Shakur Stevenson Warns Frank Martin After Callout!
In his next at bat, lightweight contender Frank “The Ghost” Martin (17-0, 12 KO’s) will take on undefeated German Artem Harutyunyan (12-0, 7KO). While Martin is not overlooking Harutyunyan, he is viewing their fight as merely another opportunity to showcase his skills. Instead The Ghost would prefer to be sliding through the ropes to face one of the bigger names in the division. This is precisely why he’d love to tangle with Olympian and two-division champion “Fearless” Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10 KO’s).
For his part, Stevenson appears to be pursuing a match with undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney. Yet, Fearless is not happy with the amount of money he was being offered and was attempting to get a better payday. Aside from the purse split, it’s very possible that Haney is about to move up in weight anyway. If this is the case, obviously that would leave Stevenson twisting in the wind. Perhaps, this is where Martin, ranked #2 (WBA), #5 (WBC), #6 (IBF) and #7 (WBO) hopes to come into the picture.
COULD DO WORSE!!
For all intents and purposes, Martin (28), versus Stevenson (26), is a very solid match-up. This is especially the case if neither man can secure a fight with Haney, Gervonta Davis or Ryan Garcia. Each is highly talented and claims to be willing to take on all comers. A win over the other would certainly be an additional feather in the winners’ caps. Luckily, this is not a new idea as the two have been talking about one another for a little while now.
RELATED: Shakur Stevenson: “I Will Fight Frank Martin In A Heartbeat!”
In the ring, Fearless has remained a very solid product who repeatedly turns in impeccable performances. During his premiere showing in the lightweight division, Stevenson, ranked #1 (WBO), #4 (IBF), #2 (WBC) and #4 (WBA), roughed up and stopped an over-matched Shuichiro Yoshino in the sixth. Since that April 8 win, the New Jersey born bruiser has been in the market for a big fight.
Likewise, Martin dared to be great in his last duel by fighting, then undefeated, and highly regarded Michel Rivera. Heading in it was believed these two rising stars would make for a competitive, nip and tuck showdown. Instead, Martin took Rivera to school and dominated him in every available sector of the fight game. While he did not stop Rivera, the twelve round trouncing led to the wide unanimous decision of 110-117, 109-118 and 107-120. Assuming Martin maintains his form against Harutyunyan, let’s hope The Ghost and Fearless can get it in next!
