CARSON, Calif. – New weight class, same result for Ryan “Blue Chip” Martin, who had to work hard to win by decision in his boxing match Saturday night.
The Chattanooga native outpointed former junior welterweight contender Breidis Prescott over eight rounds at the Stubhub Center in this Los Angeles suburb.
The Central High School graduate worked behind a jab early in the fight, cautious of Prescott’s reputation of early-round knockouts.
Martin began to attack Prescott’s body, but an inadvertent punch below the belt line in round four dropped Prescott to the canvas. Martin was deducted a point from referee Jerry Cantu for the low blow.
Martin (22-0, 12 knockouts) scored a knockdown one round later, dropping Prescott with a right uppercut to the head. Martin pressed the action aggressively during the rest of the fight, ripping vicious combinations, but Prescott was able to use his experience to hang on until the final bell.
Scores were 79-71, 79-71, 77-73 for Martin, who is now ranked No. 8 by the World Boxing Council.
This was the second time Martin fought as a junior welterweight. Prior to the move up to 140 pounds, he was ranked in the top 10 in three of boxing’s major sanctioning bodies as a lightweight.
Martin, who is managed by Tim VanNewhouse, had last fought on March 27 in nearby Hollywood, stopping Luis Eduardo Florez in round four.
Prescott (31-13, 22 KOs), who is originally from Colombia and now resides in Miami, has lost six of his last eight bouts.
Francisco A. Salazar has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. He covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, RingTV, Boxingscene.com and FightNights.com. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing