Ryan Martin talked the talk but was not able to follow it up in his clash against fellow unbeaten junior welterweight boxer Josh Taylor.
The Chattanooga native was dominated by Taylor before being stopped in the seventh round Saturday night at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
Martin (22-1) took the first loss of his pro career.
Martin and Taylor (14-0) were squaring off in the quarterfinal round of the eight-man World Boxing Super Series 140-pound tournament. Left-hander Taylor, who lives in the Glasgow area, was the No. 2 seed and the favorite going into the fight, but Martin was counting on the sparring he receives in training camp in Big Bear Lake, California, and speed as difference makers for him.
Both were nonfactors as Martin looked overwhelmed from the opening bell, fighting cautiously as Taylor was the busier boxer. Martin closed the distance but rarely threw a punch during the first two rounds.
Martin finally let his hands go in the third round, but he was getting outboxed by the slicker and sharper Taylor. After the end of the fourth round, Martin looked discouraged walking back to his corner, where trainer Abel Sanchez implored him to throw punches or he would stop the fight.
Martin's best round was the fifth, when he finally connected with hooks and attacked the body. The rally was short - Taylor dominated the next round, repeatedly connecting several punches with Martin's head.
The end finally came in the seventh round as a combination from Taylor dropped Martin to one knee. Referee Victor Loughlin stepped in and stopped the bout.
Martin, a 2011 Central High School graduate, entered the fight ranked No. 6 by the WBC and No. 8 by the IBF.
The 25-year-old Martin is promoted by Tom Loeffler, who also promotes Gennady "GGG" Golovkin, and is managed by Tim VanNewhouse.
Taylor retains a regional title belt and moves on to the WBSS semifinals, where he will face IBF junior welterweight titleholder Ivan Baranchyk (10-0) early next year.
In the co-feature, bantamweight Nonito Donaire (39-5, 25 KOs) of the Philippines won by technical knockout after the fourth round when Northern Ireland's Ryan Burnett (19-1) sustained a back injury that did not allow him to continue.
Francisco A. Salazar can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com.