Keyshawn Davis placed his Christmas shopping on pause as he took in the sights on December 17th, as Frank Martin squared off against Michel Rivera.
Initially, their highly publicized lightweight showdown captured the imagination of the former Olympic silver medalist. Although Davis (7-0, 5 KOs) was under the impression that Rivera would box his way to a victory, Martin proved to be the slicker, stronger, and better all-around fighter.
With Rivera hitting the deck in the seventh round, Martin (17-0, 12 KOs) cruised to the finish line, winning a unanimous decision on the night.
Both Davis and Martin, of course, have spent the past few months chirping back and forth in the public eye. But, despite their quarrels, Davis admits that Martin exceeded his expectations. While he reveals that he wasn’t entirely surprised by Martin’s steady skills, Davis did acknowledge that he was taken aback by what his budding rival has in between his ears.
“Honestly, he was doing a lot of the same sh!t that he was doing against a lot of the other opponents,” said Davis to BoxingScene.com during a recent interview. “It was just working a lot on Rivera. He was capitalizing a lot on Rivera’s mistakes. He was controlling the fight. His style is still his style. The only thing I can really take from that fight is ok, you’re smarter than what I thought you was.”
Martin’s impressive IQ was highlighted after each and every round as Rivera was simply unable to find his groove. Now, the newly turned 28-year-old will turn his attention toward Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson, and the rest of the division’s upper echelon. Davis, on the other hand, is attempting to solidify himself as a true contender.
Following a string of cataclysmic victories in 2022, Davis is hopeful that his 2023 calendar will be filled with stern opponent after stern opponent.
Although he was unable to pinpoint when exactly a showdown between himself and Martin could ultimately take place, Davis is confident that, when it does happen, it’ll be one for the ages.
“Me and Frank Martin is gonna be a helluva fight. It’s gonna be crazy.”