Frank Martin Still Calling On All Top Lightweight Fighters!
Prior to facing Armenian fighter Artem “The Original” Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KO’s), rising lightweight contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin (18-0, 12 KO’s) felt their duel will be a showcase fight for himself. Instead of dusting off a hapless patsy however, The Ghost was presented with a big, tough, high-volume, bronze-medal winning Olympian who applied a great deal of pressure.
To his credit, Martin’s defense prowess did allow him to avoid the great majority of The Original’s aggression and shots. Furthermore, when Martin came forward he did land hard, nasty shots without neglecting the body. Even still, competing off the back foot for large swaths of time due to not effectively adapting was a poor look for Martin. The fact that Harutyunyan was largely unknown, with this being his American debut, many thought he’d be chum for a shark. Clearly his pedigree carried weight.
“I just knew I wasn’t as active enough as I normally am, it was some shots I seen, a lot I could have took. But it was like my reaction time just wasn’t on point tonight. He is definitely a tough opponent, I wouldn’t say it was too difficult, it was just my reaction time wasn’t working like it normally do for me.
“Like before this fight, I still want all the champions. Don’t let one off performance fool nobody, so I still want all the guys.”
Frank Martin – Top Lightweight Contender
STUMBLE OR FUMBLE?
In similar fashion, red-hot interim IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis put in what many viewed as a subpar performance against Karen Chukhadzhian. Then in his next fight versus Roiman Villa, Ennis dazzled the crowd and renewed the masse faith in his skill-set. Now, The Ghost will be looking to stage the same manner of redemptive showing.
The question is, “in his next prizefight will Martin have that opportunity with another obscure foe or one of premiere boxers that he is chasing?” Only time will tell, but thankfully 3Kings Boxing will be on deck to provide all the latest developments.
