Tag: frank martin

Report: Gervonta Davis set to defend 135-pound title against Frank Martin

Report: 135-pound champ Gervonta Davis and contender Frank Martin have reached an agreement to fight in late spring or early summer.

Gervonta Davis reportedly has his next opponent.

The popular 135-pound titleholder and No. 2 contender Frank Martin have reached an agreement to fight on pay-per-view in late spring or early summer, ESPN is reporting.

Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) evidently has put legal issues behind him, which allows him to get back into the ring. He hasn’t fought since he stopped Ryan Garcia in seven rounds last April.

Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) also fought only once last year, defeating Artem Harutyunyan by unanimous, but close decision in July.

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Report: Gervonta Davis set to defend 135-pound title against Frank Martin

Report: 135-pound champ Gervonta Davis and contender Frank Martin have reached an agreement to fight in late spring or early summer.

Gervonta Davis reportedly has his next opponent.

The popular 135-pound titleholder and No. 2 contender Frank Martin have reached an agreement to fight on pay-per-view in late spring or early summer, ESPN is reporting.

Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) evidently has put legal issues behind him, which allows him to get back into the ring. He hasn’t fought since he stopped Ryan Garcia in seven rounds last April.

Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) also fought only once last year, defeating Artem Harutyunyan by unanimous, but close decision in July.

[lawrence-related id=37607,37514,37116,36989]

Report: Frank Martin decides against fighting Shakur Stevenson

Report: Frank Martin decided against fighting Shakur Stevenson after they agreed to meet in the fall.

Frank Martin reportedly will not fight Shakur Stevenson, at least not anytime soon.

The lightweight contenders were believed to have reached a deal for a bout in the fall. However, according to Fight Freaks Unite, Martin decided not to go through with the fight.

The outlet cited Todd duBoef of Top Rank, Stevenson’s promoter.

“We agreed to terms for the fight and we sent them a contract and now the guy doesn’t want the fight,” duBoef said. “These guys can talk all they want on social media and say this and that, that they’ll whip Shakur’s butt, but they don’t want these fights.

“It’s a disappointment for the sport. You get these guys chirping everywhere and talking smack and then this guy gets the opportunity he said he wanted, we send the contract we agreed to and then he turns down seven figures. Give me a break.”

Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) evidently will fight someone else soon.

“We’ll figure something out. Shakur will still fight,” duBoef said. “Why should he be punished? He will fight anyone. Everyone knows that.”

Steveson, No. 13 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list and a former titleholder at 126 and 130 pounds, is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Shuichiro Yoshino in his debut as a full-fledged 135-pounder on April 8.

Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) is a rising contender. He last fought on July 15, when he outpointed Artem Harutyunyan in a competitive fight.

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Report: Frank Martin decides against fighting Shakur Stevenson

Report: Frank Martin decided against fighting Shakur Stevenson after they agreed to meet in the fall.

Frank Martin reportedly will not fight Shakur Stevenson, at least not anytime soon.

The lightweight contenders were believed to have reached a deal for a bout in the fall. However, according to Fight Freaks Unite, Martin decided not to go through with the fight.

The outlet cited Todd duBoef of Top Rank, Stevenson’s promoter.

“We agreed to terms for the fight and we sent them a contract and now the guy doesn’t want the fight,” duBoef said. “These guys can talk all they want on social media and say this and that, that they’ll whip Shakur’s butt, but they don’t want these fights.

“It’s a disappointment for the sport. You get these guys chirping everywhere and talking smack and then this guy gets the opportunity he said he wanted, we send the contract we agreed to and then he turns down seven figures. Give me a break.”

Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) evidently will fight someone else soon.

“We’ll figure something out. Shakur will still fight,” duBoef said. “Why should he be punished? He will fight anyone. Everyone knows that.”

Steveson, No. 13 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list and a former titleholder at 126 and 130 pounds, is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Shuichiro Yoshino in his debut as a full-fledged 135-pounder on April 8.

Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) is a rising contender. He last fought on July 15, when he outpointed Artem Harutyunyan in a competitive fight.

