Carl Jammes Martin was supposed to be the underdog against David Picasso. He left Riyadh a champion.
The unbeaten Filipino beat former world title challenger David Picasso of Mexico by split decision early Sunday (Manila time) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to capture the WBC silver featherweight title. It was the biggest win of Martin’s career, and he earned it the hard way.
How the Fight Unfolded
It was a chess match, at least early. Both fighters measured each other and traded shots, and the taller Picasso had his moments, landing power punches that put Martin under pressure. But the Filipino was more aggressive than expected. He leaned on his footwork and speed to blunt Picasso’s power, and he answered the Mexican’s combinations with well-timed counters. As the fight wore on, his punches landed cleaner during the toe-to-toe exchanges.
Then came the scare. Picasso dropped Martin with a short jab to the face in the late rounds, though Martin insisted he had slipped. The referee ruled it a knockdown, and Martin’s gloves touched the canvas. He beat the count and was visibly in no danger. What he did next mattered more. Martin landed solid shots to Picasso’s head and body to take the last two rounds and make up the lost ground.
“Just patience,” Martin said in the ring when asked how he adjusted after the knockdown.
The scorecards showed how close it was. Barry Lindenman had it 96-93 for Martin and Jorge Luciano had it 95-94, while Guido Cavalleri favored Picasso, 95-94. Martin overcame the knockdown for the split-decision victory and was overcome with emotion after the announcement, lying flat on the canvas, crying. He couldn’t believe he’d won.
Martin improved to 29-0 with 21 knockouts. Picasso, 33-2-1 with 18 KOs, suffered only the second loss of his career. The other came against Naoya Inoue in December 2025, when Picasso failed in his bid to become the unified super bantamweight champion. Moving up in weight, Picasso stopped countryman Maicol Rincon in August to win the same silver belt he lost on Sunday.
What the Win Means for Carl Jammes Martin
This is the breakthrough Martin has been chasing. The 27-year-old has been unbeaten for a long time, but he’d never beaten a name like this. Picasso was a legitimate world title challenger, the favorite, and the biggest name on Martin’s resume. Beating him on the road, in front of the sport’s new hotspot, puts the power-punching Martin in position for a world title shot.
The win also says plenty about Carl Jammes Martin. Start with the character. Martin went down, protested, took the count, and came back stronger. Boxers who are merely good don’t always do that. He also fought smart, not just hard, trusting patience over panic when the fight was slipping.
Then consider the chip on his shoulder. Five months ago, Martin aired his frustration on social media after a long-awaited homecoming fight, against Carlo Demecillo, was moved to a barangay multipurpose gymnasium. He stopped Demecillo in the fourth round anyway. And he won Saturday amid an online feud with former three-division champion John Riel Casimero, whose apparent support for Picasso was noticed by Filipino fans. It appears martin has a habit of turning slights into motivation.
The big question is where he goes next. Carl Jammes Martin previously told GMA News Online that he intends to return to super bantamweight to pursue a showdown with Inoue, the man who beat Picasso. It’s a tall order. But a fighter who just overcame a knockdown and a heavy-underdog tag has earned the right to dream big.
