Martin didn’t buy the talk about standing in the middle.
“We’ll see, once I touch him,” Martin said at the final press conference. “You might have to move around a lot. It’s a big ring. It’s perfect for you.”
This is a fighter that speaks of impact. Not plans. Impact.
Albright didn’t blink when Martin leaned over it.
“We can do it either way,” Albright said. “Anyway. Let’s do it. I can stay in the bag with you. I can box.”
It sounds good on a microphone. The bag is different once leather starts to land cleanly.
Martin reads it as a physical fight. He thinks his timing and snap will determine how long Albright stays planted. He believes that once he starts touching the body and gets behind the sting, the ring will start to look bigger to the other man.
“You a tough (fighter),” Martin told him. “Our styles are going to clash. It’s going to be a good fight.”
Both see that contact comes early.
Martin is now gaining 140 pounds. He says the weight is better on him. More snap on the bumps. Better legs. Stronger base when he sets his feet.
“I feel a lot stronger at 140,” Martin said. “Power, speed, everything. I feel more comfortable with the weight.”
It matters in a ten round fight where pace and conditioning are tested after the fourth. At junior welterweight, if you can plant your feet and punch with authority without draining yourself, you can break a man’s posture and make him circle.
Albright stayed busy. He boxed and he bartered. He will need both. If he tries to meet Martin in the middle and switch without tightening his screen and working the body, he risks being walked back behind straight shots.
This fight will show if Albright can hold ground once Martin starts to pedal through his punches.
If Martin’s power carries over at 140 as he believes it does, Albright will be the one covering property through the middle rounds.
Start times, venue, date and live stream information
Date: Saturday, 18:00 local time
USA ET: 6:00 PM ET
UK: 11pm UK
Live stream: DAZN
Location: Caribe Royale, Orlando, Florida
