![]() ![]() ![]() While kneeling, Martinez delivered a crunching left to the body. Martinez badly hurt Edwards in Round 3 before the Englishman took a knee. Martinez fought Sunny's older brother, Charlie Edwards in an August 2019 title fight. While Martinez attacks with reckless abandon, Edwards boxes with guile and patience from the outside. The fight presents a fascinating duel of styles. For years, flyweight champion Sunny Edwards has lobbied for a bout with Martinez, and that matchup remains viable once Martinez rebuilds his confidence. 1 by ESPN, he won't have to encounter anyone approaching Gonzalez's greatness. Size might have played a factor, but Gonzalez is simply too good as well.Īt 112 pounds, where Martinez is a champion and rated No. Martinez provided thrills in spurts on Saturday, winging haymakers from distance and daring Gonzalez to hit him square on the chin with his hands at his waist, but he never threatened to win the fight. "He looked too small, he looked too inexperienced," promoter Eddie Hearn said. Martinez was overweight Friday at 116.4 pounds, but after he was thoroughly outclassed by Gonzalez in a fight contracted at 115 pounds, it's clear his future remains at 112. Gonzalez expressed interest in a 118-pound title bout, a weight class headlined by Naoya Inoue, but that also features future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire.īut before Gonzalez considers one of those daring matchups, he should remain at 115 pounds and settle unfinished business with Estrada and then Rungvisai. Perhaps he'll chase a title in a fourth weight class. He's already won titles in three weight classes and enjoyed a lengthy reign as the recognized pound-for-pound king. Martinez never had an answer in what amounted to a mismatch.Īpproaching his 35th birthday, "Chocolatito" still has plenty to offer. ![]() Uppercuts and left hooks were mixed with right hands to the body time and again. His performance against Martinez left no doubt with the judges as he poured punishment on the Mexican from start to finish with dizzying combinations from seemingly every angle. "Everyone knows that the last fight I had with 'Gallo' Estrada, I won," Gonzalez said. And it also wouldn't be surprising if Gonzalez scored another victory over Estrada, who is ESPN's No. Martinez had the opportunity to derail the Estrada bout, but following another marvelous showing from "Chocolatito", the trilogy is more pressing than ever before.Ĭonsidering they already closed a deal for the bout, it would be surprising if it wasn't rescheduled for later in 2022. Nicaragua's Gonzalez and Mexico's Estrada were set to meet a third time on Saturday, but the fight was cancelled after Estrada tested positive for COVID. His comeback is one of the most impressive in recent memory. Since the loss, he's scored wins over Kal Yafai and now Martinez to go along with a controversial decision defeat against Estrada last March. Gonzalez was left for dead as a top-tier fighter after he was knocked out by Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2017. Let's answer that question and more after a high-stakes weekend of boxing: "Chocolatito" far from done With Josh Taylor set to relinquish his four junior welterweight titles to move up in weight, Ramirez is well-positioned to become a two-time champion in his next bout. On Friday night, Jose Ramirez reminded the boxing world that he's still a player at 140 pounds when he grinded out a unanimous-decision win over Jose Pedraza. At this point, Lara simply deserves a title shot in his next outing and it would be unfair if it didn't materialize. In the co-main event, Mauricio Lara kept building momentum with a wild knockout of Emilio Sanchez in the third round of a slugfest. Gonzalez could be headed to a rescheduled third bout with Juan Francisco Estrada, but Martinez's future is less clear after the kind of career-altering beating he sustained. His masterclass performance en route to a unanimous-decision victory over Julio Cesar Martinez was just the latest impressive outing in a Hall of Fame career filled with them. Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez proved on Saturday that he's still one of the best fighters in the world, but more so, that age isn't slowing him down. Title fights should be next for Roman Gonzalez, Mauricio Lara and Jose Ramirez after dominant victories You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |