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For Frank Martin, there was no time like the present to prove he is one of the most formidable lightweights in boxing.
The undefeated southpaw could’ve chosen a less imposing opponent than Michel Rivera for his next fight and attempted to patiently position himself for a title shot in the 135-pound division. The 27-year-old Martin announced after his last fight, though, that he would face whichever lightweight was willing to step in the ring with him, and he obviously meant it.
Indianapolis’ Martin (16-0, 12 KOs) and the Dominican Republic’s Rivera (24-0, 14 KOs) are scheduled to square off in a high-stakes, 12-round WBA elimination match December 17. Showtime will air Martin-Rivera as a main event from The Chelsea, a venue inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
“This fight right here, however it goes, I feel like we should both be respected as fighters and [the outcome] won’t tarnish us because of how we’re doing it,” Martin told BoxingScene.com. “It’s not like we waited. I feel like people will still have respect for us because we chose to take this fight right now.”
Martin seemingly has more to gain because Rivera is ranked in the top 15 by the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO. Martin is ranked only by the WBA (10th), which has rated Rivera as its number two contender, behind only Ryan Garcia (23-0, 19 KOs).
The skillful, strong Martin, who is promoted by Errol Spence Jr.’s company, stopped another Dominican contender, Jackson Marinez, in his most recent bout. Martin dropped Marinez (20-3, 8 KOs) once apiece in the ninth and 10th rounds on his way to a 10th-round, technical-knockout victory July 9 at Alamodome in San Antonio.
A win over Rivera would propel him higher, which was why Martin jumped at the chance to face him.
“I just feel like this was an opportunity to get me to the bigger fights,” Martin said. “And I feel like [Rivera] is good. You know, he could box. He’s an overall balanced fighter. He’s good at some things and there’s some things that he’s not too good at. But I just feel that I’m ready, man, to show everybody what I’ve got in my arsenal, because there’s so much that I haven’t displayed or really showed yet. So, I’m just ready.”
When informed Rivera considers him an unproven prospect, as opposed to a legitimate lightweight contender, Martin reminded Rivera that’s what their 12-round eliminator is all about.
“If that’s what he thinks, hey, when we get in the ring, I guess we’ll see who is who at the end of the night,” Martin said. “That don’t really matter to me. We’re both getting in there, we’re gonna fight, and whoever get the victory, at the end of the day that’ll show who’s who.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.