Together with his famed coach imploring him to get a knockdown, Frank “The Ghost” Martin rallied late and dropped Artem Harutyunyan within the twelfth spherical to unravel his extra skilled opponent, capturing a detailed however unanimous determination within the hardest battle of Martin’s profession in a WBC Light-weight Title Eliminator on Saturday on SHOWTIME from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in an occasion introduced by Premier Boxing Champions.
Martin (18-0, 12 KOs) needed to intestine by what he described as an off efficiency towards Harutyunyan, a beforehand undefeated Olympic bronze medalist from Germany who traveled to america for the primary time in his skilled profession and fought aggressively and confidently. Nonetheless, together with his promoter and stablemate Errol Spence Jr. cheering him on from ringside, Martin received by scores of 114-113, 115-112 and 115-112 and practically closed the left eye of Harutyunyan as Martin’s supreme stamina and relentlessness allowed him to complete robust.
“I simply knew I wasn’t energetic sufficient as I usually am,” mentioned Martin, who received his second battle at The Chelsea in eight months. “I simply assume my response time simply wasn’t on level tonight. He undoubtedly was a tricky opponent. I would not say that it was too tough, it was simply my response time wasn’t working prefer it usually does for me. I could not inform you understand, simply my timing appeared slightly off tonight. He was undoubtedly powerful. I hit him with some massive photographs. He stood up, he bounced round within the ring like a ping pong, however he stood tall. I take my hat off to him as a result of he took some massive photographs.”
Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) led 58-56 on all of the judges’ scorecards after six rounds however Martin received the final 4 rounds from the judges’ perspective to seal the win. After his coach Derrick James instructed him he wanted a stoppage, Martin thundered out of the nook to start out the tenth spherical and appeared to harm Harutyunyan with a left to the physique. With Harutyunyan’s left eye closing, Martin once more pressed the motion within the twelfth, chasing him across the ring. Harutyunyan took a knee with 53 seconds left within the battle, the primary knockdown of his profession, as Martin landed a barrage of rights and lefts. The break did Harutyunyan good, as he was in a position to get better and dance away from hazard to outlive Martin’s onslaught.
“I do not agree,” Harutyunyan mentioned of the choice. “If it is potential I’ll battle him once more, but when it isn’t, not an issue. He is only a fighter. He isn’t Errol Spence. I am an enormous fan of Errol Spence. My plan is to be grow to be a world champion, or at the least battle for the world title, perhaps towards Devin Haney or Gervonta Davis. I can go up one weight class, it isn’t an issue for me. However I am so completely happy to be right here and I wish to come again.”
On Harutyunyan taking the knee, Martin mentioned, “No, I wasn’t shocked. after some time, after I’ve landed so many physique photographs, I can get to carrying guys down. I did not land as many physique photographs as I usually do, so, you understand, he stood in there.”
Harutyunyan blamed his eye for inflicting him to take a knee within the last spherical.
“He is fighter. However I noticed each punch on him,” Harutyunyan mentioned. “The final one my eye acquired damage very unhealthy, in order that was the purpose the place I needed to take just a few seconds to get better [on the knockdown]. I believe this spherical was the one spherical that determined it and gave it to him.”
Within the co-feature, high tremendous light-weight contender Elvis Rodriguez continued his fast ascent with a powerful seventh-round TKO of former champion Viktor Postol, who was stopped on his toes for the second straight battle at this venue.
Rodriguez, who has notched 4 straight wins since dropping a majority determination to Kenneth Sims in 2021, floored Postol with a proper hook within the last seconds of the sixth spherical and damage Postol once more with one other proper hook within the seventh spherical as referee Celestino Ruiz stopped the bout at 23 seconds of the body as Postol stumbled into the ropes after absorbing a barrage of punches. Rodriguez led 59-54 on all three judges’ scorecards.
The Freddie Roach-trained Rodriguez improved to 15-1-1 with 13 knockouts, whereas Postol fell to 31-5 (12 KOs) and has now misplaced three straight in his storied profession. Postol was taken to the hospital for statement following the bout and wasn’t accessible for remark.
