The journey towards a shot at a world boxing championship continues for unbeaten bantamweight prospect Carl James Martin.

The 26-year-old Filipino returns to the ring for the first time this year and will face tough Cebuano fighter Carlo Demecillo on 16 May at the Philippine Marine Corp. in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

The clash is set for 12 rounds in a fight where Martin said he will come along with a “title eliminator” mindset.

“The whole team is treating this as a title eliminator so that we’ll have a chance to be ready to fight for the world title,” said Martin, who sports a perfect record of 27-0 including 20 KOs.

The 5-foot-6 Lagawe, Ifugao native was with his father and head trainer Abel Martin when they appeared in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission media room.

While the elder Martin, a former pro fighter himself from Cebu, said his son is already ripe to fight for a world crown, they’re still taking things with a lot of caution.

“We’re not in a hurry. It’s hard to be in a hurry and don’t know what to expect,” said Martin’s trainer in the session presented by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus.

“I hope it won’t take long and we’ll be given the chance to vie in a world title fight this year.”

Martin, who last fought as part of the “Thrilla in Manila” 50th anniversary celebration last October 2025 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, is currently handled by MP Promotions and ranked no. 2 in the World Boxing Organization (WBO).

Mexican Christian Medina is the reigning WBO champion at 118lbs, while compatriot Jose Salas Reyes owns the International Boxing Federation title belt. The Japanese pair of Seiya Tsutsumi and Takuma Inoue on the other hand, hold the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council championships, respectively.

“We’re ready to compete wherever,” said Martin of the possibility of meeting any of the four reigning bantamweight champions of the world.

But for now, his focus is with the 29-year-old Demecillo, holder of a 19-12-2 record, with 11 KOs.