Every once in a while, it’s good to get a scare—even for a ghost. Frank “The Ghost” Martin stared down a fright Saturday night at the Chelsea Ballroom in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, on a PBC event on Showtime, when he survived a jolt from little known Artem Harutyunyan.
Martin, The Ring’s No. 6 lightweight contender, won by unanimous, though close scores of 115-112 from Tim Cheatham and Max de Luca, and 114-113 on Steve Weisfeld’s tab.
The southpaw Martin (18-0, 12 knockouts) was trailing as late as the ninth round, when he found an energy surge in the championship rounds of the WBC title eliminator.
“I just knew I wasn’t active enough as I normally am,” Martin said. “I saw some shots that I could have taken, but my reaction time just wasn’t on point tonight. (Harutyunyan) is definitely a tough opponent. I wouldn’t say it was too difficult. I would say my reaction time wasn’t working like it normally does for me. I couldn’t tell you (why). My timing seemed a little off.”
Artem Harutyunyan won four of the first five rounds against Frank Martin (Photo by Stephanie Trapp-SHOWTIME).
It was drastically off.
Harutyunyan won four of the first five rounds on the judge’s scorecards and after nine, Martin trailed 86-85 on Cheatham and de Luca’s cards and 87-84 on Weisfeld’s card.
Martin, 28, came on to win the last four rounds to get the decision and keep his slate perfect.
“Before this fight, I wanted all of the champions,” Martin said. “I won’t let one off-performance fool anybody. I still want all of the top guys.”
Harutyunyan started as the busier fighter, pecking away with the jab. The 32-year-old 2016 Olympic bronze medalist for Germany mixed his punches well, working up and down, popping Martin with jabs to the body, and going up top with straight rights. Martin took a more cautious approach. He waited to throw. He slipped numerous punches, though was tagged 12 times over the first two rounds.
With 1:36 left in the third, Harutyunyan landed a right to the body. He had landed 15 power punches to Martin’s 10 through three.
Nothing has changed for @TheGhost_2016, he nonetheless desires to search out all the highest guys 😤#MartinHarutyunyan pic.twitter.com/yYIv7MoFqh
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) July 16, 2023
With 1:03 left within the fifth, Harutyunyan fell, which was dominated a slip. However stress started to construct in Martin’s nook. His coach Derrick James, the 2022 BWAA Coach of the Yr, implored him between rounds to throw extra punches. James sensed what was occurring and wished to place an finish to it earlier than Martin received too far behind.
By means of 5, Harutyunyan outlanded Martin, 49-46, nevertheless it appeared a bigger disparity due to how rather more energetic he was than Martin.
Then, with 1:42 left within the sixth, Martin discovered the house to place his foot on the gasoline. Martin tapped Harutyunyan with a proper hook and had him retreating. He put the strain on Harutyunyan, who was overlaying up. With lower than a minute left within the spherical, Martin stayed on him, attacking the physique and cleaving Harutyunyan up with straight lefts to the pinnacle.
It was Martin’s first strong, unquestionable spherical.
Within the seventh, Harutyunyan froze Martin for a second with a proper to the physique and appeared to take command of the struggle once more.
With 2:22 left within the eighth, Martin confirmed some life once more, tapping Harutyunyan with a tough proper. Then, Ghost let up. With :05 left within the spherical, Harutyunyan nailed Martin with a proper to the face. Earlier than Martin walked out for the ninth, James stored repeating, “Don’t again up, don’t again up.”
With 2:00 left within the ninth, Harutyunyan bounced a fast mixture off of Martin. Ghost didn’t again up, although he was consuming punches. “You’re not doing sufficient,” James advised Martin earlier than he walked out for the tenth.
Within the first 10 seconds of the tenth, Martin went after Harutyunyan, touchdown a straight left physique shot that backed up Harutyunyan. Martin was shifting with extra alacrity, sensing the struggle was slipping. Harutyunyan’s face started swelling and Martin had him backing up when the bell ended the spherical.
Martin was clearly profitable the eleventh. With :02 left within the eleventh, a Martin barrage had Harutyunyan stumbling because the bell sounded.
A late surge within the championship propelled Martin to victory (Photograph by Stephanie Trapp SHOWTIME).
Now going full throttle, Martin bolted out for the twelfth, coming ahead, being aggressive and attacking Harutyunyan, whose left eye was bothering him. Martin stored coming ahead, going to the physique and compelled Harutyunyan to take a knee, down for the primary time in his profession with :56 left within the struggle.
