Frank Martin scored a close decision over Artem Harutyunyan in a title-eliminator live on Showtime Boxing under the Premier Boxing Champions banner this weekend. The event took place from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Frank Martin Edges Past Artem Harutyunyan On Showtime
He didn’t get the finish he wanted, but Frank Martin remained unbeaten with a decision victory over Artem Harutyunyan live on Showtime this weekend. The bout took place from Las Vegas under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.
Martin moved to 18-0 with the win in the title eliminator for the WBC lightweight belt. He dropped Harutyunyan, who was making his U.S. debut as an Olympic bronze medalist, in the 12th.
“I just knew I wasn’t active enough as I normally am,” said Martin, who won his second fight at The Chelsea in eight months. “I just think my reaction time just wasn’t on point tonight. He definitely was a tough opponent. I wouldn’t say that it was too difficult, it was just my reaction time wasn’t working like it normally does for me.
“I couldn’t tell you know, just my timing seemed a little off tonight. He was definitely tough. I hit him with some big shots. He stood up, he bounced around in the ring like a ping pong, but he stood tall. I take my hat off to him because he took some big shots.”
Elvis Rodriguez Drops Former Champion Viktor Postol
In the co-feature, top super lightweight contender Elvis Rodriguez continued his rapid ascent with an impressive seventh-round TKO of former champion Viktor Postol, who was stopped on his feet for the second straight fight at this venue.
The Freddie Roach-trained Rodriguez improved to 15-1-1 with 13 knockouts, while Postol fell to 31-5 (12 KOs) and has now lost three straight in his storied career. Postol was taken to the hospital for observation following the bout and wasn’t available for comment.
“For every fight we always have a plan,” Rodriguez said. “Today, maybe it helped a little bit that Freddie trained Postol, but it’s always a plan for a different fighter. This all started in the fifth round. When I hit him, I thought I fractured his nose, then I gave him a nice look in the fifth.
“So, in the sixth I was going for the kill. I felt I had him from the beginning in the seventh round. I gave him a hook and I saw that he was in trouble. And then the referee stopped the fight. So we knew we had won. I’m ready. I’m ready for a world title. I’ve worked too hard so far. Thank you.”
Frank Martin With Key Victory
