Boxing: ‘Wonder Boy’ takes on Mexican contender in Canelo undercard

MANILA — Unbeaten Filipino boxer Carl Jammes “Wonder Boy” Martin looks to take another step towards contending for a world championship when he sees action in the “Mexico vs. The World” fight card on Saturday.

Martin (28-0, 21 KOs) will be up against Mexico’s David Picasso in a featherweight showdown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Their bout is part of a fight card headlined by Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who will be up against Christian Mbilli in the main event.

“Of course, there is pressure, but at the same time, this is an opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I’ve worked hard and waited a long time for this moment. When the offer came, I decided to take the fight, regardless of the circumstances,” said the 27-year-old Martin.

Picasso brings a record of 33 wins, one loss, and one draw, with 18 knockouts. His lone defeat came at the hands of Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, who outpointed him when they fought in December 2025. 

Martin trained in the United States for three months alongside his father and trainer, Abel, holding sessions at the Knuckleheads Boxing Gym in Las Vegas and Manny Pacquiao’s gym in Los Angeles. He also spent about three weeks training under Filipino coach Marvin Somodio.

Adding to Martin’s challenge is that he is going up in weight from super bantamweight to featherweight. 

“Moving up in weight is a big risk, but I see more upside in taking this fight. I might eventually discover that this is the right division for me. There have also been reports that Naoya Inoue could be moving up to this division, so we’ll see what happens,” said Martin, a southpaw from Hingyon, Ifugao.

Prior to this bout, Martin had beaten countryman Carlo Demecillo in a super bantamweight bout in May 2026, knocking him out in the third round.