A fast-rising American's fight against a Muhammad Ali lookalike should produce a breakout boxing star of the year

• Two young, undefeated lightweight boxers with huge potential exchange slugs Saturday.
• The bout pits Frank Martin, a protege of Errol Spence's, against 'The reincarnation of Muhammad Ali.'

LAS VEGAS — Errol Spence Jr., one of America's best boxers, inconspicuously entered The Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino's ballroom through a side door.

Spence wasn't in Las Vegas to fight; he was there to promote. And he proudly watched as his protege Frank Martin addressed the press on stage with his Saturday opponent Michel Rivera.

Martin and Rivera are among the best prospects boxing can offer and this fight between two rising stars has the potential to end the boxing year with a bang.

The winner will target world title honors while the loser will have to rebuild. It's a risk that neither fighter needed to take on, but each will enter The Chelsea theater confident it'll be them that gets the win.

"This is the fight that gets my name out there," Martin told Insider. "If we go out there and put in a great performance against Rivera, that's a big statement.

Training in Texas under the tutelage of elite coach Derrick James alongside Spence, who is the unified welterweight world boxing champion, has undeniable benefits.

Spence, Insider understands, is incredibly hands-on with Martin. He guides him through nutrition, and strength and conditioning. "Errol gives me that extra push, extra motivation, to keep me going," said Martin.

Rivera is unfazed at the advice and coaching Martin has received, and what that may mean when they're exchanging slugs on fight night.

"We know he's got Errol Spence behind him, but that doesn't mean anything in the ring," Rivera, the 24-year-old with an uncanny likeness to Muhammad Ali, told Insider and other reporters at a press conference this week.

Martin and Rivera's fight is high-risk, high-reward

Sports commentator Brian Custer, who is the host of Showtime Championship Boxing, told Insider this week that the Rivera vs. Martin bout carries more intrigue because it's a fight the athletes could have easily shirked.

When it comes to prospect development you "usually want to build and build a guy until he gets that world title shot," Custer said.

"The last thing you want to do is put pit him against another guy who's got just as much to lose, and I think that's what makes this fight so intriguing — they're both unbeaten, they've both have got power, and they both want that world title shot.

"This fight will probably be one of those all-action type of events," Custer said, noting that whoever wins is capable of breaking out of boxing and into the consciousnesses of mainstream sports fans.

Custer said the lightweight division is incredibly deep and those within the boxing industry are looking at Frank 'The Ghost' Martin, and seeing him "not as a ghost in the division" as it's hard to see through him, or fail to notice him.

Rivera, meanwhile, "has done it because of his look and as he's told people, 'Hey, I'm the reincarnation of Muhammad Ali."

Rivera has "great skills," according to Custer. "He's got the jab and he's got power. He's shown that even though he's going to the distance in the past few fights.

"But if you look, Frank is athletically gifted. He was a wrestler, a football player, and you just look at his body and can see how explosive he is.

"I think now the only difference is maybe the height and reach. Rivera is going to keep this fight at range. and Martin will need get on the inside."

Rivera is the self-appointed 'Reincarnation of Muhammad Ali'

Rivera's nickname developed over time. He told Insider this week that many people started pointing out his similarities to 'The Greatest' when he was 20 years old, in 2018.

Television channels then picked up on it, and a highlight-reel knockout win in 2021 catapulted his fame in boxing.

See that finish right here:

Now, he can break through even further providing he becomes the first combat athlete to hand Martin a loss.

"We know that Martin is a good boxer with abilities, but I'm the guy," Rivera said. "I'm bigger and stronger. He's strong and confident too, but I'm more confident. This is my time and I have to do everything to win this fight."

Martin's coach Derrick James is unfazed by the attention mainstream media has given Rivera.

"I just think he has a gimmick. It's the Muhammad Ali thing," James told us. "It's a gimmick because it would be different if Ali's own grandson wasn't actually boxing right now."

Being a lookalike may have given Rivera "more visibility," but neither James or Martin are looking past Rivera.

"He's still a really good fighter. He's very intelligent and he has great foot movement," James said. "It's going to be a great fight," he added, noting that it's one he expects Martin to win.

The Rivera and Martin fight headlines a Premier Boxing Champions event broadcast on Showtime from 7 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT on Saturday.