Frank Martin: 'I want to wake the division up'
Showtime Boxing rolls into the strip in Las Vegas, NV, as they host a card live from the Chelsea Theater inside The Cosmopolitan. Frank ‘The Ghost’ Martin (17-0, 12 KOs) will face the Armenian Artem Harutyunyan (12-0, 7 KOs) in an intriguing matchup that will headline the Showtime telecast on Saturday night.
Martin isn’t a household name yet, but he is certainly heading in that direction. So why should people care about his story or who he is? Martin told FansidedMMA, “As a person, I’m a solid guy. My story is just different. It’s one of those stories where I really had to grind to get where I’m at. There wasn’t no handouts given to me. It’s just one of them stories where someone troubled, getting into a sport that kinda changed him for the better, and now I’m doing what I love. It’s keeping me going in a positive direction, not a negative one.”
For those that aren’t following the sport closely, Martin not only has one of the best trainers in Derrick James, getting him ready for his fights, but he is promoted by Man Down Promotions, owned by unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. It was an opportunity that Martin was seeking from the start. It took a trip to Dallas, TX, to see his cousin Jalen Smith who was playing for the Cowboys at the time to ask him who he wanted to work with. Martin immediately mentioned James and Spence Jr., which led to a meeting with the former fighter turned trainer James. After Martin shared his plan with James, he was willing to train Martin, and the rest is history.
Frank Martin vs. Artem Harutyunyan will stream live on Showtime
While in the gym training for July 29 Fight against Terence Crawford, @errolspencejr gives us his prediction on how @TheGhost_2016’s fight against Artem Harutyunyan ends this weekend on @showtimeboxing at @TheChelseaLV. #MartinHarutyunyan #SpenceCrawford #ManDown pic.twitter.com/F6J4KSwClO
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) July 11, 2023
It can be a little intimidating when you show up to the gym and your promoter, a unified champion, is right there putting in work at a level you are trying to achieve. Martin has been a sponge throughout this process and is motivated by it. Martin told FanSidedMMA, “Seeing him (Spence Jr.) at the gym at the level that he is in and not being complacent, that’s something huge that I see from him. Also, him keeping that hunger in the gym outside of fights.” Martin worked alongside his promoter as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career against Terence Crawford on July 29.
Although it’s been a little over a year since Martin has been in the ring, he stated that he is more than ready for Saturday’s fight but won’t overlook his opponent. As for the fans who will be tuning into Showtime or buying a ticket for the fight, what should they expect? “They’ll be on the edge of their seat. I have both hands, thunder & lighting (laughs). I can get you up out of there at any point in the fight. I feel like it’ll be a good fight while it lasts. We are looking for something big. I want to wake the division up.”
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