Ryan Martin (18-0, 11 KOs), has proved himself to be an interesting prospect to watch after his systematic dismantling of Bryant Cruz (17-2, 8 KOs) on the undercard of Gennady Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs Saturday night.
Martin took to smart boxing early, cutting the ring down from a mobile Cruz, and managed to work in body and head shots in combination, sapping Cruz’s confidence early.
It became clear early in the bout that Cruz didn’t have much to show Martin in terms of getting the Ohioan’s respect.
As the rounds wore on, the pattern was obvious: Cruz would be mobile early in the rounds, fade later in the rounds as Martin cut off the ring, and Cruz would get pounded on the ropes with only a few seconds remaining.
Referee Harvey Dock decided in the 8th round that this pattern shouldn’t continue on any longer and stopped the bout on the ropes before the beating could get out of hand. Cruz appeared to protest the stoppage, but eventually accepted it, knowing he’d been outboxed and outworked the whole night.
Martin, with this victory, has established himself as someone to be watched in an increasingly interesting Lightweight division.
Ryan Martin stops Bryant Cruz in Round 8. #Boxing #GGGJacobs pic.twitter.com/gIvFWI9u0n
— RoundByRoundBoxing (@RBRBoxing) March 19, 2017