By: Sean Crose
Up and coming lightweights Michel Rivera and Frank Martin threw down at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on Saturday night as the main event of Showtime’s last fight broadcast of 2022. The winner of the scheduled twelve round affair would enter into 2023 a rising star in one of the sport’s hotter divisions.
Rivera employed his longer reach and sharp jab in the first. Martin, however, threw an impressive combination. For the record, Rivera not only looked like Ali, he also wore Ali’s name on his trunks and at times tried to employ “The Greatest’s” fluid defensive style. Martin was able to get in and land hard on his man in the second. The third was tight, with each fighter having impressive moments.
The flight slowed considerably in the fourth save for the final minute when Martin came alive and started landing on Rivera. Things continued to be more of a chess match in the fifth. Martin was able to get through to Martin in the sixth and have himself some strong moments.
A Martin combo put Rivera down in the seventh. Rivera got up before the ten count and the round ended quickly thereafter. Martin was able to keep landing on Rivera in the eighth. The ninth showed that Rivera had no answers for Martin’s continuous aggression. Martin appeared relaxed and well in control of the fight in the tenth. Rivera, on the other hand, appeared almost sluggish in the eleventh.
Martin looked like he hurt his left hand – even if just to a small degree – in the twelfth and final round. It didn’t matter as far as the fight was concerned. The southpaw controlled the last three minutes against the frustrated Rivera. Unsurprisingly, Martin walked out of the ring after the fight with a unanimous decision victory over Rivera on his resume.