INDIO, Calif. - Another fight, another win for Ryan Martin.
He did so with a new face in his corner.
The Chattanooga native broke down Yardley Suarez of Mexico before stopping him at 48 seconds of the fourth round Friday night at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in this Southern California desert city.
Martin improved to 18-0 as a professional, with 11 knockouts. Suarez is 19-6 with 10 KOs.
Martin, a 2011 Central High School graduate, won the vacant WBC Continental Americas lightweight title in his last bout on Sept. 10, defeating Cesar Villarraga by unanimous decision.
Suarez had won his most recent two bouts before facing Martin.
From the opening bell, Martin used his aggression and pinpoint accuracy to put Suarez on the defensive. Martin, who had a height and reach advantage, also was able to sit down on his punches, which began to take a toll on Suarez as his punch output dropped significantly.
Suarez attempted to attack his opponent's body but left himself exposed to hooks and crosses from Martin.
"We wanted to be more aggressive in this fight than in my prior bouts," Martin said after the fight.
Moments into the fourth round, a barrage of punches dropped Suarez to the canvas. He was able to beat the count but was met with a series of combinations to the head.
To save Suarez from further punishment, the referee stepped in and stopped the bout.
Martin, who is managed by Tim VanNewhouse, trained for the Suarez fight at the Summit Gym in Big Bear Lake, Calif. Trainer Abel Sanchez, who trains Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, Sullivan Barrera and Denis Shafikov, was in Martin's corner.
Martin enjoyed the environment in the Southern California mountains in preparation for the Suarez fight.
"It was a great experience being up in Big Bear. Everyone up there is hungry," Martin said. "Training with champions like Denis Shafikov and 'Triple G' is great. It's nothing I've experienced before.
"Sparring with those fighters, I had to be more explosive. I didn't want to be a pushover in the ring during sparring. All that work made me a better fighter."
Martin, who is not currently signed to a promoter, hopes to land more significant bouts in 2017. The 23-year-old believes he is coming into his own and is worthy of landing a televised fight on a major network.
"We definitely want to make a move in 2017. My goal for next year is to be a top lightweight (135 pounds)," he said. "I would like to be in contention for a world title belt by the end of next year."
Francisco A. Salazar covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, RingTV and Boxingscene.com. He has covered boxing in Southern California since 2000. Follow him on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing