The third, and final, world title fight from the US this weekend saw the unbeaten Mexican-American Mikey Garcia (33-0, 28) claim his second divisional world title as he became the first man to stop Puerto Rican Roman Martinez (27-2-2, 16) and the new WBO Super Featherweight champion.
The fight started in a very patient manner with Garcia waiting to see what Martinez had, which was mostly jabs. In the second round however Martinez showed he also had a right hand as he connected with a short and set Garcia to the seat of his pants.
In round 3 Mikey began to really find his rhythm and land his own jab almost at will. As everyone knows once Garcia has his jab going the right hand usually isn't that far behind and in round 4 that right started to ping on to the head of Martinez with a regularity. Unfortunately for Martinez his toughness was going to be his key issue and Garcia kept tagging him with rights that became more and more telling.
By round 6 the crisp right hands of Garcia were having a major effect on Martinez who was being broken up round by round. Every time Garcia connected it seemed Martinez's legs turned to jelly for a few moments and although he recovered it was obvious he feeling the power time after time.
After taking a pounding in round 7 it seemed like Martinez had just one chance of winning, Garcia breaking his hand on the tough head of the Puerto Rican. Unfortunately for Martinez it appeared that Garcia realised that and in round 8 landed his first body shot of note, sending Martinez down for the first time.
The Puerto Rican, feeling the effects of the shot, didn't even seem to attempt to get up. Not so much quitting as being in too much agony to truly know where he was with what is quit possibly a broken rib and the best body shot stoppage at the world level since Golovkin stopped Matthew Macklin with one
Showing posts with label Roman Martinez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roman Martinez. Show all posts
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Roman Martinez v Diego Magdaleno
Puerto Rican Roman "Rocky" Martinez (27-1-2, 16) successfully defended his WBO Super Featherweight title with a hard fought victory over the previously undefeated Diego Magdaleno (23-1, 9) in a hard fought bout.
The bout started well for Magdaleno who used his feet well to move around the much slower Martinez who seemed to be having his usual slow start to a bout. Magdaleno scored numerous times with either hand though his lack of power really did little other than irritate the champion who took the blows with out too many worries. Magdaleno continued to have success in the following round though Martinez appeared to slowly be warming up into the bout and was begging to land his right hands.
It was a shot Martinez in round 4 that really said everything about the bout as he dropped Magdaleno hard and showed who was the man and who was the boy. Magdaleno picked himself off the canvas well and fought back hard though the fact that he simply couldn't discourage Martinez made life so much easier for the champion who started to march forward with growing success behind his jab and straight right hand. What also didn't help Magdaleno was his general style which involved a lot of bouncing and moving with out too much effective aggression. He was clearly the faster man though he was also the fighter who was forced on to the back foot by the bull like Martinez.
Although Magdaleno's single shots were having little effect on the champion the challenger did manage to rock Martinez in round 8 which was by far the best Magdaleno round as he wailed away on the Puerto Rican late in the round. Sadly for the challenger round 8 was his last stand before the champion came back strong and walked through the challenger in round 9 then cut him in round 10 with a solid right hand. In fact in round 10 Martinez seemed to land an alarming number of right hands with out too much coming back his way.
Having never been beyond 10 rounds before I got the feeling that Magdaleno didn't really know what to do in round 11 and seemed to spend some time running with out throwing much. This was really not the reaction many would have wanted to see from Magdaleno. Despite Magdaleno's negativity in round 11 the final round was a belter with both men giving it their all in clearly the round of the bout.
The fight never really caught light until the final round (which saw both men trying to stop the other) but despite this it was never poor. Magdaleno seemed willing to try and beat the champion but despite being the betting favourite he never really showed the sort of offensive mindset that suggested he believed he could win. Martinez, whilst limited (and a very beatable champion) proved he was still a tough fighter and the sort of fighter who could be in FOTY type bouts with fighters willing to meet him in the centre of the ring, unlike Magdaleno who was rarely willing to trade.
The bout started well for Magdaleno who used his feet well to move around the much slower Martinez who seemed to be having his usual slow start to a bout. Magdaleno scored numerous times with either hand though his lack of power really did little other than irritate the champion who took the blows with out too many worries. Magdaleno continued to have success in the following round though Martinez appeared to slowly be warming up into the bout and was begging to land his right hands.
It was a shot Martinez in round 4 that really said everything about the bout as he dropped Magdaleno hard and showed who was the man and who was the boy. Magdaleno picked himself off the canvas well and fought back hard though the fact that he simply couldn't discourage Martinez made life so much easier for the champion who started to march forward with growing success behind his jab and straight right hand. What also didn't help Magdaleno was his general style which involved a lot of bouncing and moving with out too much effective aggression. He was clearly the faster man though he was also the fighter who was forced on to the back foot by the bull like Martinez.
Although Magdaleno's single shots were having little effect on the champion the challenger did manage to rock Martinez in round 8 which was by far the best Magdaleno round as he wailed away on the Puerto Rican late in the round. Sadly for the challenger round 8 was his last stand before the champion came back strong and walked through the challenger in round 9 then cut him in round 10 with a solid right hand. In fact in round 10 Martinez seemed to land an alarming number of right hands with out too much coming back his way.
