Frank Martin Eager To Test Wits with Michel Rivera
Lightweight boxer Frank “The Ghost” Martin (16-0, 12 KO’s) was recently the recipient of some good news. This transpired when the WBA elevated his impending clash with Michel “La Zarza Ali” Rivera (24-0, 14 KO’s) to a title eliminator. This alteration naturally places the winner that much closer to their first shot at a title. Yet, while the title eliminator is good news to the competitors, the match itself is a treat for the fans.
Before his match with Rivera was penned, there was a good amount of energy put into staging a duel with super featherweight boxer Chris Colbert. The verbose Colbert had made his desire to dance with Martin more than well-known. In the end, that prizefight was never finalized. This allowed The Ghost still to be free to face Rivera. As he revealed to Fight Hype however, that was all for the best.
“I was supposed to fight Chris Colbert. Chris Colbert didn’t really want to fight so once that didn’t happen, they ended up contacting me asking what I thought about Rivera. I told them, ‘let’s get it!’ They told me it was a 12-round title eliminator, I told them, ‘let’s go!’ If this is what it takes to get to that next level, I’m all for it.”
BRING ON THE CHALLENGE!
Given the skillset of each fighter, there is little doubt that the contest will be full of thrills and successful moments by each. Unsurprisingly, Martin, 27, does not believe that it’s nearly as big a risk as people may believe it to be. This is not to say that he’s sleeping on Rivera, or discounting his skill, because he is not. Still, The Ghost emphasized he is not stressing about the upcoming contest.
“This is better [than Colbert]! Like you say, the fight fans they finna see a good fight, so this is a better fight . . . I feel like my opponent, he game, he a good fighter, he is a balanced fighter. I keep telling people he is a balance fighter. He can punch, he got some speed, he can counter, he is well-rounded.”
“But like I said too, I feel like I’m going to have more of an edge with the speed, with the power and then just the IQ. But do I think that the fight is a dangerous fight? I wouldn’t say that it’s a dangerous fight, it’s a fight that was taken soon, that most people wouldn’t take. Being that it’s two top fighters coming up, taking this fight at this time, a lot of fighters wouldn’t do this.”
There is little doubt that Rivera totes the same level of confidence in himself. This is why their impending collision will be that much more exciting!
By: Bakari Simpson
