Ifugao pride Carl Jammes “Wonderboy” Martin is hell-bent on making up for lost time.
The unbeaten multi-regional champion Martin will end an eight-month hiatus as he takes on Oscar Duge of Tanzania on Aug. 19 at the Mandaluyong City College Gym in Mandaluyong City.
This will be Martin’s first fight since scoring a 2nd round knockout win over Komgrich Nantapech of Thailand in December last year in Baguio City to improve his record to 21-0 with 17 knockouts.
“I was inactive for about a year during the pandemic and I struggled a bit. Looking back, I learned a lot from that inactivity and I hope to make the necessary adjustments this time,” said Martin whose latest layoff was due to a rib injury.
The 26 year-old Duge is known for his ring generalship and sturdiness. He has a record of 11-5-2 with 4 knockouts and has yet to suffer a knockout loss.
“Martin better be ready as I will aim for his world rankings. This is my chance. This is for my family. This is for Tanzania,” said Duge during a weekend zoom guesting in a Philippine sports radio show.
Martin, 24, is currently ranked No. 4 in the IBF and No. 9 in the WBO as a superbantamweight. He is the current IBF Pan Pacific champion and once held the WBA Asia and WBO Oriental Youth belts.