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Frank Martin just wants his rightful recognition.
The rising lightweight contender knows this is the fight that can deliver it and bring him to the opponents amongst whom he believes he belongs.
Coming into the sport later than most of his counterparts, the 27-year-old Indianapolis native is 16-0 with 12 KOs, finally moving into the fringes of the division’s top 10 with his latest win in July. However, in one of boxing’s most loaded weight classes, he’ll need to pass bigger tests before getting a crack at the top dogs he desires.
Martin pounced on his opportunity to do so, and he will square off against fellow undefeated contender Michel Rivera on Saturday night at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (10 p.m., Showtime) in a 12-round WBA lightweight title eliminator. Martin is ranked 10th in the WBA’s rankings, while Rivera ranks No. 2.
“I believe I’m overlooked. I started late, I started fighting late,” Martin told The Post ahead of the bout. “I feel like, yeah, I’ve been overlooked or whatever. But I’m gonna make up for all of that. I’ve got to take these types of fights like this. That’s gonna jump me above the curb. But there’s still some people that don’t know who I am, so I’ve got to keep going out, putting on these shows that I’m putting on in spectacular fashion. I’ve got to keep doing what I do, and eventually, I’ll have everybody’s eyes. But right now, there’s still some people that sleep.”
At 24-0, the 24-year-old Rivera has emerged as one of the division’s fastest-rising up-and-comers, climbing up the division quicker than the older Martin, who has fewer pro fights. Martin was lauded for pushing for and accepting the matchup, signifying a clear intent to take his career to an ambitious new level.
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At the top of the division, 24-year-old Devin Haney reigns as the undisputed champion, while 24-year-old Ryan Garcia and 28-year-old Gervonta Davis rank near the top as two of the sport’s most-electrifying and followed stars. On top of that, 25-year-old, two-division champion Shakur Stevenson just moved up and entered the weight class.
And Martin’s opponent, Rivera, will catapult right into that conversation with a win. If Martin himself wants to be a part of that group at the top, his time is right now, and this is the opponent to bring him there.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Martin responded when asked if he believes he’s on the same level as the aforementioned fighters. “If I wasn’t feeling like I was on that level, I wouldn’t even be taking this fight. This fight puts me right there, I wouldn’t even be trying to get to this point if I wasn’t ready for it.”
As he steps up in competition, Martin won’t be changing too much. He’s delivered the needed performances; he just hasn’t had the adequate attention or challenges to deliver the subsequent fanfare.
Perhaps, then, it’s fitting that he’s nicknamed “The Ghost” and now faces his toughest victim yet to haunt.
“I feel like I’ve honestly been doing what I’m supposed to do in these fights,” Rivera said. “If I’m not knocking the guy out, I’m beating them in crazy fashion. I feel like I’ve just got to keep winning. The caliber of opponents is going to keep going up, and I’ve just got to keep putting on the same type of performances, the same type of dominant performances, against these good guys, the known guys, maybe more known than me.
“That’s my path, I’ve got to fight these guys that everybody knows, I’ve got to get them up out of the way, and then once I do that, that’s when they’re gonna see ‘OK, he’s a real dog.’ So I’ve got to keep doing that. I’ve got to keep it going.”
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