Brush aside the 18-month layoff. Forget the eight-round loss to Gervonta “Tank” Davis. For The Ghost is back! Though Tank took eight rounds to his title hopes, Frank Martin needed only half that time to dismantle former two-division champion Rances Barthelemy. Fighting on the undercard of the Lamont Roach-Isaac Cruz headlined PBC-Amazon Prime card, Martin, just weeks away from turning 31, rewarded himself early with his most emphatic victory to date.

And the statement win seems to have served its purpose. While still outside the top-15 rankings, Frank Martin has once again positioned himself for high-profile matchups. One such suggestion came from former stablemate Errol Spence Jr. The Texas native, who made an appearance at the Frost Bank Center, felt Martin’s win made a compelling case for a matchup against Richardson Hitchins. The 140-pound champion, for his part, didn’t seem bothered by the idea.

The Ghost reappears, and Errol Spence Jr. sends a message to Richardson Hitchins

Calling Martin’s knockout of Barthelemy ‘great,’ Spence, who hasn’t stepped into the ring since his 2023 loss to Terence Crawford and has alternated between discussions of retirement and a comeback, said, “Great knockout, and for him (Frank) to put on a top show, he put in the weight division 140, which is the weight division I don’t know.”

But in the same breath, he dropped a name: “Hopefully Richardson Hitchins is next,” the former unified champion remarked. It didn’t take long for the message to reach the Brooklyn-born IBF titleholder. His response was blunt: “I’ll beat f**ks out Frank.”

Cuban-born Barthelemy’s misery came to an end in the fourth round when a rear left from Martin dropped him to the canvas. The sharp finish drew instant appreciation. Spence Jr., who used to train alongside Martin at Derrick James’s gym, couldn’t help but notice the changes Martin has made since joining Hall of Fame trainer Buddy McGirt.

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For the once-stagnant rising fighter, it’s a major turnaround that should yield meaningful dividends.

Frank Martin vs. Richardson Hitchins – A matchup worth examining

However, expectations from Errol Spence Jr. and others should be taken with a pinch of salt. A loss followed by a long layoff likely pushed Martin out of the rankings. For him to leapfrog established contenders such as Lindolfo Delgado, Oscar Duarte, or even Adam Azim is a tall order.

But then again, this is boxing. Anything can happen.

Stephen Fulton missed weight by two pounds, yet still secured a shot at the interim lightweight interim title. So fans shouldn’t be surprised if Frank Martin finds himself lined up for a world championship sooner than expected.

With his stock now rising, he can expect a solid matchup ahead as he works toward another world title.

More significantly, Richardson Hitchins vs. Frank Martin doesn’t sound far-fetched at all. Stylistically, it’s an intriguing clash between a technically sharp boxer and a powerful puncher who just showed what he can do with his left hand.

Since defending his light welterweight title against George Kambosos Jr., Hitchins has heard his name floated for multiple potential matchups. But none have materialized. With his fellow 140-pounder Teofimo Lopez set to defend his belt against superstar Shakur Stevenson, a win over Frank Martin would put Hitchins in a strong position to call out the winner of the January 31 super fight in New York.

What’s your take on a potential Hitchins-Martin matchup?