Frank Martin will fight on the bottom map of Sebastian Fundora against Keith Thurman in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on October 25 on the bottom map. Martin revealed on Instagram that he was going to fight the former world champion of two division Barthelemy (30-3-1, 15 COs).
Fans criticize Martin’s return
Fans on social media are critical of the lightweight Martin who prefers to fight the 39-year-old Barthelemy. This is a too big step in the competition for Martin of the opposition he faces.
Fundora-Thurman undercard
- O’Shaqui Foster against Stephen Fulton jr.
- Jesus Ramos jr. Against Shane Mosley jr.
- Frank Martin vs. Rances Barthelemy
- Isaac Lucero against Roberto Valenzuela jr.
Martin (18-1, 12 CO’s) has come from a 16-month discharge since his eighth round loss of Gerrvonta Davis on June 15, 2024. He got a big ‘The Ghost’ Martin a nice $ 1.5 million payday for battle. So it is not a shock that he was chosen to sit inactive with his nest egg.
Martin should have returned to the ring faster and fought a better opponent. It wasn’t as much of a devastating loss for Frank to put on the shelf for almost a one and a half year.
The decline of Barthelemy
The Cuban Barthelemy lost two of his last three battles and has not been very active since 2022, after only fighting three times. His career has been on the slide since his 12-round decision loss against Kiryl Relikh on March 10, 2018.
If it was an excellent version of Barthelemy, Martin would have a real problem on his hands. This is not the case. Rances are nearly 40, and it’s been eight years since he beat a solid fighter, Relikh, in their first fight in 2017.
What makes Barthelemy’s choice look worse to Martin is that the Fundora vs. Thurman -card on Prime video ppv is. Although the price has not yet been unveiled, it is expected to be $ 59.99 in the US and £ 24.99 in the UK for the kind of money, Martin should fight against a better fighter than Barthelemy.
The combination of Martin who sits inactive for 16 months and then chooses Barthelemy, while his opponent makes him look bad. It gives fans the impression that he is not serious about his career and is only focused on taking pay days.
Last updated on 09/18/2025