“For each battle we at all times have a plan,” Rodriguez mentioned. “At present, perhaps it helped slightly bit that Freddie educated Postol, but it surely’s at all times a plan for a unique fighter. This all began within the fifth spherical. After I hit him, I assumed I fractured his nostril, then I gave him a pleasant look within the fifth. So, within the sixth I used to be going for the kill. I felt I had him from the start within the seventh spherical. I gave him a hook and I noticed that he was in hassle. After which the referee stopped the battle. So we knew we had received. I am prepared. I am prepared for a world title. I’ve labored too arduous up to now. Thanks.”
An fascinating sub-plot of the match was the presence of famed-trainer Freddie Roach, who was in Rodriguez’s nook on Saturday and had additionally just lately educated and guided Postol. Their familiarity prolonged to Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Fitness center in Los Angeles with the 2 ceaselessly sparring. The expertise favored Rodriguez as he damage Postol with a jab-right mixture halfway by the third spherical that had Postol retreating for the rest of the spherical.
Rodriguez landed a proper hook to the highest of Postol’s head with roughly 20 seconds left within the third as Rodriguez started sitting down on his punches and opening up. Rodriguez damage Postol with a left-right combo to the physique with 20 seconds left within the fifth that almost doubled Postol over and had him dancing away to finish the spherical. Rodriguez caught Postol with a proper uppercut to start out the sixth and later shocked Postol with a tough proper jab as Postol’s left eye started to shut and Postol’s nostril and mouth crammed with blood earlier than the bout was stopped.Freudis Rojas, a slick, 6-foot-2 power-puncher from Las Vegas, dominated the very recreation Diego Sanchez within the telecast opener, stopping Sanchez at 58 seconds of the seventh spherical of the welterweight bout and increasing his document to 11-0 with 11 knockouts when referee Tony Weeks intervened to wave off the motion on the request of Sanchez’s nook.
Sanchez’s nook halted the bout after their fighter absorbed 159 punches whereas solely touchdown 51, in response to CompuBox stats. Rojas landed 47% of his energy punches and averaged 23 punches landed per spherical and was touchdown too many unanswered photographs when the bout was stopped. The photogenic Rojas, who received each spherical on the three judges’ scorecards, was giddy with emotion within the ring afterward as he mentioned the thrill of preventing on nationwide tv for the primary time.
“ this man was a tricky man. We knew that he was gonna maintain placing stress on,” mentioned Rojas, who was prolonged previous the fourth spherical for the primary time. “I am glad I acquired the rounds in as a result of that is what we’d like within the professionals. The extra rounds the higher, and I do know the followers like that. This was the largest blessing. Like I mentioned on the press convention, when I discovered that the information [I would fight on the telecast] I used to be leaping round like slightly woman like with some pom poms, man ‘trigger it is such a blessing. I believe that is gonna open much more doorways for me.”
The southpaw Rojas relied on his lengthy attain and lanky body to maintain the 5-foot-7 Sanchez at bay as he unleashed a gradual weight loss plan of jabs and left arms. Sanchez’s left eye began to shut barely early within the second body as Rojas peppered Sanchez with snappy punches. The sport Sanchez (19-3, 16 KOs) soldiered on and stored strolling ahead, even touchdown a stiff proper hand and a left uppercut with a minute left in fifth that caught Rojas’ consideration. Nonetheless, it was a dominant efficiency from Rojas, who owns an newbie win towards the headliner Martin and has sparred with elite skills like Terence Crawford, Jaron Ennis and Alberto Puello. All of Sanchez’s losses have come towards undefeated fighters.
Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer hosted the telecast whereas versatile fight sports activities voice Mauro Ranallo dealt with the blow-by-blow motion alongside Corridor of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Three Corridor of Famers rounded out the telecast workforce – Emmy®-winning reporter Jim Grey, world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon, Jr., and boxing historian Steve Farhood, who served as unofficial scorer. The manager producer was four-time Emmy Award winner David Dinkins, Jr. The producer was Ray Smaltz III and the director was Chuck McKean. Sportscaster Alejandro Luna known as the motion in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) with former world champion and SHOBOX: The New Technology® commentator Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez serving alongside him because the skilled analyst.
Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast will replay on SHOWTIME EXTREME® on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET/PT and on Monday at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
The occasion was promoted by Man Down Promotions and TGB Promotions.