[lawrence-related id=36694,36678,36633,38106,38098]

Weekend Review: Frank Martin had to settle for shaky, unsatisfying victory

Weekend Review: Frank Martin had to settle for a shaky, unsatisfying victory over capable Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in Las Vegas.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Frank Martin

Martin will be a better fighter because of the experience he gained against fellow 135-pound contender Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in Las Vegas but the process was painful for him. The combination of Martin’s relative inactivity over the first eight rounds and his opponent’s impressive ability and work rate made for a close fight, one in which Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) had to rally to win by a close, but unanimous decision. The winner wasn’t satisfied at all afterward, blaming his sluggish performance on poor timing that he couldn’t explain. His trainer, Derrick James, provided the reason: James pushed Martin to let his hands go until he finally did so with some consistency down the stretch. My theory is that Martin was overly concerned with being precise with his punches when he should’ve focused on simply touching his clever opponent as much as possible, as he did in an explosive sixth round and in the late rounds. I’m guessing that will be the lesson Martin will take away from the most difficult fight of his career. Is he still a threat to the top 135-pounders? I believe so. All top fighters must endure such challenges at some point to evolve into stars. I wouldn’t want to be Martin’s next opponent.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) made a strong impression in defeat. The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, who had never fought outside his home country of Germany, demonstrated against a respected opponent that he has world class talent. He’s a gifted, clever boxer and durable. It took what appeared to be a severe eye injury to put him down in the final round, when he took a knee. He lost by scores of 115-112, 115-112 and 114-113. Had he managed to win the final round with a score of 10-9 (instead of losing it 10-8) the fight would have been a majority draw (114-114 on two cards). I hope the native of Armenia gets more big fights. He earned that Saturday night. … Elvis Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) gave arguably the strongest performance of his career on the Martin-Harutyunyan undercard. The 140-pound contender patiently broke down still-capable veteran Viktor Postol (31-5, 12 KOs) before putting him down late in Round 6 and then finishing the job in Round 7. The convincing victory bolstered the Dominican’s position as a legitimate contender. Meanwhile, Postol, 39, might decide to call it quits after three consecutive losses. He had an excellent career, which peaked when he stopped Lucas Matthysse in 10 rounds to win a world title in 2015. …

Welterweight prospect Freudis Rojas (11-0, 11 KOs) lucked out when the Nonito Donaire-Alexandro Santiago was pushed back to July 29 and his fight with overmatched Diego Santiago Sanchez (19-3, 16 KOs) ended up on Showtime’s Martin-Harutyunyan telecast. And he took full advantage, dominating and then stopping Sanchez in seven rounds. Rojas has a lot going for him. The 6-foot-2 southpaw from Las Vegas used his length and heavy hands to pick his Mexican foe apart from a safe distance, a formula that could make him a formidable opponent for anyone. Rojas is definitely one to watch. … Undisputed 130-pound champion Alycia Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs) exacted revenge and maintained her momentum Saturday in Detroit, defeating Christina Linardatou (14-3, 6 KOs) by a one-sided decision. The official scores were 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92. Linardatou handed Baumgarnder her only defeat, a split decision in 2018. Baumgarnder has won nine consecutive fights and claimed all four junior lightweight titles since her setback, establishing herself as one of the best in the business.

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Weekend Review: Frank Martin had to settle for shaky, unsatisfying victory

Weekend Review: Frank Martin had to settle for a shaky, unsatisfying victory over capable Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in Las Vegas.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGEST WINNER
Frank Martin

Martin will be a better fighter because of the experience he gained against fellow 135-pound contender Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in Las Vegas but the process was painful for him. The combination of Martin’s relative inactivity over the first eight rounds and his opponent’s impressive ability and work rate made for a close fight, one in which Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) had to rally to win by a close, but unanimous decision. The winner wasn’t satisfied at all afterward, blaming his sluggish performance on poor timing that he couldn’t explain. His trainer, Derrick James, provided the reason: James pushed Martin to let his hands go until he finally did so with some consistency down the stretch. My theory is that Martin was overly concerned with being precise with his punches when he should’ve focused on simply touching his clever opponent as much as possible, as he did in an explosive sixth round and in the late rounds. I’m guessing that will be the lesson Martin will take away from the most difficult fight of his career. Is he still a threat to the top 135-pounders? I believe so. All top fighters must endure such challenges at some point to evolve into stars. I wouldn’t want to be Martin’s next opponent.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) made a strong impression in defeat. The 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, who had never fought outside his home country of Germany, demonstrated against a respected opponent that he has world class talent. He’s a gifted, clever boxer and durable. It took what appeared to be a severe eye injury to put him down in the final round, when he took a knee. He lost by scores of 115-112, 115-112 and 114-113. Had he managed to win the final round with a score of 10-9 (instead of losing it 10-8) the fight would have been a majority draw (114-114 on two cards). I hope the native of Armenia gets more big fights. He earned that Saturday night. … Elvis Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) gave arguably the strongest performance of his career on the Martin-Harutyunyan undercard. The 140-pound contender patiently broke down still-capable veteran Viktor Postol (31-5, 12 KOs) before putting him down late in Round 6 and then finishing the job in Round 7. The convincing victory bolstered the Dominican’s position as a legitimate contender. Meanwhile, Postol, 39, might decide to call it quits after three consecutive losses. He had an excellent career, which peaked when he stopped Lucas Matthysse in 10 rounds to win a world title in 2015. …

