By Vince Dwriter: Lightweight contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin has his eyes locked in on the Big 3 (Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia), but before he can focus on them, he must prepare himself for a pivotal showdown on Saturday, December 17 when he faces the WBA number two ranked contender Michel Rivera (24-0, 14 KOs) at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, live on Showtime.
As an amateur coming out of Indianapolis, Indiana, Martin placed his name in the city’s history books six years ago when he accomplished something that took over thirty years to duplicate. Back in May 2016, Martin won a national championship, and a year later, he decided to turn pro.
During his five years competing as a professional, Martin has reeled off sixteen straight victories without a defeat. The last time Martin was in the squared circle, the rising lightweight contender produced a very impressive performance.
Five months ago, Frank Martin and Jackson Marinez participated in a captivating, action-packed fight. The majority of the bout was fought inside the pocket as Martin and Marinez delivered some entertaining exchanges from close range.
They were willing to go toe-to-toe, as both boxers were active on offense. The bout was a good back-and-forth battle until the seventh round, when Martin proceeded to take over the fight. Martin looked sharp in the seventh round as he did a good job of changing levels and attacking his opponent upstairs as well as downstairs.
In the ninth round, Martin landed some solid shots to the body, and he wobbled Marinez when he hit him with a hard right hook to the head. As Marinez stumbled back into the ropes, Martin hit him with a flurry of shots that sent Marinez down to the canvas.
Marinez was able to rise to his feet, and seconds later, the bell sounded to officially end round nine. Realizing he had a wounded opponent in front of him, Frank Martin came out swinging in the tenth. Thirty seconds into the round, Martin knocked Marinez down for a second time. As soon as Marinez hit the floor, the referee stepped in to put a halt to the contest.
After his stellar performance against Marinez, Frank Martin is ready for the next challenge, and it comes in the form of the undefeated Michel Rivera. Similar to his opponent, Michel Rivera has his eyes targeted toward the elite of the lightweight division.
Since May 2022, the Dominican boxer Rivera has been lobbying for a shot at the WBA (regular) champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, and a victory against Martin could solidify his chance of landing that particular fight. Both boxers are high-level contenders on a collision course, and the winner will earn the right to continue his pursuit of securing the more lucrative prize fights.
The number ten ranked WBA contender, 27-year-old Frank Martin (16-0, 12 KOs), is well aware of the fact that the boxer-puncher Michel Rivera will be his toughest opponent to date. During his recent appearance on ‘The DAZN Boxing Show,’ Frank Martin spoke on finding a way to prevail against his undefeated opposition.
“I just plan on going in there, being sharp and being focused. Really in the fight, it’s whatever presents itself. I’m looking for opportunities when I’m in there, in the ring. If an opening opens up or whatever, I’m going to capitalize off the opportunity.”
Martin went on to state, “I’m not going in there to play with him. If I got to go twelve with him, I’m going to figure it out and do what I got to do. If I catch him with a shot in between something, that will be better. I just want to go out there and put on a great performance and show everybody I’m ready for all the top fighters.”