Julio Cesar Martinez
Born
Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar

(1995-01-27) 27 January 1995
Mexico City, Mexico
Other namesEl Rey ("The King")
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
Reach63 in (160 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights24
Wins20
Wins by KO15
Losses2
No contests2

Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar (born 27 January 1995) is a Mexican professional boxer who has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight title since 2019.

As of November 2022, Martinez is ranked as the best active flyweight boxer in the world by ESPN,[1] second by The Ring[2] and TBRB,[3] and tenth by BoxRec.[4]

Professional career

Early career

Martinez made his professional debut against Joaquin Cruz on October 16, 2015. He lost the fight by a split decision. He would go on to amass a 13-1 record over the course of his next 13 fights.[5]

Martinez was scheduled to fight Andrew Selby on March 23, 2019, in a WBC Flyweight title eliminator to determine the next mandatory challenger.[6] Martinez won the fight by a fifth-round knockout, handing Selby the first loss of his professional career. Selby had a great start to the fight, before a clash of heads in the third round cut him along his left eyebrow, for which Martinez was deducted a point. Martinez enjoyed more success from the third round onward, knocking Selby down with a liver shot 57 seconds into the fifth round.[7]

WBC flyweight champion

Martinez vs. C. Edwards

As Martinez had secured his position as the mandatory WBC flyweight title challenger with the fifth-round knockout of Andrew Selby, WBC ordered the reigning flyweight world champion Charlie Edwards to defend his title against Martinez.[8] They were later given a weeklong extension from the sanctioning body to come to terms as regards the purse and venue.[9] The two parties avoided going to a purse bid, agreeing to fight at The O2 Arena in London, on the Lomachenko vs Campbell undercard, on August 31, 2019.[10]

In the third round of the fight, Martinez landed a combination of punches which staggered the champion, forcing him to take a knee. As he did so, Martinez landed a heavy body shot that completely took Edwards out of the fight. Referee Mark Lyson stopped the bout, while WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman reviewed the fight ending sequence. Sulaiman found the fight ending shot to have landed egregiously late, officially overturning the fight to a no-contest.[11]

During the post-fight interview, Edwards stated: "This is the right decision. I took a knee for a purpose...We get in this ring to abide by the rules". WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said he had ordered a rematch, to which Edwards acquiesced.[12] Edwards' manager Eddie Hearn was elusive as to the rematch, however, claiming that they planned to move up to super flyweight.[13] Edwards officially vacated his WBC Flyweight title on October 6, 2019.[14]

Martinez vs. Rosales

Following former WBC flyweight champion Charlie Edwards’ decision to vacate the title and move to super flyweight, WBC scheduled the #1 ranked Martinez to fight the #2 ranked Cristofer Rosales for the vacant WBC Flyweight championship.[15] Martinez was scheduled to fight the former WBC flyweight titlist on December 20, 2019, on the undercard of the Super-Middleweight fight between Daniel Jacobs and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.[16] In November 2019, it was revealed that Martinez had tested positive Clenbuterol, a banned substance. WBC decided not to punish him, as the amount of the muscle-forming drug found in his system wasn't deemed sufficient to register any in-competition benefit.[17] Martinez won the fight with Rosales by a ninth-round technical knockout. Martinez took over the fight in the third round, after two competitive back-and-forth rounds, battering the exhausted former champion until referee Raul Caiz stopped the fight.[18]

Martinez vs. Harris

Martinez was scheduled to make his first title defense against Jay Harris, on February 29, 2020. It was scheduled for the undercard of the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas welterweight fight.[19] Martinez was the favorite heading into the bout, with Harris being a 7/1 underdog.[20] Martinez pressured throughout the first half of the fight, with his pace slowing from the eight round onward. Harris suffered a cut above his left eye in the second round, and was knocked down in the tenth round. Martinez won the fight by unanimous decision, with varied scorecards of 118-109, 116-111, and 115-112.[21]

Martinez vs. Calleros

Martinez was scheduled to make his second title defense against Maximino Flores on October 23, 2020.[22] Four days before the fight, Flores announced his withdrawal from the bout due to a positive COVID-19 test.[23] Accordingly, Martinez was rescheduled to defend his title against Moisés Calleros. Calleros accepted the fight on less than one week’s notice.[24] Due to the short notice, he was unable to cut weight properly, and weighed in at 117.4 pounds, 5.4 pounds over the title limit. Martinez won the fight by a second-round technical knockdown. He staggered Calleros with a left hook-right straight combination, before unloading with numerous power punches, which forced the referee Cesar Castanon to stop the fight at the 2:42 minute mark. During the post fight interview, Martinez stated his desire to fight fellow titleholder Artem Dalakian and Moruti Mthalane in a title unification bouts, before moving up to super flyweight.[25][26]

