Newly minted WBC Silver featherweight champion Carl Jammes Martin is sliding back to super bantamweight but isn’t closing the door on 126 completely just yet.
Carl Jammes Martin Wants a Championship
Martin’s move is strategic. He is hoping to win a major belt—meaning any of the WBC, WBA, WBO, or IBF championships—soon to punctuate what has been an unbeaten career thus far. It turns out a pathway to achieving that dream could open up as soon as Naoya Inoue, the undisputed kingpin at 122, moves up to 126, according to Sean Gibbons, who handles Martin’s matchmaking. Once The Monster moves up to featherweight, the Ifugao warrior could be next in line for the WBO belt, as he is ranked No. 1 by the organization.
“Carl isn’t staying a featherweight,” Gibbons revealed. “Now that he got his signature win, Carl will go back to 122 and wait for his world title shot. Against Picasso, I thought he took seven rounds, and that’s what a lot of fans thought, too.”
While the immediate plan is to move back down to 122, Gibbons maintained that Martin could still continue competing at 126. In fact, the Filipino is actually open to a rematch with Picasso, whom he beat via split decision to claim the WBC Silver featherweight belt.
Where Does Carl Jammes Martin Stand Right Now?
At the moment, Carl Jammes Martin’s best path to a world title is via the WBO, where he is, again, the No. 1 contender and next in line for a shot at the belt. And, barring a delay in Inoue’s plans to move up, that title shot could come fairly quickly for the Filipino, with another Japanese fighter and former Inoue victim, Junto Nakatani, as his likely opponent.
Martin could also climb the IBF ladder, where he is currently No. 12, just below fellow Filipinos John Riel Casimero (No. 11) and Kenneth Llover (No. 9). With a signature win under his belt, Martin could command a high-profile bout against a top-10 opponent in the IBF, where a win would propel him to contender status.
The WBA and WBC belts, meanwhile, could be out of reach at the moment, as the Ifugao native isn’t ranked in either promotion.
One thing is clear, however. Carl Jammes Martin has a lot more options now after that big win over David Picasso.
