A powerhouse finish saved Frank Martin from losing his undefeated record to an Artem Harutyunyan who came to Las Vegas giving absolutely nothing away.
On Saturday night in Las Vegas, Frank Martin had a tough night before taking the win by scores of 114-113, 115-112 and 115-112.
"All in all he's a tough guy. He took hard punches. I take my hat off to what he did. I wasn't surprised when he put his knee on the canvas (in round 12) because he was landing big punches downstairs, but he have all my respects," Errol Spence's pupil said at the end of the fight.
In what was his debut in America, Harutyunyan left no stone unturned and from the opening round he pressured the undefeated prospect until he made him hesitate. Even trainer Derrick James had to tell Martin that he wasn't doing enough to get the W.
The pressure from the corner was what Martin needed and he reacted by dropping his hands and throwing his best punches, but even Harutyunyan didn't step back.
The moment that tipped the scales in Martin's favor came with a minute left in the contest when Harutyunyan landed a knee on the canvas and although he got up to continue, the damage had already been done.
"I don't agree with the decision, Martin is not Errol Spence. I want to move a little further and fulfill my dream of being a world champion, even if it's disputing the world title," said the Armenian who lost his undefeated after 12 fights.
With this victory, Martin improved his record to 18-0 with 12 knockouts and assured that he will now go for the big names of the division.
"I want to face the champions, I want the best," he finished.