Martinez vs. Cordova

Martinez was scheduled to defend his title for the third time against the former unified minimumweight world champion Francisco Rodríguez Jr. on December 19, 2020, on the Canelo Álvarez and Callum Smith undercard.[27] Rodríguez Jr. later withdrew from the bout, due to a non-COVID related illness.[28] Martinez was expected to defend his title against McWilliams Arroyo on February 27, 2021. The fight was scheduled as the co-main event to Canelo Álvarez's super middleweight fight with Avni Yıldırım.[29] Martinez withdrew from the fight the day before, due to a hand injury. He suffered a small fracture in his right hand during a sparring session, which was aggravated during the week preceding the fight, causing his hand to swell.[30] Martinez was scheduled to make his third title defense against Joel Cordova on June 26, 2021.[31] Cordova was ranked #15 by the WBC.[32] He won the fight by a sixth-round technical knockout. Marzinez first knocked Cordova down with a left hook and piled on strikes which forced the referee to stop the fight.[33]

Martinez vs. Arroyo

On October 4, 2021, it was revealed that Martinez would face the WBC interim flyweight titleholder McWilliams Arroyo on November 19, 2021, on the undercard of the Demetrius Andrade and Jason Quigley middleweight title fight. The bout would be streamed by DAZN from the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.[34] The pair was originally scheduled to face each other on February 27, 2021, before Martinez withdrew due to a hand injury.[30] The fight was ruled a no-contest at the end of the second round, due to an accidental clash of heads which caused cut above Arroyo's right. The fight was stopped after Arroyo told the ringside physician that he was unable to see out of the damaged eye.[35]

Martinez vs. Gonzalez

Martinez faced the former four-weight world champion Román González in the main event of a DAZN broadcast card on March 5, 2022 at junior bantamweight. Gonzalez was ranked #1 by the WBA and #2 by the WBC, as well as #2 by The Ring.[36] Martinez stepped in with less than six weeks notice as replacement for Juan Francisco Estrada, who was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a positive COVID-19 test.[37] He was defeated by Gonzalez by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 118–110, 117–111 and 116–112 all in favor of Gonzalez.[38]

Martinez vs. Carmona

Martinez was expected to face the WBC interim flyweight champion McWilliams Arroyo in a rematch on June 25, 2022, after their first fight ended in a no-contest following an accidental head clash in the third round.[39] On June 22, three days before the bout was supposed to take place, Martinez withdrew with an illness. This marked the third time that he had withdrawn from this specific match up, having withdraw once in each of the two previous calendar years.[40] The pair reached an agreement to pursue separate bouts on July 12, which allowed Martinez to enter into negotiations for a title unification bout with the reigning IBF flyweight titlist Sunny Edwards.[41] As these negotiations fell through, Martinez was once again booked to face the WBC interim champion McWilliams Arroyo. The bout was expected to take place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on December 3, 2022.[42] Arroyo withdrew from the bout on November 8, with a neck injury.[43] Martinez was re-scheduled to face Samuel Carmona at the same date and venue.[44] He won the fight by majority decision, with two judges awarding him a 117–111 and 116–112 scorecard, while the third judge scored the bout as an even 114–114 draw.[45]

Martinez vs. Batista

Martinez was initially expected to face the mandatory WBC title challenger McWilliams Arroyo on May 6, 2023. Arroyo was however unable to make the date, due to a pre-existing injury. Martinez instead made a voluntary defense against Ronal Batista on the same date.[46] He retained the title by an eleventh-round technical knockout, after having knocked Batista down in the seventh round. The knockdown was first ruled a slip by the in-ring referee, but ringside officials scored it as a knockdown in between the rounds. Batista was docked a point after the end of the fourth round, as he landed a strike after the bell had sounded.[47]

