Challenger Vows To Take Advantage Of Unexpected Opportunity, Ceja-Ruiz II In Co-Main السبت, فبراير. 27, العيش على شوتايم® From Honda Center In Anaheim, كاليفورنيا.
شوتايم بطولة الملاكمة® Tripleheader Begins With
Unbeaten Heavyweights Gerald Washington vs. أوسكار ريفاس
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ANAHEIM, كاليفورنيا. (فبراير. 16, 2016) – Spain’s Kiko “Sensación” Martinez is a soft-spoken, hard-hitting former IBF Super Bantamweight World Champion and a three-time European champion at 122 جنيه. He’s a come-forward, comes-to-win, aggressive-minded slugger who makes for exciting fights and has been in with excellent opposition.
The ultimate road warrior, the 5-foot-5, 29-year-old Martinez has fought more than one-third of his fights outside his native Spain, where he has tussled 26 مواعيد. He’s also fought four times in Ireland, three times in England, three times in Northern Ireland and one time each in Japan, الأرجنتين, France and South Africa.
So don’t expect Martinez (35-6, 26 كوس) to be in awe of the surroundings in his second start in the United States when he challenges unbeaten, defending featherweight world champion ليو سانتا كروز (31-0-1, 17 كوس) في السبت, فبراير. 27, في الحدث الرئيسي ل شوتايم بطولة الملاكمة tripleheader تعيش على موعد العرض (10 عصرا. و/7 عصرا. PT) from Honda Center in Anaheim, كاليفورنيا.
Martinez won his U.S. debut and the IBF 122-pound crown with a sixth-round TKO overJhonatan Romero في أغسطس. 17, 2013. “That was a great night for me,’’ Martinez said. “I’m confident of another great performance on Feb. 27.''
A winner of three in a row in his homeland, including a fourth-round TKO over Miguel Gonzalez آخر ديسمبر. 12, Martinez aims to make amends after losing three high-profile fights in recent years to super bantamweight world champions – twice to كارل فرامبتون(اتحاد الملاكمة العالمي) and once to سكوت QUIGG (رابطة الملاكمة العالمية).
Martinez gets an opportunity against Santa Cruz in a fight he never saw coming.
“I’m thrilled to be fighting Leo Santa Cruz, but getting this fight was a total surprise because I already had a fight scheduled,’’ said Martinez, who trains at his friend and manager, former world super middleweight champion سيرجيو مارتينيز’ gym in Spain. “I had been scheduled to fight for the European title. When this opportunity came up, I decided to give up the European title to come to America.
“I was very happy and very emotional when I heard about this fight. It was one of the best days of my life when I agreed to fight Santa Cruz. الآن, more boxing fans will get to see me. I will not take one step back. I will come forward the whole fight.
“I’m thankful to SHOWTIME and I’m excited for the challenge. It’s a huge fight in the United States and a great opportunity. Some people don’t think I can fight because I lost to those guys [Frampton and Quigg], but they are wrong. I am as determined as ever. I’m going to fight a great fight and come out with a victory.’’
While respectful of the champion, Martinez is no stranger to fighting on foreign soil and is poised to pull off a stunner.
“I will surprise many people who don’t believe in me,'قال. “I’m working so hard for this fight. People doubting me has me even more motivated. They will see on Feb. 27 and everyone will change their minds.
“I love fighting in my opponent’s backyard. That is not a problem for me at all. People who know boxing know I will give everything to this sport. I want to give great shows and entertain people. I’m coming forward and throwing punches and I don’t give up.
“I’m going to give 100 percent and it’s going to be a tremendous fight. I have a ton of respect for Leo Santa Cruz. He’s a world champion and a great fighter who’s clearly one of the very best featherweights in the world and a Top 10 الجنيه مقابل الجنيه مقاتلة. I am very conscious of that point.
“Leo and I are true warriors so this will be a brutal war. But I have what it takes. I’ve been working very hard with my longtime trainer, Gaby Sarmiento, and I will be victorious.’’
A lifelong resident of Spain, Martinez was born in Granada, إسبانيا, and resides in Alicante. He has two sisters and two brothers but is the only one in the family who boxes professionally. He turned to boxing as a young teenager.
“I started in boxing because when I was about 13 I was smaller and other kids bullied me all the time. So I began looking for a way to learn to defend myself,'قال. “Once I decided to start boxing and dedicated myself to it I fell in love with the sport.’’
كهاو, Martinez went 47-2 and won a Spanish national amateur championship, but he had no international amateur experience. “I had a good amateur career but never thought about the Olympics,'قال. “My mind was always on being a pro fighter.’’
A dangerous puncher who’s at his best when he pressures his opponents and wears them down, Martinez turned pro in June 2004. He was victorious in his initial 17 المعارك, winning all but three by knockout.
Martinez met سيرجيو مارتينيز [no relation] about nine years ago. “I met Sergio in the gym in Spain that he used to train himself in and we became good friends. When I started boxing I looked up to خوليو سيزار تشافيز and I am now a big fan of ماركوس Maidana. I like to fight like him.
“But I’ve always had a special relationship with Sergio, who inspired me because he came from poverty like me. He has taught me so much. It’s like looking into a mirror because he knows where I came from. He’s taught me so much inside and outside the ring. We were very poor growing up and my father worked very hard.’’
إذا المظفرة, Kiko Martinez says “I would like to stay at this weight because I feel much stronger. But I would definitely love a rematch with Frampton or Quigg.’’
Regarding the Frampton-Quigg 122-pound world title unification that also takes place onفبراير. 27 (في مانشستر, انجلترا, يعيشون على SHOWTIME EXTREME®), Martinez didn’t hesitate when picking a winner.
“Frampton will win against Quigg,’’ Martinez said. “He’s the more complete boxer. He is stronger as well.”
في فبراير. 27 co-feature on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, hard-hitting Mexican warriors يوليو سيجا (30-1, 27 كوس) و هوغو رويز (35-3, 31 كوس) will box in a rematch of an exciting, two-way slugfest for the WBC 122-pound world title that Ceja won from Ruiz on a fifth-round knockout last August
Rounding out the televised tripleheader is a 10-round fight between undefeated heavyweights جيرالد واشنطن (16-0-1, 11 كوس) of Vallejo, كاليفورنيا., and Montreal-based Colombian أوسكار ريفاس (18-0, 13 كوس).
تذاكر لالحدث على الهواء مباشرة, التي يروج لها الترقيات TGB, يتم تسعيرها في $27, $54, $104 و $199 and are on sale now via ticketmaster.com, مواقع البيع بالتجزئة تيكت أو عن طريق الاتصال 800-745-3000. تذاكر متوفرة أيضا في مكتب هوندا مركز صندوق.
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