Fight Week: Rising lightweight Frank Martin to face Artem Harutyunyan

FIGHT WEEK

Hot lightweight contender Frank Martin will face Artem Harutyunyan in Las Vegas. Also, in Detroit, Alycia Baumgardner will defend her 130-pound titles in a rematch with the only woman to beat her, Christina Linardatou.

FRANK MARTIN (17-0, 12 KOs) VS.
ARTEM HARUTYUNYAN (12-0, 7 KOs)

• Date: Saturday, July 15
• Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
• Where: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
• TV/Stream: Showtime
• Division: Lightweight (135 pounds)
• At stake: No major titles
• Odds: Martin 10-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
• Also on the card: Nonito Donaire vs. Alexandro Santiago, bantamweights (for vacant WBC title); Elvis Rodriguez vs. Viktor Postol, junior welterweights
• Prediction: Martin KO 9
• Background: Martin is in the process of working his way into the top group of 135-pounders. The gifted 28-year-old from Indianapolis is coming off his biggest victory, a one-sided decision over previously unbeaten Michel Rivera last December in Las Vegas. He’s ranked in the Top 7 by all four major sanctioning bodies, No. 2 by the WBA. Harutyunyan is a well-schooled boxer from Germany who won a bronze medal in the 2016 Olympics. However, Martin represents a significant step up in opposition for the 32-year-old. And Harutyunyan, who lives in Hamburg, has never fought outside his home country. He last fought in June of last year, when he easily outpointed Humberto Galindo in Hamburg.

ALYCIA BAUMGARDNER (14-1, 7 KOs) VS. CHRISTINA LINARDATOU (14-2, 6 KOs)

• Date: Saturday, July 15
• Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
• Where: Masonic Temple, Detroit
• TV/Stream: DAZN
• Division: Junior lightweight (130 pounds)
• At stake: Baumgardner’s undisputed championship
• Odds: Baumgardner 8-1 favorite (average of multiple outlets)
• Also on the card: Andy Cruz vs. Juan Carlos Burgos, lightweights; Jermaine Franklin vs. Junior Anthony Wright, heavyweights; Marc Castro vs. Gonzalo Fuenzalida, lightweights
• Prediction: Baumgardner UD
• Background: Baumgardner will be seeking to avenge a loss to Linardatou, which occurred five years ago. She was 6-0 and still developing when the Greek fighter defeated her by a split decision in a 130-pound bout in 2018. Baumgardner is 8-0 since then and has evolved into one of the best female fighters in the world. The 29-year-old from Detroit delivered a breakthrough victory last October, when she defeated previously unbeaten Mikaela Mayer by a split decision to unify three of the four major 130-pound titles. She then added the vacant WBA belt by easily outpointing Elhem Mekhaled on Feb. 4. That was her most recent fight. Linardatou followed her victory over Baumgardner by stopping Kandi Wyatt in six rounds to win a 140-pound title and successfully defended by outpointing Deanha Hobbs a few months later. She then lost a her belt to pound-for-pounder Katie Taylor by a unanimous decision in November 2019. She fought once early in 2020 and then spent almost 2½ years away from boxing. She returned in July of last year, outpointing, Aleksandra Vujovic, and hasn’t fought since.

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY

• William Foster III vs. Fradimil Macayo, junior lightweights, Plant City, Florida (ProBox TV)

SATURDAY

• Josh Kelly vs. Gabriel Corzo, junior middleweights, Newcastle, England (DAZN)
• Alan Picasso vs. Sabelo Ngebinyana, junior featherweights, Mexico City (DAZN)
• Conor Wallace vs. Mat Sheehan, light heavyweights, Fortitude Valley, Australia (DAZN)