Challenger Vows To Take Advantage Of Unexpected Opportunity, Ceja-Ruiz II In Co-Main 星期六, 二月. 27, 住在Showtime® From Honda Center In Anaheim, 加利福尼亞州.
精彩表演拳擊錦標賽® Tripleheader Begins With
Unbeaten Heavyweights Gerald Washington vs. 奧斯卡·里瓦斯
門票現已發售!
點擊 這裡 For Martinez Training Photos From Sampson Boxing Promotions
阿納海姆, 加利福尼亞州. (二月. 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 英鎊. 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 時. He’s also fought four times in Ireland, three times in England, three times in Northern Ireland and one time each in Japan, 阿根廷, France and South Africa.
So don’t expect Martinez (35-6, 26 科斯) to be in awe of the surroundings in his second start in the United States when he challenges unbeaten, defending featherweight world champion 獅子座聖克魯斯 (31-0-1, 17 科斯) 上 星期六, 二月. 27, 在一個主要事件 精彩表演拳擊錦標賽 tripleheader生活 開演時間 (10 P.M. AND/7 P.M. PT) from Honda Center in Anaheim, 加利福尼亞州.
Martinez won his U.S. debut and the IBF 122-pound crown with a sixth-round TKO overJhonatan Romero 上月. 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 最後 十二月. 12, Martinez aims to make amends after losing three high-profile fights in recent years to super bantamweight world champions – twice to 卡爾·弗蘭普頓(IBF) and once to 斯科特·奎格 (WBA).
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 塞爾吉奧·馬丁內斯’ 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. 現在, 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,''他說. “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 磅磅戰鬥機. 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, 西班牙, 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,''他說. “Once I decided to start boxing and dedicated myself to it I fell in love with the sport.’’
作為一個業餘愛好者, 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,''他說. “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 打架, winning all but three by knockout.
Martinez met 塞爾吉奧·馬丁內斯 [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 塞薩爾查韋斯 and I am now a big fan of 馬科斯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.’’
如果勝利, 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 on二月. 27 (在曼徹斯特, 英國, 住在 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.”
在 二月. 27 co-feature on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, hard-hitting Mexican warriors 七月切婭 (30-1, 27 科斯) 和 雨果·魯伊斯 (35-3, 31 科斯) 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 杰拉爾德·華盛頓 (16-0-1, 11 科斯) of Vallejo, 加利福尼亞州。, and Montreal-based Colombian 奧斯卡·里瓦斯 (18-0, 13 科斯).
門票現場活動, 這是由TGB促銷推廣, 售價為 $27, $54, $104 和 $199 and are on sale now via ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster retail locations or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the Honda Center Box Office.
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