Professional boxing record

24 fights 20 wins 2 losses
By knockout 15 0
By decision 5 2
No contests 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
24 Win 20–2
(2)		 Ronal Batista TKO 11 (12), 1:00 6 May 2023 Estadio Akron, Zapopan, Mexico Retained WBC flyweight title
23 Win 19–2
(2)		 Samuel Carmona MD 12 3 Dec 2022 Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona, U.S. Retained WBC flyweight title
22 Loss 18–2
(2)		 Román González UD 12 5 Mar 2022 Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California, U.S.
21 NC 18–1
(2)		 McWilliams Arroyo NC 3 (12), 0:01 19 Nov 2021 SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. Retained WBC flyweight title;
Arroyo unable to continue after accidental head clash
20 Win 18–1
(1)		 Joel Cordova TKO 6 (12), 0:59 26 Jun 2021 Arena Alcalde, Guadalajara, Mexico Retained WBC flyweight title
19 Win 17–1
(1)		 Moisés Calleros TKO 2 (12), 2:42 23 Oct 2020 Gimnasio TV Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico Retained WBC flyweight title
18 Win 16–1
(1)		 Jay Harris UD 12 29 Feb 2020 The Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas, U.S. Retained WBC flyweight title
16 Win 15–1
(1)		 Cristofer Rosales TKO 9 (12), 1:20 20 Dec 2019 Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. Won vacant WBC flyweight title
16 NC 14–1
(1)		 Charlie Edwards KO 3 (12), 1:43 31 Aug 2019 The O2 Arena, London, England WBC flyweight title at stake;
Originally a KO win for Martinez, later ruled a NC after Edwards was hit while he was down
15 Win 14–1 Andrew Selby KO 5 (12), 0:57 23 Mar 2019 Centro de Espectáculos del Recinto Ferial, Metepec, Mexico
14 Win 13–1 Irvin Ordaz TKO 1 (8), 1:52 26 Jan 2019 Lienzo Charro, Ciudad Guzman, Mexico
13 Win 12–1 Victor Ruiz KO 1 (8), 1:57 6 Oct 2018 Estadio Chevron, Tijuana, Mexico
12 Win 11–1 Juan Lopez Martinez KO 1 (8), 2:11 11 Aug 2018 Mexico City Arena, Mexico City, Mexico
11 Win 10–1 Ivan Meneses Flores TKO 2 (8), 0:23 7 Jul 2018 Domo del Parque San Rafael, Guadalajara, Mexico
10 Win 9–1 Jose Armando Valdes RTD 6 (10), 3:00 23 Feb 2018 Associación Mexico Japonesa, Mexico City, Mexico
9 Win 8–1 Martin Tecuapetla TKO 4 (6), 2:59 16 Dec 2017 Domo Sindicato de Trabajadores IMSS, Tlalpan, Mexico
8 Win 7–1 Marvin Diaz TKO 1 (10), 2:47 7 Oct 2017 Arena Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico
7 Win 6–1 Édgar Sosa UD 8 17 Jun 2017 Explanada Delegacion Cuauhtemoc, Mexico City, Mexico
6 Win 5–1 Hugo Hernandez Aguilar UD 8 1 Oct 2016 Deportivo Plan Sexenal, Mexico City, Mexico
5 Win 4–1 Joaquin Cruz MD 8 13 Aug 2016 Arena Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
4 Win 3–1 Israel Izquierdo TKO 1 (6), 1:02 9 Jul 2016 Arena Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
3 Win 2–1 Leonardo Baez TKO 2 (6), 1:20 2 Apr 2016 Auditorio Blackberry, Mexico City, Mexico
2 Win 1–1 Sergio Granados TKO 2 (4), 2:24 3 Mar 2016 Auditorio Blackberry, Mexico City, Mexico
1 Loss 0–1 Joaquin Cruz SD 4 16 Oct 2015 Auditorio Pablo Colín, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico

