me a little more today,” he insisted. “There were no mind games. We were just talking.

And while many agree that Martin hasn’t seen anything like Davis, others believe that Davis hasn’t boxed anyone like Martin – and Frank is one of them.

“I mean, I just feel like he hasn’t fought anyone that can match what he brings,” Martin said. “Someone with power, speed, good instincts. I just don’t feel like he’s fought a fighter like that.

Asked about Davis skipping the big finishes on Tuesday, Martin said it spoke to the job Davis was doing, and despite the façade of being cheerful one moment and talking loudly to Martin the next, the Detroit-based challenger the feeling that he has the full potential of Davis. attention.

“I guess he was running. He said the promotion hadn’t been good and all that, so he was showing up, he was doing his road work,” Martin said.

“Man, I feel like this is one of those fights, he worked. As you all know, you haven’t seen much of him. He might tweet a little, but when it comes to doing certain things, he’s been working his butt off. He has worked hard because he knows deep down what type of fighter is in front of him. I don’t care how they cut it, saying I started (boxing) late, none of that. They know what type of fighter I am. They know I’m coming to win, so he knows they have a game guy in front of him who’s coming to take everything he’s worked for.

“You all need to think, you’ve got a guy, he pulled himself out of the mud, but he’s here. He’s been there for a while, you know? You have a guy who really wants this, who has struggled throughout the process, and now he finally got his opportunity, he finally had his moment. I’m going to go out and shock the fucking world.

Martin was determined and certainly spoke of a good match, full of conviction and conviction. And we talked about it a lot. During Wednesday’s press conference, various members of each team caught stray animals from the opposition.

“We fight, they get their guy, they go with him,” Martin said of this usually light-hearted conflict. “I have my team, they support me. This is how it’s going to happen. It’s just two teams facing each other. It’s like that. They say what they’re supposed to say. My team will be by my side. That’s how it happens.

Martin thinks, however, that he might have annoyed Tank, and that might work in his favor.

“Probably a little bit, but my thing is not to talk and not to get under anyone’s skin,” Martin continued. “My thing is I just want to fight and do what I do. But if I put myself in his shoes, it’s just natural. The little stupid things I say would be something natural.

And Martin insists that’s what he wants, in the sense that he’ll have the opportunity to catch up with Davis, who is more concerned with eliminating Martin quickly than fighting with his ring wisdom.

“We are ready for anything. I say if he acts up and you lash out and lash out like he does with these other guys, he’s going to fall asleep,” Martin said.

“The whole goal is to go out there and win. If the KO happens, it happens. I’m not going to say, ‘I’m just going to go in there and knock him out.’ I don’t say it like that. I’m just saying if he comes in and gets reckless, he’ll sleep.

“I don’t put pressure on myself when I say KO. I’m not saying I’m going to knock him out. I say if he comes, he’ll act wild, he’ll run into something, act reckless, try to be too tough. That’s what I mean by that. I don’t mind going the distance. Boxing. Regardless of how he came out on Saturday night, that’s how the fight is going to go.

Tactically, it is difficult to imagine how the competition will go. Both have talked about scoring the stoppage, but Martin believes neither fighter will have had perfect preparation, due to the boxers’ individual styles.

“I feel like in the fights I fought, I didn’t fight in a style like Tank, but the fighters I fought were just preparation for a fight like this- here,” he said. “I fought different styles, boxers, punchers. I fought different styles, you know, that prepared me for Tank. I’ve had some training partners who can mimic the things he does – not exactly, but maybe some things. But am I ready for this? I’m ready for this. This is what I have trained for and I am ready to take on whatever he has.

“I feel like it’s one of those things where we both have two styles. It’s a little difficult to train, to find guys like us, so as far as preparation, we have similarities with some guys that can do certain things that they can do. But most of the time when we go out on fight night, that’s when everything is going to show.

Davis’ team mocked Martin for getting a late start in the sport, gleefully pointing out that Davis was a world champion by the time Martin turned professional. Martin, in turn, argued that his difficult start has given him the appetite to make the most of what lies ahead.

“Everyone’s path is different. Everyone’s journey, everyone’s path, it’s all different,” he explained. “I got the real deal, I came out of the mud.” I fought in armories my first damn 13 fights. Even outside of that, the fights I was fighting, I was opening concerts. Like when Errol (Spence Jr.) fought Danny Garcia, it was still Covid, so I wasn’t seen or anything like that at first. So everyone has their own little path. My path is different. That’s why this fight is so important to me, to go out and win it, because it feels like everything, all my struggles, all the hard work and sacrifices that I’m doing are going to pay off.

Davis built a significant following and, in his words, became the face of boxing. This is subject to debate. So is whether it matters, but Martin is baffled by this and everything that comes with it. His ambitions are more modest.

“I feel like I have my story, my path, and then also, I feel like I’m authentic,” Martin said. “When people meet me, they feel the same way. I am who I am, you know what I mean? I show love to people.

“I want to be like (that) – when people talk about boxing, they have to mention my name. I’m not a big fan of lights and all that, as much as I want to be in the spotlight. It comes with it, but it’s not like, “Oh, I want that.” That’s exactly what comes with it.

Martin hopes that if any lights go out on Saturday, it won’t be his, as he takes the stage for the biggest fight of his life.