Welterweight prospect Freudis Rojas (11-0, 11 KOs) lucked out when the Nonito Donaire-Alexandro Santiago was pushed back to July 29 and his fight with overmatched Diego Santiago Sanchez (19-3, 16 KOs) ended up on Showtime’s Martin-Harutyunyan telecast. And he took full advantage, dominating and then stopping Sanchez in seven rounds. Rojas has a lot going for him. The 6-foot-2 southpaw from Las Vegas used his length and heavy hands to pick his Mexican foe apart from a safe distance, a formula that could make him a formidable opponent for anyone. Rojas is definitely one to watch. … Undisputed 130-pound champion Alycia Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs) exacted revenge and maintained her momentum Saturday in Detroit, defeating Christina Linardatou (14-3, 6 KOs) by a one-sided decision. The official scores were 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92. Linardatou handed Baumgarnder her only defeat, a split decision in 2018. Baumgarnder has won nine consecutive fights and claimed all four junior lightweight titles since her setback, establishing herself as one of the best in the business.

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Frank Martin escapes with close decision over Artem Harutyunyan

Frank Martin escaped with a close decision over Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Frank Maritn is fortunate to have retained his perfect record Saturday in Las Vegas.

The rising 135-contender had to rally in the later rounds to defeat clever capable Artem Harutyunyan by a close, but unanimous decision in a 12-round bout at The Cosmopolitan.

The official scores were 115-112, 115-112 and 114-113. Boxing Junkie also scored it 115-112 for Martin.

Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) was the more aggressive and busier puncher for much of the bout, which made the fight surprisingly competitive for those who weren’t familiar with the German.

Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) landed many of the hardest punches but he was outworked overall in the first eight rounds, although a number of them were difficult to score.

The Indianapolis fighter had three big rounds: the sixth, when he suddenly unloaded a barrage of effective punches that seemed to hurt Harutyunyan; the 10th, when he again fought with more urgency; and the 12th, when Harutyunyan took a knee while he was under assault.

Martin won each of the final four rounds on all three official cards, which gave him the victory.

Martin remains on track to receive his first opportunity to fight for a major world title, which was his first priority, but he clearly wasn’t happy with his performance.

“I just knew I wasn’t active enough, as normally am,” he said in the ring after the fight. “I seen a lot of shots I could’ve took but my reaction time just wasn’t on point tonight.”

And he couldn’t explain it. “I couldn’t tell you. My timing was just a little off,” he said.

Martin doesn’t believe a sub-par performance — if that’s what it was — will derail him. His goals remain the same.

“I still want all the champions,” he said. “… I won’t let one off performance fool anybody. I still want the top guys.”

Harutyunyan said afterward that he took a knee in the final round because of an injury to his left eye, which he believes will turn to be serious.

It was completely closed when he was interviewed after the fight. One possibility is a broken orbital bone, which is painful and difficult to fight through.

“It was only the eye,” he said. “I think I hurt it badly.”

Harutyunyan couldn’t have been classier in defeat, thanking everyone for the opportunity to take part in his first fight outside Germany. However, he said he believes he did enough to get the decision.

He hopes he’ll get a chance to return to Las Vegas for another big fight.

“I don’t agree [with the decision] or I wouldn’t want to come back,” said Harutyunyan, who lives in Hamburg. “If possible, I would like to fight him again. It’s no problem, though.

“My plan is to win a world championship or at least fight for a world title. Maybe against [undisputed 135-pound champion] Devin Haney, maybe Gervonta Davis. I can go up a weight class. It’s no problem for me.

“But I’m so happy to be here, and I want to come back.”

[lawrence-related id=38088]

Frank Martin escapes with close decision over Artem Harutyunyan

Frank Martin escaped with a close decision over Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Frank Maritn is fortunate to have retained his perfect record Saturday in Las Vegas.

The rising 135-contender had to rally in the later rounds to defeat clever capable Artem Harutyunyan by a close, but unanimous decision in a 12-round bout at The Cosmopolitan.

The official scores were 115-112, 115-112 and 114-113. Boxing Junkie also scored it 115-112 for Martin.

Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) was the more aggressive and busier puncher for much of the bout, which made the fight surprisingly competitive for those who weren’t familiar with the German.

Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) landed many of the hardest punches but he was outworked overall in the first eight rounds, although a number of them were difficult to score.