“I noticed each punch from him,” Harutyunyan mentioned. “The final spherical my (left) eye received harm very dangerous and that was the purpose the place I needed to take two seconds to recuperate. I believe this (final) spherical was the one spherical that determined it and gave it to him. It was solely my eye (why he took a knee). It’s harm badly. I don’t agree (with the choice). I wish to go additional and my plan is change into a world champion. I’m so completely satisfied to be right here and I wish to come again.”
Elvis Rodriguez scored the most important victory of his profession by stopping Viktor Postol in seven (Photograph by (Photograph by Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME).
Elvis Rodriguez and Viktor Postol, the previous WBC junior welterweight titlist, had nothing to cover from one another. The 2 had sparred loads of rounds towards one another. Postol was seeking to snap a two-fight dropping streak, and Rodriguez, the Dominican southpaw, wished to proceed to construct off his February victory over Joseph Adorno.
Rodriguez (15-1-1, 13 KOs) scored the most important victory of his profession by stopping Postol within the seventh spherical of a scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout at a contract weight of 142.
Rodriguez occurred to have in his nook Corridor of Fame coach Freddie Roach, who as soon as skilled Postol.
“Each struggle we at all times have a plan, and right now, perhaps it helped slightly bit that Freddie skilled Postol, however there may be at all times a plan for a unique fighter,” Rodriguez mentioned.
Early on, Postol (31-5, 12 KOs) was the extra energetic fighter. He labored his jab nicely and had Rodriguez backing up. However that modified within the third, when Rodriguez landed a proper to the cheek, adopted by a straight left on Postol’s chin with 1:27 left within the spherical, Postol stumbled backwards and gave the impression to be in some bother. Rodriguez ended the third touchdown a few proper hooks.
Within the fifth, Rodriguez pressured Postol as soon as once more, backing the Ukrainian fighter up and placing him on the defensive. Within the final minute of the sixth, Rodriguez might sense blood, after which with a good proper hook to the chin, Postol folded downward with :15 left. It was the fifth time in Postol’s profession that he tasted the canvas. He was lucky to get out of the spherical.
“This all began within the fifth spherical, after I thought I fractured his nostril, so within the sixth, I used to be going for the kill,” Rodriguez mentioned.
Rodriguez started the seventh by clubbing Postol, already on shaky legs, with a proper hook to the pinnacle with 2:47. That was the start of the tip, as a result of Postol was stumbling all around the ring. Seemingly defenseless, Postol was towards the ropes when referee Celestino Ruiz intervened and ended it at :23 of the seventh.
“I felt I had him to start with of the seventh spherical, I gave him a hook and I might see that he was in bother,” Rodriguez mentioned. “Then the referee stopped the struggle, so we knew we received. I’m prepared for a world title. I labored too exhausting thus far.”
Within the opening TV bout, 6-foot-2 welterweight southpaw Freudis Rojas (11-0, 11 KOs) received by seventh-round stoppage over Diego Sanchez in a scheduled 10-rounder.
Freudis Rojas took aside Diego Sanchez over seven (Photograph by (Photograph by Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME).
“This man was a tricky man, and we knew that he was going to maintain placing strain on,” Rojas mentioned. “I’m glad I received the rounds in, as a result of that’s what we’d like within the professionals. The extra rounds the higher and I do know the followers like that. I wish to preserve preventing. Once I came upon the information I used to be going to be on this card, I used to be leaping round like slightly woman with some pom poms.”
The 24-year-old Rojas, who possessed a 72-inch attain to Sanchez’s 67½, received off to an incredible begin, stabbing the shorter Sanchez (19-3, 16 KOs) persistently with the jab and touchdown straight lefts.
For the primary time in his profession, Rojas went past 4 rounds. It was an attention-grabbing twist, as a result of within the fifth, Sanchez, going through solely the second fighter with a profitable file, started coming ahead and forcing Rojas to preventing going backwards. It nonetheless didn’t cease Rojas from slamming straight lefts flush on Sanchez’s face. By means of 5, Rojas landed extra pictures, 50-45.
Within the final 5 seconds of the sixth, Sanchez received by way of with a proper to the pinnacle, and as he returned to his nook, he was warned by his nook that they might cease the struggle if he didn’t present them one thing. They have been trustworthy with their fighter, telling him he had not received any of the primary six rounds.
Sanchez’s nook then adopted by way of and stopped it at :58 of the seventh spherical.
“I’ll simply return to the health club,” Rojas mentioned. “I’m like rooster. Simply throw me into the struggle. Each time they name me and there’s a struggle, I’m going to struggle, as a result of I really like preventing. That is what I used to be bred to do. I’m in love with this sport and I can’t get away from it.”
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Journal/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America.
Follow @JSantoliquito
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The quilt of the June-July 2023 Summer time Particular was painted by Richard Slone.
