Román Martínez (boxer)
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Román "Rocky" Martínez (born January 31, 1983) is a Puerto Rican
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
. He is a former
WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxin ...
junior lightweight champion, having held the title three times between 2009 and 2016.


Professional career


Lightweight


Early career

On December 22, 2001, Martinez began his professional career, beating fellow Puerto Rican Wilfredo Ramos with a fourth round
knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...
on the
undercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
of a bill headed by Irving Garcia in
Manatí, Puerto Rico Manatí () is a Manatí barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico on the northern coast. It is north of Morovis, Puerto Rico, Morovis and Ciales, Puerto Rico, Ciales, east of Florida, Puerto Rico, Florid ...
. After defeating Ricky Piedra by knockout, he won his first decision against Israel Galarza. During the next year, Martínez defeated Richard Boyd, Adisone Sengaroun and Joe Johnson by knockout and Israel Coraliz by
unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...
, before scoring the first draw of his career against Jose Leonardo Cruz. After six months of inactivity, he returned to action on April 23, 2004, defeating Celestino Rodriguez by
technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
. Martínez fought once more in 2004, defeating Johnny Walker by unanimous decision. On January 27, 2005, he fought Mario Lacey, defeating him by knockout after scoring three knockdowns in the fourth round. After defeating Derrick Moon by unanimous decision, Martínez fought to ten rounds for the first time in his career, defeating Jose Luis Soto Karass by unanimous decision. This fight was followed by eleven months of inactivity, when he returned to action by defeating Wilfredo Vargas by technical knockout in three rounds.


Super featherweight

On November 17, 2006, Martínez fought in the super featherweight division for the first time, defeating Baudel Cárdenas by technical decision in the tenth round. With this victory, he won the vacant WBO Latino super featherweight title, a regional championship sanctioned by the
World Boxing Organization The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
. Three months later he competed for his second professional championship against Francisco Lorenzo. Martínez won the contest by split decision and received the WBO Inter-Continental super featherweight title. After defeating Genaro Trazancos by technical knockout in a non-title fight, he participated in a unification match against Daniel Jimenez. Martínez won by knockout in the twelfth and final round, retaining the Inter-Continental super featherweight title and winning the WBO NABO super featherweight championship. On February 23, 2008, he defended the first of these titles against Jose Anibal Cruz, winning by technical knockout in the third round. This was followed by a preparatory fight against Cristian Favela in the
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...
division, which he won by unanimous decision, with scores of 97-93, 98-92 and 99-91. On August 30, 2008, Martínez defended the NABO super featherweight title against Santos Benavides, winning the contest by technical knockout in the sixth round. He entered this fight ranked third in the WBO and expected to receive a championship opportunity against then-champion
Alex Arthur Alex Arthur, (born 26 June 1978) is a Scottish former professional boxer and political candidate for the Alba Party. Competing from 2000 to 2012, he held the WBO and WBO interim super featherweight titles in 2007. At regional level, he held ...
if he won.


Martinez vs. Cook

On September 9, 2008, Nicky Cook defeated Arthur and inherited Martínez as his first contender. A fight between both pugilists was scheduled for March 14, 2009, as part of a card organized in
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Early in the fight, Cook began his offensive by throwing jabs. Martínez responded by approaching his opponent to fight inside. Both connected solid body punches in the first two rounds. Cook closed the second stanza by injuring Martínez with a left hook, which he followed with a combination before the bell. During the third, they continued exchanging body punches, displaying tentative behavior throughout the period. In the fourth round, Martínez scored a knockdown, which was quickly followed by a hook that left Cook partially unconscious. The referee intervened immediately, awarding Martínez a technical knockout victory and his first world championship.


Martinez vs. Viloria, Munguia

In his first defense, Martínez competed against Feider Viloria. The first stages of the fight were slow, being used as study rounds by both pugilists. In the second round, Martínez began pursuing the offensive, forcing Viloria to employ a defensive strategy. This continued during the following chapter, when a previous injury re-opened under the challenger’s right eye. In the fifth round, both boxers traded combinations, with Martínez scoring the best punches. Viloria countered by employing multiple combinations during the following chapter, winning the round. Consequently, Martínez was more aggressive during the latter part of the fight. In the ninth round, he scored a combination that left Viloria unconscious, winning the contest by knockout. On May 29, 2010, Martínez made his second defense after eight months of inactivity. His opponent was Gonzalo Munguía of Nicaragua. The contest opened with Gonzalo Munguía, who was physically stronger pursuing direct exchanges, while Martínez employed an uncommon strategy of technical sidestepping and counterattacks. During the second, Munguía employed his offensive to the body, but received a left hook that staggered him to close the round. The following round opened with both boxers exchanging, Martínez was able to gain control after thirty seconds. Munguía lowered his offensive output in the fourth round leaving openings in his defense. Martínez was able to exploit this, scoring a knockdown. Munguía was unable to stand up before the referee’s protective count concluded and the contest was stopped by knockout.


