Frank Martin made a resounding return to the ring Saturday night against an aged, inactive opponent who couldn’t take his power.

In his junior welterweight debut, Martin knocked Rances Barthelemy cold toward the end of the fourth round at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. A straight left by Martin dropped him flat on his back and out.

Referee James Green immediately waved an end to their scheduled 10-rounder with four seconds to go in the fourth. Martin, a Detroit native who resides in Dallas, dropped Barthelemy once in the first round and twice in the fourth.

Back-to-back left hands by Martin (19-1, 14 KOs) sent Barthelemy (30-4-1, 15 KOs) down with 55 seconds left in the fourth. The former lightweight contender abruptly ended their bout on the Isaac Cruz-Lamont Roach undercard soon after.

“It felt good,” Martin told Premier Boxing Champions’ Brian Campbell during his post-fight interview. “I feel like 140, I’m a lot more comfortable at this weight. I’m a lot stronger at the weight. I still got my speed. I felt strong tonight. I felt a lot better than my prior two fights before this.”

Martin, 30, hadn’t boxed since Gervonta Davis knocked him out in the eighth round of their WBA lightweight title fight in June 2024 in Las Vegas.

The Cuban-born Barthelemy, 39, won world titles in two weight classes, but he hadn’t fought in 19 months. He is 1-3 in his past four fights.