Lucky Frank Maritn kept his impeccable record on Saturday in Las Vegas.
The rising 135th contender had to regroup in the following rounds to defeat the potentially intelligent Artem Harutyunyan with a close but unanimous decision in a 12-round bout at The Cosmopolitan.
The official scores are 115-112, 115-112 and 114-113. Boxing Junkie also scored a 115-112 goal for Martin.
Frank Martin ends strong
Do you have a winner in the war?
(through @ShowtimeBoxing) pic.twitter.com/tsy8IruXSa
– ESPN’s Sideline (@ESPNRingside) July 16, 2023
Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) was the more aggressive and busy fighter for most of the match, which made the match surprisingly competitive for those unfamiliar with the fighter. Virtue.
Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) threw the most difficult punches but overall he played better in the first eight rounds, although some rounds were difficult to score.
The Indianapolis boxer had three big rounds: in the sixth round, when he unexpectedly unleashed a series of effective punches that seemed to injure Harutyunyan; day 10, when he fought again with more urgency; and on the 12th, when Harutyunyan knelt while being assaulted.
Martin won each of the last four rounds with all three official cards, giving him the victory.
Martin is still on track to get his first chance to fight for a major world title, which is his top priority, but he’s clearly not satisfied with his performance.
“I just know that I am not active enough as usual,” he said in the ring after the match. “I looked at a lot of pictures that I could have taken but my reaction time wasn’t right tonight.”
And he couldn’t explain it. “I cannot tell you. My timing was just a little bit off-putting,” he said.
Martin doesn’t believe a performance below par – if that’s the case – will derail him. His goal remains the same.
“I still want all the champions,” he said. “…I won’t let a poor performance fool anyone. I still want the top ones.
Harutyunyan later revealed that he fell to his knees during the final due to an injury to his left eye, which he believed was going to be serious.
It was completely closed when he was interviewed after the battle. One possibility is that the orbital bone is broken, which is painful and difficult to overcome.
“It’s just the eye,” he said. “I think I hurt it badly.”
Harutyunyan couldn’t have lost a better match, thank you everyone for the opportunity to participate in his first battle outside of Germany. However, he said he believes he has done enough to get to the decision.
He hopes to get the chance to return to Las Vegas for another big game.
“I disagree [with the decision] or I wouldn’t want to come back,” said Harutyunyan, who lives in Hamburg. “If possible, I want to fight him again. It’s no problem, though.
“My plan is to win the world championship or at least fight for a world title. Can resist [undisputed 135-pound champion] Devin Haney, possibly Gervonta Davis. I can go up a weight class. That’s not a problem for me.
“But I’m happy to be here, and I want to come back.”
