Lightweight prospect Frank “The Ghost” Martin monster mashes Jerry Perez
In his latest in-ring assignment, talented lightweight prospect Frank “The Ghost” Martin (13-0, 10 KO’s) kept his undefeated record in tact with an impressive stoppage win. On the undercard of a Fox Sports 1 telecast, Martin stopped Jerry “The Joker” Perez (13-1, 10 KO’s) in the seventh round. The bout stood as the first loss on Perez’s professional ledger.
Ghost entered the pro ranks leaving behind a decorated career that saw him earn seven national championships and finish first in the 2016 National Golden Gloves. The win was made that much more notable due to his foe, Perez, being no slouch himself. Like Martin, Perez entered into this contest with an undefeated record and riding a three-consecutive knockout streak. It was also his television debut.
SMOOTH DOMINATION
The first round was more or less the standard feel-out round where no overly notable strikes landed. Yet, there were a number of clinches that lead to a fair amount of wrestling, which showed that neither fighter was willing to give an inch. In terms of offense, it was clear that Martin was dedicated to throwing to the body. The second round was completely dominated by The Ghost. Behind a tight, high guard he smoothly slipped in and out of striking range and landed numerous 2, 3 and 4 punch combinations. His hand-speed was obviously problematic for Perez.
Nothing improved for Perez in the third. In fact, things were getting much gloomier. The Ghost continued his high volume assault, yet during the second half of the round the punches got considerably harder. Martin continued his two-fisted abuse through the first two minutes of the fourth. Perhaps he began getting too comfortable because during the final sixty seconds, due to the lackadaisical dropping of his hands, the Joker was able to land some of his best shots of the night.
HIT THE SWITCH
With the arrival of the sixth round, The Ghost switched up his modus operandi. Now, rather than using his feet so fluidly, Martin stood his ground and began sniping Perez with quick, jarring jabs and straight lefts. After connecting, he would move his feet and repeat. Outside of a pair of solid left hooks in the last minute, The Joker did very little to write home about. The first two minutes of the seventh was largely a carbon copy of the sixth. Well that was until after being driven straight back by two lazy jabs, The Ghost detonated an explosive left hook on Perez’s chin. Upon impact, The Joker went stiff and fell in the corner like a pushed over statue.
To his credit, Jerry Perez found his feet but his knees were as weak as those on any Bourbon Street drunk. Seeing his man was severely debilitated, Martin pounced on The Joker and swarmed with punches. It was then that referee Jerry Cantu jumped in and halted the action. Technically speaking, the fight could have gone a bit longer as there were only a few seconds left and none of the swarming punches landed flush. Yet, it was clear given the momentum of the fight that the end was imminent, whether that round or the next. Clearly, Frank Martin is an up and coming force to be reckoned with.
By: Bakari Simpson