The Indianapolis fighter had three big rounds: the sixth, when he suddenly unloaded a barrage of effective punches that seemed to hurt Harutyunyan; the 10th, when he again fought with more urgency; and the 12th, when Harutyunyan took a knee while he was under assault.

Martin won each of the final four rounds on all three official cards, which gave him the victory.

Martin remains on track to receive his first opportunity to fight for a major world title, which was his first priority, but he clearly wasn’t happy with his performance.

“I just knew I wasn’t active enough, as normally am,” he said in the ring after the fight. “I seen a lot of shots I could’ve took but my reaction time just wasn’t on point tonight.”

And he couldn’t explain it. “I couldn’t tell you. My timing was just a little off,” he said.

Martin doesn’t believe a sub-par performance — if that’s what it was — will derail him. His goals remain the same.

“I still want all the champions,” he said. “… I won’t let one off performance fool anybody. I still want the top guys.”

Harutyunyan said afterward that he took a knee in the final round because of an injury to his left eye, which he believes will turn to be serious.

It was completely closed when he was interviewed after the fight. One possibility is a broken orbital bone, which is painful and difficult to fight through.

“It was only the eye,” he said. “I think I hurt it badly.”

Harutyunyan couldn’t have been classier in defeat, thanking everyone for the opportunity to take part in his first fight outside Germany. However, he said he believes he did enough to get the decision.

He hopes he’ll get a chance to return to Las Vegas for another big fight.

“I don’t agree [with the decision] or I wouldn’t want to come back,” said Harutyunyan, who lives in Hamburg. “If possible, I would like to fight him again. It’s no problem, though.

“My plan is to win a world championship or at least fight for a world title. Maybe against [undisputed 135-pound champion] Devin Haney, maybe Gervonta Davis. I can go up a weight class. It’s no problem for me.

“But I’m so happy to be here, and I want to come back.”

[lawrence-related id=38088]

Elvis Rodriguez stops veteran Viktor Postol in seventh round

Elvis Rodriguez stopped veteran Viktor Postol in the seventh round Saturday in Las Vegas.

Elvis Rodriguez took a significant step in his career Saturday in Las Vegas.

The 27-year-old junior welterweight titleholder stopped veteran Viktor Postol in the seventh round of a scheduled 10-round bout on the Frank Martin-Artem Harutyunyan card at The Cosmopolitan.

The victory arguably is the most important of Rodriguez’s career given Postol’s name and the manner in which the fight ended.

The 39-year-old Postol (31-5, 12 KOs) was competitive in the early rounds, fighting behind his jab and landing one-twos with some consistency. He also used his feet to make Rodriguez chase him.

However, by the fourth or fifth round, Rodriguez was landing more and more punishing punches to both the head and body that began to break down Postol.

Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) put Postol down with a right hook in the final seconds of Round 6. Then, when the bell rang to start the next round, he continued where he left off and Postol couldn’t adequately defend himself.

That’s why referee Celestino Ruiz stopped the fight, to save Postol from taking undue punishment. The Ukrainian didn’t complain.

Rodriguez has now won four consecutive fights since he lost a majority decision to Kenneth Sims Jr. in 2021, strengthening his position as a legitimate 147-pound contender.

Meanwhile, Postol, who once held a 140-pound title, has lost three consecutive fights. He might be finished.

Elvis Rodriguez stops veteran Viktor Postol in seventh round

Elvis Rodriguez stopped veteran Viktor Postol in the seventh round Saturday in Las Vegas.

Elvis Rodriguez took a significant step in his career Saturday in Las Vegas.

The 27-year-old junior welterweight titleholder stopped veteran Viktor Postol in the seventh round of a scheduled 10-round bout on the Frank Martin-Artem Harutyunyan card at The Cosmopolitan.

The victory arguably is the most important of Rodriguez’s career given Postol’s name and the manner in which the fight ended.

The 39-year-old Postol (31-5, 12 KOs) was competitive in the early rounds, fighting behind his jab and landing one-twos with some consistency. He also used his feet to make Rodriguez chase him.

However, by the fourth or fifth round, Rodriguez was landing more and more punishing punches to both the head and body that began to break down Postol.

Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) put Postol down with a right hook in the final seconds of Round 6. Then, when the bell rang to start the next round, he continued where he left off and Postol couldn’t adequately defend himself.

That’s why referee Celestino Ruiz stopped the fight, to save Postol from taking undue punishment. The Ukrainian didn’t complain.

Rodriguez has now won four consecutive fights since he lost a majority decision to Kenneth Sims Jr. in 2021, strengthening his position as a legitimate 147-pound contender.

Meanwhile, Postol, who once held a 140-pound title, has lost three consecutive fights. He might be finished.