By Ian S Palmer
Unbeaten lightweight contender Frank Martin of Detroit, Michigan faces undefeated Artem Harutyunyan of Armenia in a 10-round tilt this Saturday, July 15th from the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight can be seen live in America on Showtime. Martin last saw action in December when he beat Michel Rivera by 12-round unanimous decision after dropping him in round seven. Harutyunyan downed Humberto Galindo by a 10-round unanimous decision in his last bout to retain his WBC International Lightweight Title.
The 28-year-old Martin is a southpaw who climbs through the ropes with a perfect mark of 17-0 with 23 Ko’s and has 82 rounds of experience under his belt since making his pro debut in 2017. Before that he enjoyed a fine amateur career which saw him reach the 2016 USA National Championship Final and win the 2016 National Golden Gloves Tournament by beating Vergil Ortiz Jr in the final. He also made it to the Golden Gloves semifinals in 2015.
Martin comes in at 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 68-inch reach and has impressive power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 70.6 per cent but has gone the distance in two of his last four fights. He hasn’t faced the elite of the lightweight division yet as he climbs up the rankings as his biggest wins have been against Jerry Perez, Ryan Kielczweski, Romero Duno, Jackson Marinez and Michel Rivera.
The 32-year-old Harutyunyan fights out of Germany and is also perfect as a pro with a mark of 12-0 with 7 Ko’s. He’s boxed 71 rounds since turning pro in 2017 following a successful amateur career. He won a bronze medal at the 2013 European Championships and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as a light welterweight. He won the vacant BDB International Super Lightweight Title in 2018 when he halted Merab Tukadze in the eighth round and added the vacant IBO Continental Crown a year later with a 10-round unanimous decision over Hugo Santilan.
The vacant IBO International Super Lightweight Title was next in November 2019 when Harutyunyan earned a 10-round majority decision over Islam Dumanov. He then added to his collection of belts by capturing the vacant WBC International Title in October, 2021 with a fifth-round stoppage of Samuel Molina. Harutyunyan stands just over 5-feet-7-inches tall and unfortunately has an unlisted reach, so is just half-an-inch shorter than Martin. As far as power goes, Harutyunyan’s knockout ratio currently sits at 58.3 per cent and he’s gone the distance in four of his past six fights.
Prediction…
Martin appears to be the complete package and has all the tools needed to one day become a world champion. Harutyunyan is no slouch either though as he also has plenty of amateur experience and decent power. Both boxers are taking a step up in class but Harutyunyan is fighting as a pro for the first time outside of Germany. Martin has the edge in speed and power but I don’t think everything will go his way this weekend. I’m expecting him to win the fight though, but he’s probably going to have to be at his best to do so.
