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Frank Martin shuts out Ryan Kielczewski on Pacquiao-Ugas undercard

Frank Martin - Photo by Sean Michael Ham-TGB Promotions
Fighters Network
21
Aug

LAS VEGAS – Lightweight prospect Frank Martin won a shutout decision over veteran Ryan Kielczweski on Saturday afternoon in the featured bout of the Fox-televised preliminaries on Manny Pacquiao-Yordenis Ugas undercard at T-Mobile Arena.

Martin, who went past the seventh round for the first time, won 100-90 on all three scorecards.

By end of the first round, Kielczweski had swelling over his right eye and the much faster Martin peppered him with punches repeatedly as the rounds went on.

Martin took very little in return, but Kielczweski was very game and gave a tremendous effort, so even though he was outgunned by his younger, flashier foe, he made Martin work for the victory.



Martin was pressed for the knockout, especially in the later rounds, but Kielczweski has always been durable and never been stopped.

According to CompuBox statistics, Martin landed 198 of 519 punches (38 percent) and Kielczweski connected with 54 of 322 blows (17 percent) and never landed more than seven shots in any round.

Martin (14-0, 10 KOs), a 26-year-old southpaw from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who was a seven-time national champion as an amateur, including winning the 2016 National Golden Gloves, is trained by Derrick James. He was also supposed to be in the corner of the main event until unified welterweight world titlist Errol Spence Jr. was forced to withdraw from his fight with Pacquiao less than two weeks ago because of a torn retina.

Kielczweski (30-6, 11 KOs), 32, of Quincy, Massachusetts, lost his second fight in a row, having previously dropped a 10-round decision to prospect Gabriel Flores Jr. in October 2020.

Torres TKOs Rolfe in 1st round

Heavyweight Steven Torres (5-0, 5 KOs), 23, of Reading, Pennsylvania, stopped Justin Rolfe (6-3-1, 4 KOs), 29, of Fairfield, Maine, at 2 minutes, 33 seconds of the first round.

The 6-foot-7, 250-pound Torres, who has sparred with former heavyweight world titlist Deontay Wilder, landed a barrage of punches, including several hard right hands, which forced referee Robert Hoyle to stepped in an stop the fight.

The 5-10, 257¾-pound Rolfe went at Torres in the opening moments and landed a couple of right hands of his own, but Torres quickly took over.

Valenzuela stops Strayhorn in slugfest

Lightweight prospect Jose Valenzuela (9-0, 5 KOs), 22, a Seattle-based Mexico native and stablemate of former two-time super middleweight titlist David Benavides, battered Donte Strayhorn (12-4, 4 KOs), 30, of Cincinnati, in an action-packed fourth-round knockout victory.

Valenzuela attacked immediately and when he landed a hard left hook, Strayhorn, who took the fight on five days’ notice, touched his glove to the canvas for a knockdown in the opening 30 seconds of the fight. Valenzuela worked him over for most for most of the round and gave him a bloody nose, although Strayhorn got in a few hard shots.

Strayhorn showed heart and gave an admirable effort but he could not keep pace with Valenzuela, who laid a beating on him round after round until referee Raul Caiz Jr. stepped in and stopped the fight at 1 minute, 29 seconds of the fourth round.

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