A “long 11 months” is over for professional lightweight boxer Ryan “Blue Chip” Martin.
The 23-year-old Chattanooga native gets to fight again Saturday night at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., as part of the undercard for the HBO-televised middleweight title defense for Gennady Golovkin. Martin will face Rosbel Montoya of Mexico, who has a 16-7-1 record with 13 knockouts.
The 2011 Central High School graduate and product of the local YCAP boxing program had 13 fights and won them all, eight by knockout, in his first 15 months as a pro. But that was under contract to the SMS Promotions company owned by entertainer 50 Cent, Curtis Jackson III.
Jackson filed last July for a highly publicized bankruptcy that brought SMS to a standstill and left its boxers in limbo – unable to fight for that company and unable to go elsewhere.
Martin was one of those who ultimately filed suit to get out of the contract with SMS, and his exit finally was settled. He now is hooked to Tom Loeffler, who also promotes Golovkin and Roman Gonzalez, a flyweight also on the HBO card Saturday.