Having never been beyond 10 rounds before I got the feeling that Magdaleno didn't really know what to do in round 11 and seemed to spend some time running with out throwing much. This was really not the reaction many would have wanted to see from Magdaleno. Despite Magdaleno's negativity in round 11 the final round was a belter with both men giving it their all in clearly the round of the bout.
The fight never really caught light until the final round (which saw both men trying to stop the other) but despite this it was never poor. Magdaleno seemed willing to try and beat the champion but despite being the betting favourite he never really showed the sort of offensive mindset that suggested he believed he could win. Martinez, whilst limited (and a very beatable champion) proved he was still a tough fighter and the sort of fighter who could be in FOTY type bouts with fighters willing to meet him in the centre of the ring, unlike Magdaleno who was rarely willing to trade.
Saturday, 19 January 2013
Roman Martinez v Juan Carlos Burgos
Mexican Juan Carlos Burgos (30-1-1, 20) will feel incredibly hard done by to not be the WBO Super Featherweight champion as he scored a hugely controversial draw with Roman "Rocky" Martinez (26-1-2, 16) in a hugely impressive performance that will have won him a number of new fans even if he didn't manage to claim the title0
Despite being seen as the boxer going in to the bout Burgos proved that he could do both box or brawl as he thoroughly dominated his Puerto Rican rival with accurate hurtful body shots, a sharp accurate jab and just an overall superior skill set.
The opening round was action from the off with both men landing bombs from the off, those bombs saw Martinez's face reddening as he seemed to have ridiculous success from the off. The following round saw Burgos continuing to establish his dominance by simply out working the former champion who was attempting to make the first defense of his second reign as champion.
It wasn't until round 3 that Martinez had his first notable success as he seemed to gradually grow in to the fight. Martinez continued to grow through many of the middle rounds making rounds 4 and 5 very close whilst arguably taking the 6th. The middle rounds were incredibly close as both men gave it their all, sadly for Martinez he was being ground away with hurtful body shots that seemed to finish every Burgos combination.
Although Martinez was having real success in cutting the distance and forcing Burgos on to the ropes this was oddly not suiting Martinez as Burgos continually caught him with left hooks to the rib cage that seemed to really take their toll on Martinez late. Though the middle rounds there was enough close rounds to give Martinez 4 rounds or at a push 5 (including rounds 8 and 9 which were very clear Martinez rounds).
Despite Burgos looking like a spent force in rounds 8 and 9, the two rounds he clearly lost, he came back hard in the following 3 rounds and seemed to clearly swept them with his aggression, work rate and effectiveness. This was where the body work of Burgos really seemed to have taken it's toll on Martinez who was looking like a fighter staying in their on heart alone.
Amazingly the scorecards, all from inexperienced judges at world championship level, were all over the place. The first card (111-117-Burgos) seemed pretty accurate, at least it had the right guy winning, the second card was the frankly ridiculous 116-112 for Martinez, a card that simply beggars belief whilst the third card was 114-114, a card that seemed to give Martinez too much credit for merely being competitive in a number of rounds.
Sadly the commentary for the bout was awful with them really swinging on Burgos' sack, and whilst the Mexican did deserve the decision, the commentary made it sound like a shut out, when really it wasn't. Burgos did clearly win on my cards but Martinez, except in the first 2 and final 3 was competitive enough to put up a few rounds.
Despite being seen as the boxer going in to the bout Burgos proved that he could do both box or brawl as he thoroughly dominated his Puerto Rican rival with accurate hurtful body shots, a sharp accurate jab and just an overall superior skill set.
The opening round was action from the off with both men landing bombs from the off, those bombs saw Martinez's face reddening as he seemed to have ridiculous success from the off. The following round saw Burgos continuing to establish his dominance by simply out working the former champion who was attempting to make the first defense of his second reign as champion.
It wasn't until round 3 that Martinez had his first notable success as he seemed to gradually grow in to the fight. Martinez continued to grow through many of the middle rounds making rounds 4 and 5 very close whilst arguably taking the 6th. The middle rounds were incredibly close as both men gave it their all, sadly for Martinez he was being ground away with hurtful body shots that seemed to finish every Burgos combination.
Although Martinez was having real success in cutting the distance and forcing Burgos on to the ropes this was oddly not suiting Martinez as Burgos continually caught him with left hooks to the rib cage that seemed to really take their toll on Martinez late. Though the middle rounds there was enough close rounds to give Martinez 4 rounds or at a push 5 (including rounds 8 and 9 which were very clear Martinez rounds).
Despite Burgos looking like a spent force in rounds 8 and 9, the two rounds he clearly lost, he came back hard in the following 3 rounds and seemed to clearly swept them with his aggression, work rate and effectiveness. This was where the body work of Burgos really seemed to have taken it's toll on Martinez who was looking like a fighter staying in their on heart alone.
