After a strong run at 135 pounds that established himself as one of the slickest fighters in the sport, Frank “The Ghost” Martin will look to begin a run in the 140-pound weight division as he faces Cuba’s former two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy (pictured) in a ten-round attraction. Martin-Barthelemy tops a three-fight PBC on Prime Video lineup on Saturday, October 25th from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in the lead-up to the PBC pay-per-view event on Prime Video headlined by WBC 154-pound champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora against former unified welterweight champion Keith “One Time” Thurman. The streaming presentation will also feature undefeated teenager Kaipo Gallegos facing the hard-hitting Nike Theran in a ten-round lightweight matchup, and unbeaten junior lighweight Luis “The Twist” Nunez dueling Argentina's Hector Sosa in the ten-round opening about at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT.
These fights lead into the four-fight pay-per-view beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT, which features two-division champion Stephen Fulton Jr., the reigning WBC featherweight champion, moving up to take on WBC junior lightweight champion O’Shaquie Foster in the 130-pound world title fight co-feature. The pay-per-view lineup also features Mexico's Jesus “Mono” Ramos Jr. in a high-stakes duel against Shane Mosley Jr. for the Interim WBC middleweight title, and undefeated young Mexican star Isaac “La Bestia” Lucero battling hard-hitting Roberto Valenzuela Jr. in an all-Mexican 154-pound showdown. Tickets for the live event are available now through AXS.com.
Prior to losing a title shot vs. Gervonta "Tank" Davis in 2024, the 30 year-old Martin (18-1, 12 KOs) had most recently shown that his power can last through a 12-round fight as he dropped the previously unbeaten Artem Harutyunyan in the final frame to clinch a unanimous decision victory in July 2023. His previous outing saw him stamp his status as one of the elite 135-pounders in the sport as he dropped and dominated the then-unbeaten Michel Rivera on his way to a unanimous decision in December 2022. Martin’s initial ascent at 135-pounds saw him begin by stopping then unbeaten Jerry Perez in April 2021 before dispatching of tough contenders Jackson Marinez, Romero Duno and Ryan Kielczweski.
“I’m excited to be back after people tried to bash me for taking one loss,” said Martin. “I took it as a lesson learned and I’m back mentally and physically at the top of my game. Rances is gonna have to deal with everything I went through, and he’s gonna feel it on every punch. I’m back and I’m pissed off and dangerous.”
A native of Havana, Cuba now fighting out of Las Vegas, Barthelemy (30-3-1, 15 KOs) steps back into action after dropping a decision to former unified champion Jose Carlos Ramirez in April 2024. His previous two outings saw him best contender Omar Juarez in May 2023 after a July 2022 defeat to Gary Antuanne Russell in which many believed the referee waived off the fight prematurely. A world champion at 130 and 135 pounds, Barthelemy owns notable victories over Argenis Mendez, Antonio DeMarco, Mickey Bey and Denis Shafikov. His only other professional loss came in a 2018 140-pound championship rematch against Kiryl Relikh. Barthelemy comes from a fighting family, as he is the middle brother between the younger Leduan and the older Yan, who won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics.
“October 25 is the night I remind everyone who Rances Barthelemy is,” said Barthelemy. “Frank Martin is a talented fighter, but I’ve been in deep waters before, and experience counts when the lights are brightest. I’m coming with new hunger, sharper focus, and the fire of a man chasing one more world title run. Fans tuning in are going to see me determined to leave everything in the ring. I’m not here to survive, I’m here to dominate and make sure my name is back on everyone’s radar.”
