Frank Martin was left disappointed with his performance against Artem Harutyunyan, despite emerging victorious in their clash on Saturday night. The unbeaten lightweight contender believed he had been too hesitant in the first nine rounds, allowing Harutyunyan to keep the fight highly competitive. However, Martin's aggression in the 10th round allowed him to seize control and secure a narrow unanimous decision victory after 12 rounds at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
In the final round, Martin inflicted significant damage on Harutyunyan, causing the Armenian underdog to take a knee due to a severely swollen left eye. This injury made it challenging for Harutyunyan to continue, ultimately contributing to Martin's triumph. The judges, Tim Cheatham (115-112), Max De Luca (115-112), and Steve Weisfeld (114-113), all scored the fight in Martin's favor.
Despite securing his 18th professional career win, Martin remained unsatisfied with his performance and set his sights on an even greater challenge—facing the undefeated and undisputed lightweight champion, Devin Haney. Martin confidently stated in a post-fight interview that he would likely knock out Haney in the eighth round if given the opportunity to challenge him for the IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO 135-pound championships.
"I’ll beat him [Haney]. Knockout, probably in like the eighth round."
However, Haney has yet to make a decision regarding his next move. The champion is considering either moving up to the 140-pound division or defending his four lightweight titles in his next bout. Given Martin's high ranking among lightweight contenders, it is unlikely that he will be considered as one of Haney's potential opponents.
Haney has expressed interest in a potential showdown with WBC super lightweight champion Regis Prograis in his debut at 140 pounds. Another enticing option for Haney could be a clash with newly crowned WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez if he decides to relinquish his lightweight titles and move up in weight.
Martin emphasized his desire to take on all the renowned names in the lightweight division without explicitly mentioning specific opponents. He expressed his ambition to engage in challenging and exciting matchups against the top contenders in the competitive 135-pound category.
"I want all the top guys at 135, all the top guys everybody know. You know, I don’t wanna keep name-dropping all these guys, but all the top, you know, top guys. I want ‘em."
Beatrice Adamu is a writer for AceTVBoxing.com. She can be reached on Twitter @oh_stillbella or via email: adamubeatrice13@gmail.com.
Be the First to Comment