Amazingly the scorecards, all from inexperienced judges at world championship level, were all over the place. The first card (111-117-Burgos) seemed pretty accurate, at least it had the right guy winning, the second card was the frankly ridiculous 116-112 for Martinez, a card that simply beggars belief whilst the third card was 114-114, a card that seemed to give Martinez too much credit for merely being competitive in a number of rounds.
Sadly the commentary for the bout was awful with them really swinging on Burgos' sack, and whilst the Mexican did deserve the decision, the commentary made it sound like a shut out, when really it wasn't. Burgos did clearly win on my cards but Martinez, except in the first 2 and final 3 was competitive enough to put up a few rounds.
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Roman Martinez v Miguel Beltran Jr
We all know that when you pit a top Mexican against a top Puerto Rican you will end up with a fight to remember and that's exactly what we got as Roman Martinez (26-1-1, 16) faced Miguel Beltran Jr (27-2, 17) in a bout for the vacant WBO Super Featherweight title.
The bout started brilliantly with Martinez looking to control the bout behind his powerful straight shots whilst Beltran showed impressive handspeed and combinations rocking Martinez late in the round. Despite the bright start the second round was somewhat more ame as neither man did a great deal, however it was to be the calm before the storm.
Martinez stepped on the gas in round 3 as he started to effectively stalk Beltran and force the Mexican on to the ropes. On the ropes both guys started to mix it up and through the middle rounds the fight just started to get progressively better with the both men hammering away each other other with no respect for the other mans power. The fourth round saw both men rocked to their boots and it seemed almost impossible that the bout was going to go on too long as they teed off on each other in a slug fest.
With the fourth round being amazing the fifth some how got better as the fight became a full on brawl with both men going toe-to-toe in one of the rounds of the year. Despite Beltran being forced on to the ropes for much of the round he was punching off them with great effect landing to both the head and body of Martinez. Martinez however had the biggest success of the round with a nasty cut forming around the left eye of Miguel Beltran, a cut that seemed almost certain to eventually stop the bout.
Despite it seeming ridiculous both men continued at the hectic pace they had set for themselves and both of them refused to slow down as every round become a mini war. Every time one guy was rocked he other came back and shook the other man as they relentlessly battled.
Somehow we'd managed to get into the championship rounds and the pace was just as crazy as it had been in round 5 with neither man showing any signs of fatigue. Sadly it was in round 11 that the fight was effectively decided with Russell Mora taking a point away from Miguel Beltran Jr for leading with his head, this point would sadly decide the outcome of the fight.
Having gone toe-to-toe with each other for 12 none-stop rounds, neither man genuinely deserved to lose however we had a split decision with cards of 116-111 (Beltran) and two of 114-113 (both to Martinez). Sadly the deduction in round 11 cost Beltran a well deserved draw, shame on Russell Mora.
Hopefully, due to the excitement of the bout, we will get a rematch as every fan will be wanting on and I doubt either fighter will complain as they genuinely seemed to enjoy beating the snot out of each other in a real Fight Of The Year Contender. If any fight fans missed this, I advise you to hunt it down immediately!
The bout started brilliantly with Martinez looking to control the bout behind his powerful straight shots whilst Beltran showed impressive handspeed and combinations rocking Martinez late in the round. Despite the bright start the second round was somewhat more ame as neither man did a great deal, however it was to be the calm before the storm.
Martinez stepped on the gas in round 3 as he started to effectively stalk Beltran and force the Mexican on to the ropes. On the ropes both guys started to mix it up and through the middle rounds the fight just started to get progressively better with the both men hammering away each other other with no respect for the other mans power. The fourth round saw both men rocked to their boots and it seemed almost impossible that the bout was going to go on too long as they teed off on each other in a slug fest.
With the fourth round being amazing the fifth some how got better as the fight became a full on brawl with both men going toe-to-toe in one of the rounds of the year. Despite Beltran being forced on to the ropes for much of the round he was punching off them with great effect landing to both the head and body of Martinez. Martinez however had the biggest success of the round with a nasty cut forming around the left eye of Miguel Beltran, a cut that seemed almost certain to eventually stop the bout.
Despite it seeming ridiculous both men continued at the hectic pace they had set for themselves and both of them refused to slow down as every round become a mini war. Every time one guy was rocked he other came back and shook the other man as they relentlessly battled.
Somehow we'd managed to get into the championship rounds and the pace was just as crazy as it had been in round 5 with neither man showing any signs of fatigue. Sadly it was in round 11 that the fight was effectively decided with Russell Mora taking a point away from Miguel Beltran Jr for leading with his head, this point would sadly decide the outcome of the fight.
Having gone toe-to-toe with each other for 12 none-stop rounds, neither man genuinely deserved to lose however we had a split decision with cards of 116-111 (Beltran) and two of 114-113 (both to Martinez). Sadly the deduction in round 11 cost Beltran a well deserved draw, shame on Russell Mora.
Hopefully, due to the excitement of the bout, we will get a rematch as every fan will be wanting on and I doubt either fighter will complain as they genuinely seemed to enjoy beating the snot out of each other in a real Fight Of The Year Contender. If any fight fans missed this, I advise you to hunt it down immediately!
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