Rances Barthélemy’s Ring Craft
Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy brought the habits of Cuba’s boxing school into a long professional run built on footwork, patience, and a sharp counterpunch. After turning pro in 2009, he stayed unbeaten through his first 17 fights and worked his way into a title opportunity against IBF junior-lightweight champion Argenis Mendez.
A title won after a disputed first meeting
Their first fight, in January 2014, seemed to end with Barthelemy’s second-round knockout. But the finishing punches landed after the bell. The Minnesota commission overturned the result to a no-contest and restored Mendez as champion. In the July rematch, Barthelemy left no such doubt: he won a unanimous decision and the IBF title.
In December 2015, Barthelemy moved up to lightweight and beat Denis Shafikov for the vacant IBF belt, becoming a two-division champion. He defended it against former titleholder Mickey Bey in a split decision the next year. Then he moved to junior welterweight, where two fights with Kiryl Relikh brought both controversy and a setback: Barthelemy edged the first bout on the cards in 2017, but Relikh won their 2018 rematch decisively to claim the vacant WBA title.
A career that kept testing him
Barthelemy returned to lightweight and fought Robert Easter Jr. for the WBA belt in 2019. Their tactical 12-round contest ended in a split draw. Later came difficult nights against younger contenders: Gary Antuanne Russell stopped him in 2022, former champion José Ramírez outpointed him in 2024, and Frank Martin knocked him out in the fourth round on December 6, 2025, according to Premier Boxing Champions’ official fight report.
Those losses do not erase what Barthelemy accomplished. He won major titles at junior lightweight and lightweight, and his fights with Mendez and Relikh show how fine the margins can be when a career turns on a bell, a scorecard, or a rematch. Barthelemy’s story is one of a technically skilled Cuban-born boxer who remained in the world-title mix across several divisions and generations of opponents. Read more in our boxing archive.
Sources: ESPN on the Mendez appeal and overturned result; ESPN on the rematch; Premier Boxing Champions career record and fight reports; PBC on the 2025 Frank Martin bout.
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Article Tags
Rances Barthelemy, Boxing, Boxing History, Championship Boxing
