FRANK MARTIN has revealed that, following a devastating eight-round stoppage defeat to Gervonta Davis, his long-awaited comeback fight is finally locked in for October 25.
According to his social media post, the former world title challenger will face Rances Barthelemy at the MGM Grand (Garden Arena), Las Vegas, featuring on the undercard of Sebastian Fundora vs Keith Thurman.
Also included in that PBC pay-per-view package is O’Shaquie Foster, who defends his WBC super-featherweight title against Stephen Fulton, while Jesus Ramos Jr takes on Shane Mosely Jr in an intriguing middleweight contest.
For Martin, 18-1 (12 KOs), though, this represents an opportunity to put some demons to rest as, more than anything, the 30-year-old looks to leave his loss to Davis, which arrived in June 2024, firmly in the past.
An otherwise slick technician, with plenty of tricks up his sleeve, the American has previously proven himself against a selection of strong but unspectacular operators.
His performance against Michel Rivera, in particular, saw Martin put on a comprehensive boxing clinic, flooring his man in the seventh round, before coming away with a convincing points victory back in 2022.
For this next stage in his career, however, it would appear that ‘The Ghost’ is looking to campaign at 140lbs, where none other than crafty veteran Barthelemy, 30-3-1 (15 KOs), stands in his way of another crack at world honours.
The former world champion has only ever fallen short against stiff competition, yet his last outing, a unanimous decision defeat to an equally faded Jose Carlos Ramirez, would suggest that the Cuban’s best days are surely behind him.
Not only that, but the 39-year-old has remained out of the ring even longer than Martin, who took to Instagram to announce their upcoming clash just yesterday.
