By Jake Donovan / photos ©Tim VanNewHouse, Team Martin
Ryan "Blue Chip" Martin was all smiles when he touched ground in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Little did he know that his time spent on island would immediately transition from runway to roadwork.
The unbeaten lightweight prospect arrived in Puerto Rico on Thursday ahead of his undercard appearance on Satuday's Pay-Per-View event, topped by Orlando Salido and Roman 'Rocky' Martinez in a 12-round junior lightweight bout. No sooner than he made his way through Luis E. Muñoz Airport, Martin—who faces Miguel "Mikito" Soto"—was shuttled to his on-island camp headquarters, at which point he went straight into game mode.
You can hardly blame Martin (11-0, 6KOs) for wanting to be at his absolute best. The bout is his first of a scheduled two-fight set over the span of less than a month. The Chattanooga-bred, Cleveland-based boxer is targeted for an undercard appearance of the May 9 card in Houston, where Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez faces James Kirkland in what figures to be a junior middleweight shootout. Kirkland and Martin are both promoted by SMS Promotions.
While it’s important for Martin to win here in order to remain on the May 9 show, the 22-year old has additional motivation for giving the fans in Puerto Rico a show to remember.
“The island is filled with boxing culture and I’m looking forward to showcasing my skills,” notes Martin, who is coming off of a points win over Carlos Valenzuela this past February in Hidalgo, Texas. “I’m hopeful that Felix Trinidad will be in the audience. He was a gift to boxing from God, his devastating body punches and relentless pressure will always be inspiring to me.
“My trainer (Joe Delguyd) shares stories with me about his sparring days with the lightweight sensation Hector Camacho and often talks about Wilfred Benitez. So I think this will be an exciting trip for him as well.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
