AS he worked his way up the tree of prospects and contenders to earn a shot at cashing in on Gervonta Davis later tonight, Frank Martin is the “best available” type of pay-per-view opponent.
Undefeated at 18, with 12 KOs (“he can hit,” Gervonta admits half-jokingly), sparring session footage has been dug up in time for beef purposes, and the Derrick James-Errol Spence Jr dynamic, there is good news that Frank play.
If things had gone differently, Spain's Jon Fernandez (below) might have found himself throwing bombs under the lights of Las Vegas this evening.
Rewind to July 2021 and Michel Rivera was staring down the open referee who had been put on the California canvas by a heavy-handed Spaniard. Unable to fully capitalize on that short period, Fernandez ended up in the lead and Rivera stopped him two rounds later.
“It was the best opportunity I got. I was also very young at that time,” recalls Fernandez. “I went to the Rivera fight with a little injury, but there are no excuses.”
Specially speaking Debate NewsFernandez believes the odds against Rivera, and his previous loss to then-unknown O'Shaquie Foster in 2018, came too soon.
“I think with this third chance to put me on the world map again, those two fights [against Rivera and Foster] in the past we will make a big difference.”
Jon aims to show that big difference the next time he steps into the ring facing a tough test. Not that his latest victim, Jezzrel Corrales, wasn't a tough-to-navigate operator. However, September's European super-lightweight bout in Sheffield with Dalton Smith is yet to be announced. This is where the player from Bilbao hopes the difference will be there for everyone to see.
Using his big fight experience and disrupting tension against Dalton is just the kind of foundation Fernandez needs to get back to the level of players like Rivera, Martin or the main man, Gervonta Davis, who will be out to make a statement at the MGM Grand today.
“I think of him [Davis] he is the best,” said Jon, speaking from Palma de Mallorca, where his extensive team was promoting the show the previous night.
“I think he's the creme de la creme of that division, the most dangerous man and obviously the best.”
Best for some, but totally irrelevant to Jon who has Dalton Smith on his mind right now, five pounds north. While the 135-pound fight with Rivera gave him confidence and profile, moving up to 140 suits the 28-year-old Fernandez's frame better.
“Yes, I feel more comfortable now at super-lightweight,” he admits.
“When I was very young, [lightweight] it wasn't a problem, but it became a big struggle as the years went on. I have a big frame and now that I am at super-lightweight, I feel strong, fast and ready for big fights.”
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