Carl Jammes Martin is going back down to 122. The newly crowned WBC Silver featherweight champion will not stay at 126, according to his matchmaker Sean Gibbons, and will return to the superbantamweight class where the WBO ranks him No. 1.
Martin made his featherweight debut against Mexico's David Picasso in Riyadh last weekend, a bout carried on DAZN. Gibbons said the win was the signature result the Filipino needed before dropping back to a division that now looks open.
Why the Martin superbantamweight title shot opened up
Gibbons' reasoning rests on an expected move above him. He said undisputed WBC/WBA/WBO/IBF 122-pound ruler Naoya Inoue is expected to move up in weight, which would leave the four superbantamweight titles vacant and put Martin in line for a mandatory shot.
That framing comes from Martin's camp, not from any announced decision by Inoue or the sanctioning bodies. Martin is unbeaten and ranked No. 1 by the WBO at 122, which is the basis for the mandatory position Gibbons describes.
Gibbons on the Picasso fight
Gibbons was clear that the division change is settled, and gave his own reading of the Picasso bout rather than an official scorecard.
“Carl isn’t staying a featherweight. Now that he got his signature win, Carl will go back to 122 and wait for his world title shot. Against Picasso, I thought he took seven rounds and that’s what a lot of fans thought, too.”
Martin prepared for three months in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. His father and trainer Abel was with him throughout, and he worked with coach Marvin Somodio for about three weeks in LA. Somodio did not travel to Riyadh because of a prior commitment in London.
Dennis Principe and the plan for Picasso
Adviser Dennis Principe, in the corner with Abel and cutman Hervi Estrada, said the approach was to frustrate Picasso and draw him into close-range exchanges, removing the Mexican's five-inch reach advantage.
“Carl did some showboating, that was part of the plan to throw off Picasso. Carl was too fast for Picasso and owes his conditioning and footwork to coach Mel Lantin who also trains Kai Sotto.”
Martin arrived in Manila last Monday night from Riyadh, travelling via Al Qassim and Jeddah.
What comes next for Martin
Martin has not closed the door on 126. He said he is open to a rematch with Picasso, even as Gibbons steers him toward the 122-pound title route.
The immediate task is timing: waiting on Inoue's expected move and on the titles at superbantamweight becoming available, then converting the No. 1 ranking into an actual championship bout.
The original report was published by philstar.com.