If Frank Martin has stubborn doubts ahead of his game against Michel Rivera in December, then perhaps they will appear then.
The 135-pound contender not only beat the previously undefeated Michel Rivera, he outperformed him, knocking down one card and getting a one-sided nod on the other two for the win. The most important victory his career.
In fact, he made it look so easy that viewers might not fully appreciate what he accomplished that night.
Martin, who faced Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in Las Vegas (Showtime), said: “I made it look easier than it really is. “Not to discredit his skill or talent. I am 100% ready and prepared for everything he has. …
“Some people may not have given him the problems I gave him in that fight. … It was a great fight for me, to get experience against a fighter of that caliber on my resume.”
Fans as well as pundits appreciated his performance enough to admit that he was ahead of the top lightweight athletes, Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, Shakur Stevenson and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Martin seems to have everything it takes to achieve great success. Natural gifts. He’s quick and athletic. Skill set. He’s a top amateur and keeps getting better. Good strength. A great coach at Derrick James. And, by all accounts, discipline.
All of that seemed evident in the win over the talented Michel, bringing him one step closer to a duel with one of the tournament’s stars.
“Yes, people really saw some of my skills,” Martin said. “I entered the war, if I am not mistaken, as a loser. Those who don’t know me, it wakes them up. And it prepared me for the bigger fights I wanted later on.
“It will all come together for sure. … [People] once told me it would all be over soon. It came super, super fast.”
Now, like so many top boxers hungry for a big chance, Martin, who was placed in the Top 7 by all four major sanctioning bodies, has to keep winning and keep waiting.
He respects Harutyunyan (12-0, 7 KOs), who had a successful amateur career winning a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics for his native Germany.
Martin insists that he values Harutyunyan as if he were going to fight one of the four adults in the division. He may not pose a similar threat. At the same time, he cannot risk discomfort, which will spoil all the work that has brought him to this point.
“I have to stay grounded, I have to stay focused,” he said. “That’s really the hardest part about it, focusing when you achieve success, keeping that determined mindset. You can’t be comfortable [because] it’s easy to go astray.
“This is one of those matches that will get me closer to being a must-have,” he continued. “…This brings me closer to those belts. I have to make sure to get in there and get the job done before him before I can look at the bigger names.”
By common standards, Martin is young, 28. However, he is at an age where most talented boxers have made great strides in their careers.
Does he feel extra pressure about it? Does he feel the clock ticking?
“Yes, but I don’t feel it’s a matter of age,” he said in response to those questions. “I felt it because I felt I was ready, ready for my chance to win my belt. I want the belt. I worked really hard, being in the gym day in and day out.
“I am ready for opportunities to express myself so that I can show the world.”
