Shakur Stevenson vs Frank Martin Falls Apart in the Ninth Hour
To the chagrin of many boxing fans, according to ESPN, the showdown between two-division champion “Fearless” Shakur Stevenson (20-0, 10 KO’s) and Frank “The Ghost” Martin (18-0, 12 KO’s) is now off. The sudden breakdown took place when Top Rank delivered a contract to Martin’s team. It was then that The Ghost’s team indicated that they were no longer pursuing the November 16 duel to determine the fate of the vacant WBC lightweight title.
It will be extremely revealing to hear what led to this implosion. Up to this point, Frank Martin has carried himself as someone who is up willing to take on all customers. So barring injury, there are few rationales that will not result in significant disappointment. Yet, if injury was the true culprit then why not just say that off top?
WHO’S IN THE OTHER CORNER NOW?!
Obviously, this leaves Stevenson in a lurch with no opponent to dance with. The New Jersey native was already having difficulties locating suitable opposition as both Vasiliy Lomachenko and Issac Cruz had turned down the opportunity to scrap.
This new development certainly will do no favors for Martin’s reputation as he is already coming off a lackluster performance against Artem Harutyunyan. Ranked #6 (WBO), #5 (IBF), #4 (WBC) and #3 (WBA), Martin could have staged a tremendous redemptive bout. Now, he’s saddled himself with one more reason for the boxing public to turn a skeptical eye toward The Ghost.
It will be interesting to see what the next move is for both fighters. No matter what happens next, stay tuned to 3Kings Boxing to stay ahead of the curve!
