Reporting note: this article draws on gmanetwork.com; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
Carl Jammes Martin brings a 28-0 record into his biggest test yet. The Filipino faces Alan David “El Rey” Picasso on October 31, on the undercard of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli in Riyadh. The Martin vs Picasso bout is a step up in weight, in opposition and in exposure all at once.
Martin, 27, is treating the undefeated record as an asset rather than a formality. “We have to protect our undefeated record,” he told GMA News Online. “We have to make sure that zero stays untouched.”
Martin vs Picasso on the Canelo-Mbilli undercard
The bout places Martin on a card headlined by Alvarez, one of the sport's biggest draws. It will be his first fight in Riyadh, and he framed it as a chance to be seen by an audience that rarely watches Filipino boxers below the world-title level.
“Even if it's not a world championship fight yet, I can't express how happy I am to be part of a big card,” Martin said. “I'm truly happy because I'll get to show what we Filipinos can do in the ring.”
He added that he wants to be recognised as a good boxer after the Riyadh appearance, and to show that Philippine boxing still produces contenders.
Why Martin is moving up to featherweight
Martin normally competes at super bantamweight, the 122-pound division ruled by Naoya Inoue. He said he struggled to find opponents willing to face him at that weight, which pushed him toward the 126-pound limit for this fight.
The move is not a permanent one in his planning. Martin has said he intends to return to super bantamweight afterwards and pursue a shot at Inoue, and he sees Picasso as the route back to that conversation.
“David Picasso is the biggest fight of my boxing career,” Martin said. “I'm truly thankful because this is the kind of big fight I've been hoping to be given.”
The game plan against Picasso
Martin enters as a sizable betting underdog, with odds in the range of +350 to +400. He is not treating the odds as a verdict, but he is treating them as a reason to be careful early.
“Our game plan is to stick and move early,” he said. “We'll study him in the early rounds. We won't rush in right away. We'll make him come to us. He has to be the one chasing me.”
That approach depends on Martin's legs holding up against a Mexican fighter who has already operated at the top of the 122-pound division. Martin also acknowledged that both men carry flaws into the ring.
“We're all human,” he said. “There are weaknesses we can spot in him, just as there are weaknesses he can spot in me. Whatever weaknesses he may have seen in me, we're already preparing for them because we know that's where he'll try to attack.”
He is not ruling out a stoppage. “I won't let any opportunity pass me by if I can knock him out, because that would mean a bigger win for me,” Martin said. “I want to win this fight by knockout.”
Picasso's lone defeat and what a win would mean
Picasso has already had his shot at the top of the super bantamweight division. In December 2025 he challenged Inoue for the undisputed 122-pound crown and suffered the only defeat of his career in that bout.
That result gives Martin a useful reference point, though not a template. Picasso has since remained a name at the weight, and beating him would give Martin a claim that his 28-0 record alone could not.
“If I win this fight, I need to be prioritized for a world championship bout,” Martin said. The statement is a request rather than a guarantee, and it depends on how the October 31 bout looks as much as on the result.
What to watch when the bell rings
The early rounds are the clearest measuring point. Martin has said he will study Picasso before committing, which means the first three rounds should show whether he can keep distance and force Picasso to lead.
The other question is weight. Martin has campaigned at 122 pounds and now fights at 126, and how he carries the extra pounds into the later rounds will shape whether his stick-and-move plan survives past the midpoint.
The original report on Martin's comments appeared at gmanetwork.com.