See also

References

  1. ↑ ESPN.com. "Divisional rankings: Shakur Stevenson wins big, reigns at junior lightweight". espn.co.au. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  2. ↑ "Ratings Flyweight". ringtv.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "Rankings". tbrb.org. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Boxing Ratings". boxrec.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  5. ↑ "Julio Cesar Martinez". boxrec.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Andrew Selby: Welsh flyweight looking for big win in Mexico". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "Andrew Selby stopped by Julio Cesar Martinez in Mexico City". independent.co.uk. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  8. ↑ BoxingScene Staff (April 2019). "Julio Cesar Martinez is Pumped To Face Charlie Edwards". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  9. ↑ Rodríguez, Salvador (13 June 2019). "Cerca de un acuerdo Charlie Edwards y Rey Martínez para pelea titular". espndeportes.espn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "Lomachenko vs Campbell: Charlie Edwards defends WBC belt against Julio Cesar Martinez at The O2". skysports.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  11. ↑ Gray, Tom (31 August 2019). "Julio Cesar Martinez-Charlie Edwards ends in bizarre no-contest in third". ringtv.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  12. ↑ Emons, Michael. "Charlie Edwards keeps world title after late blow from Julio Cesar Martinez". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  13. ↑ Garcia, Aragon (September 2019). "Hearn hints Charlie Edwards WON'T face Julio Cesar Martinez again". boxingnews24.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  14. ↑ Johns, Marquis (6 October 2019). "Charlie Edwards vacates Flyweight title". bigfightweekend.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  15. ↑ Rodríguez, Salvador (8 October 2019). "Rey Martínez disputará título ante Cristofer Rosales en diciembre". espndeportes.espn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  16. ↑ "Julio Cesar Martinez vs Cristofer Rosales on December 20, live on DAZN". boxingnews24.com. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  17. ↑ Worsell, Elliot (6 November 2019). "Boxing News at Five: WBC won't punish Martinez and Vargas for positive PED tests, Adams hangs up the gloves". boxingnewsonline.net. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  18. ↑ Frauenheim, Norm (21 December 2019). "Julio Cesar Martinez stops Cristofer Rosales to win first title". boxingjunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  19. ↑ Rafael, Dan (3 January 2020). "Flyweight world titlist Julio Cesar Martinez returns to ring Feb. 29". espn.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  20. ↑ BN Staff (25 February 2020). "Jay Harris promises to shock the world and Julio Cesar Martinez". boxingnewsonline.net. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  21. ↑ Salazar, Francisco (March 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez drops Jay Harris in round 10, retains WBC fly belt by decision". ringtv.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  22. ↑ Fight Sports (25 September 2020). "Major Boxing Tripleheader Announced Featuring Juan Francisco Estrada". fightsports.tv. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  23. ↑ Donovan, Jake (15 October 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez Hunts For Replacement, Maximino Flores (COVID) Out". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  24. ↑ "Julio Cesar Martinez Fights Moises Calleros Tonight On DAZN — Boxing News". 14 June 2021. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  25. ↑ Idec, Keith (23 October 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez Destroys Moises Calleros in Two". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  26. ↑ Rosenthal, Michael (24 October 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez puts Moises Calleros away in second round". boxingjunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  27. ↑ ESPN (2 December 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez to defend belt vs. Francisco Rodriguez Jr. on Canelo Alvarez undercard". espn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  28. ↑ Salazar, Francisco (10 December 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez vs. Francisco Rodriguez Jr. postponed due non-COVID related illnesses". ringtv.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  29. ↑ Happe, Liam (27 January 2021). "Julio Cesar Martinez vs. McWilliams Arroyo confirmed as chief support for Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim". dazn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  30. 1 2 Rodríguez, Salvador (26 February 2021). "Julio Cesar Martinez withdraws from title defense; McWilliams Arroyo gets interim title bout". espn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  31. ↑ Newswire (11 June 2021). "Julio Cesar Martinez defends against Joel Cordova on June 26 live on DAZN". fightmag.com.au. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  32. ↑ "Martinez vs Cordova - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  33. ↑ "Julio Cesar Martinez stops Joel Cordova in sixth round to retain WBC flyweight title". skysports.com. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  34. ↑ Coppinger, Mike (3 October 2021). "Demetrius Andrade-Jason Quigley middleweight title fight headlines Nov. 19 tripleheader, sources say". espn.com. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  35. ↑ Rosenthal, Michael (20 November 2021). "Julio Cesar Martinez-McWilliams Arroyo fight ruled no-contest". boxingjunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  36. ↑ "Gonzalez vs Martinez - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  37. ↑ BoxingScene Staff (25 January 2022). "Chocolatito Gonzalez vs. Julio Cesar Martinez Officially Set For March 5 In San Diego". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  38. ↑ Christ, Scott (6 March 2022). "Chocolatito vs Martinez full fight video highlights and results: Chocolatito Gonzalez dominates Julio Cesar Martinez, wins decision". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  39. ↑ "Martinez vs. Arroyo II on June 25". wbcboxing.com. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  40. ↑ Stumberg, Patrick L. (23 June 2022). "Julio Cesar Martinez withdraws from McWilliams Arroyo rematch". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  41. ↑ Salvador, Rodriguez (13 July 2022). "Trabajan Martínez-Edwards y Arroyo-Velázquez para octubre". espn.com.mx. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  42. ↑ Stumberg, Patrick L. (3 October 2022). "Julio Cesar Martinez vs McWilliams Arroyo 2 joins Estrada vs Chocolatito 3 in Glendale". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  43. ↑ Stumberg, Patrick L. (8 November 2022). "McWilliams Arroyo injured, Julio Cesar Martinez fight cancelled a fourth time". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  44. ↑ Salazar, Francisco (13 November 2022). "Julio Cesar Martinez To Defend Flyweight Belt Against Samuel Carmona On December 3". ringtv.com. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  45. ↑ Donovan, Jake (3 December 2022). "Julio Cesar Martinez Bags Majority Decision Over Samuel Carmona in Tough Defense". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  46. ↑ Stumberg, Patrick L. (10 April 2023). "Julio Cesar Martinez vs Ronal Batista leads May 6th Canelo vs Ryder undercard". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  47. ↑ Rosenthal, Michael (6 May 2023). "Julio Cesar Martinez survives slow start to stop Ronal Batista in 11th round". boxingjunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
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