Shakur Stevenson Ready for Frank Martin Anytime!
Frank “The Ghost” Martin (17-0, 12 KOs) and Shakur Stevenson (19-0, 9 KOs) are two of the top fighters in the lightweight division. Martin is coming off a dominant unanimous decision win over Michel Rivera in a WBA world title eliminator.
Afterward, the Indianapolis native said he was ready, willing, and able to fight any of the elite fighters in the division. Quickly, there were back-and-forth discussions on social media and boxing message boards about who Martin should fight at lightweight.
NEVER SCARED
One name mentioned was two-division champion Shakur Stevenson. Always ready when mentioned on social media, Stevenson responded to the chatter about whether he would fight “The Ghost”.
Stevenson is renowned for his boxing skills, accuracy, and excellent defense. But in his win over Michel Rivera, Martin showed that he’s not too shabby in those departments. Stevenson might be the better defensive fighter, but it can be argued Martin has faster hands and feet. He is also the harder hitter. It would be quite an interesting battle. There’s a scenario where you could see a matchup between them.
HOW IT COULD HAPPEN
Reigning undisputed champion Devin Haney is currently in negotiations to face three-division champ Vasyl Lomachenko. Should he fight and defeat Lomachenko, Haney could exit the division because 135 has become increasingly difficult for him to make.
That would then leave all the titles vacant. Stevenson is ranked in the top ten by all four sanctioning bodies (#3 WBC, #5 WBA/IBF, #2 WBO). Martin will soon be elevated to number one by the WBA. Under that scenario, you could envision Stevenson and Martin fighting for the vacant WBA lightweight title in mid-late 2023.
It’s a fight that would illicit plenty of conversation from observers and hardcore followers. At this point, most pundits would make Stevenson the favorite. However, Martin would be a very live underdog. If Stevenson went on record to say he is up for it, this is a situation worth keeping an eye on.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
