Despite being forced to take on a late replacement in Hector Luis Garcia, Chris Colbert, as hubris as ever, believed that he would have little to no trouble dealing with the 31-year-old. Nevertheless, regardless of his self-belief, the crafty southpaw floored the loquacious star during their showdown earlier this year before cruising to a unanimous decision victory.
After acknowledging that he was listless on the night, Colbert has returned to the drawing board. In the midst of working on his craft, Colbert (16-1, 6 KOs) quickly developed an ongoing feud with current 135-pound contender, Frank Martin. Although he currently competes in the super featherweight division, Colbert audaciously agreed that he would be more than willing to acquiesce to Martin’s weight demands and take him on as a full-fledged lightweight.
In any event, though both sides appeared to be heading towards a collision course, negotiations broke down in the 11th hour. Martin, while disappointed, quickly shifted course and would square off against highly ranked prospect, Michel Rivera. The two officially tangoed this past weekend in the main event slot at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Initially, before swapping fists in the center of the ring, the general belief surrounding their showdown was that it would be a nip-and-tuck affair. However, after flooring his man in the seventh, Martin proved to be far too much, winning a one-sided unanimous decision.
Though still rivals, Colbert placed their differences aside for a moment as he tipped his cap to the 27-year-old in a sign of respect.
“I’m no hater,” said Colbert on his Instagram account. “Great win Frank Martin.”
Presently, with Colbert continuing to iron out the kinks in his overall game, the truculent 130-pound contender is still awaiting word on his next opponent. Realistically, Colbert will have little say in who he ultimately faces next. Nonetheless, Colbert admits that Martin, more than anyone else, is still his preferred option.
“Now, let’s dance.”