Frank Martin proved that he is one of the top up-and-coming fighters at lightweight and came through his World Boxing Association (WBA) eliminator fight against Michel Rivera in spectacular fashion this weekend at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. 

Martin came out on cards of 120-107, 117-110 and 118-109 to win a unanimous decision and now moves closer to a world title shot. 

On paper, the fight was very equal. It pitted two young, undefeated fighters against each other in a bout that will put the winner in a great position for the immediate future. However, Martin took it upon himself to make the fight look easy and came away with a big win.

Speed was an obvious advantage for the American, who used his jab to counter the height advantage Rivera had and keep him away and out of his boxing. The 27-year-old southpaw fighter’s great performance was capped by a knockdown of the Dominican in the seventh round with a counter punch, which marked the high point of the winner’s dominance. 

It was the 17th career win for Martin, who has 12 knockouts. Rivera left his record at 24 wins, 1 setback and 14 knockouts.