Frank Martin returns to face Rancis Barthelemy on October 2

Frank Martin will be headlining the preliminary card, as he will fight former two-division world champion Rance Barthelemy in the Sebastian Fundora vs. Keith Thurman PPV on October 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Martin’s return path

Martin (18-1, 12 KO) did not make the main card on the PBC on Prime Video PPV. Perhaps the main reason for this is that coming off an eighth-round knockout loss to WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis on June 15, 2024, he has elected to sit out the ring for 16 months.

“The Ghost” Martin reportedly earned $1.5 million in the Tank Davis fight. With such a nice payday, it’s understandable why he wasn’t in a rush to get back in the ring.

Veteran Barthelemy edge

Martin, 30, moves up in weight to face the 39-year-old Barthelemy (30-3-1, 15 KOs). On paper, Martin should have a good chance to win based on his young age. However, he has never won a world title before, and lacks the same experience as the Cuban Rance.

Martin’s lack of activity in the last couple of years could be a problem for him. Prior to fighting Gervonta last year in June, Frank had not fought in 11 months since his 12-round unanimous decision win over Artem Harutyunyan on July 15, 2023.

Martin had a tough time in that fight and needed to rally in the championship rounds to get the decision with scores of 115-112, 115-112 and 114-113. That fight showed what level Martin is, or lack thereof. He’s a decent fighter, but not an elite level. For this reason, you have to give Barthelemy a good chance to win. He has the pedigree from his two-division world titles and being on the Cuban national team as an amateur.

Rance promises to remind

“October 25 is the night I remind everyone who Rance Barthelemy is,” said Rance Barthelemy. “Frank Martin is a talented fighter, but I’ve been in deep water before, and experience is important when the lights are bright.”

Barthelemy has lost two of his last three fights to Gary-Antoine Russell and Jose Ramirez. These are the fighters that Martin would also very likely lose if he fought them at 140 years old.

“I’m excited to be back after people tried to attack me over one loss,” Martin said. “I took it as a lesson learned and I’m back on top of my game mentally and physically. Rance is going to have to deal with everything I’ve been through, and he’s going to feel it in every punch. I’m back angry and dangerous.”