Martinez vs. Burns

On September 4, 2010, Martinez travelled to the United Kingdom to defend his WBO title against Scottish contender
Ricky Burns Ricky Burns (born 13 April 1983) is a Scottish professional boxer who held the WBO super-featherweight title from 2010 to 2011, the WBO lightweight title from 2012 to 2014, and the WBA light welterweight title from 2016 to 2017. At regional ...
(28-2, 7 KO). Martinez suffered his first professional defeat and dethroned of his world title in Glasgow as Burns emerged victorious after a 12-round decision. Martinez knocked Burns down in the opening round, but Burns rebounded from this as the judges scored it 115-112 (twice) and 115-113. Following his defeat, Martinez took 11 months out of the ring and returned in October 2011. He defeated 32 year old fringe contender Daniel Attah in Puerto Rico. The fight ended in round 6. Attah was knocked down in round 3 and twice in round 6. At the time of stoppage, the fight was still close as the judges had it 49-45, 48-46, 47-47, although had round 6 finished, it would have widened the gap being a 10-7 round for Martinez.


Martinez vs. Beltran

On September 15, 2012, at the
Thomas & Mack Center The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference. History The facility first ...
,
Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the ...
, U.S.A., Martinez defeated Mexican contender Miguel Beltran, Jr. to win the vacant WBO super featherweight title for a second time. Ricky Burns had vacated the title to move up to the lightweight division. The fight end as a split decision 2-1: judges Clark Sammartino and Duane Ford voted 114-113 for Martinez, and judge Lisa Giampa 116-111 for Beltrán, Jr. Martinez and Beltran both employed heavy offensive weapons. Beltran found a lot of success with his right hand, and Martinez seemed to put punches together better in combination. Neither did major body work, but Beltran had the advantage there with a strong left hook.


Martinez vs. Burgos, Magdaleno

In his first defence of his second title reign, Martinez fought former featherweight world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2013. At the time of the fight, Martinez entered as the #3 super featherweight contender in the world according to
The Ring Magazine ''The Ring'' (often called ''The Ring'' magazine or ''Ring'' magazine) is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into questio ...
. Burgos was ranked the #7 contender. The fight ended in a majority draw. Judge Tony Paolillo had it 116-112 for Martinez, judge Waleska Roldan had it 111-117 in favour of Burgos while the third judge John Signorile scored it a 114-114 even. Although many routed for a rematch between Martinez and Burgos, some having Burgos a clear winner, Martinez travelled to Macau to fight at the Cotai Arena against undefeated challenger Diego Magdaleno (23-0, 9 KOs) on April 6. Martinez knocked down Magdaleno once in round 4 which helped earn him a split decision after 12 rounds with scores of (114-113, 115-112, and 111-116).


Martinez vs. Garcia

On August 1, 2013, the WBO ordered Martínez to make a mandatory defence against
Mikey Garcia Miguel Angel Garcia Cortez (born December 15, 1987), best known as Mikey Garcia, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2006 to 2021. He held multiple world championships in four weight classes from featherweight to light w ...
. On September 9, the date of the purse bid, a deal was set for the fight to take place on November 9 at the
American Bank Center The American Bank Center is an entertainment complex located in Corpus Christi, Texas. The complex consists of an auditorium, convention center and arena. The facility hosts numerous conventions, trade shows, exhibitions, live performances and sp ...
in Corpus Christi, Texas. Martinez knocked Garcia down in the second round with a counter right hand. Martinez could not press his early advantage and Garcia recovered and dominated the rest of the fight. A heavy Garcia left hook to the body in the eighth round left Martinez floored and unable to get up before the referee counted to ten. Garcia landed nearly half of his total 127 power punches. This included 52 punches landed in the last three rounds compared to 8 landed by Martínez. Just like his first professional loss, Martinez took 11 months off after losing his world title to Garcia. Martinez returned to the ring in December 2014 in his home country of Puerto Rico. He fought 26 year old journeyman Herbert Quartey. The fight was ended in round 2 as Quartey was knocked down and out.


Martinez vs. Salido I & II

Martinez challenged WBO super featherweight champion Orlando Salido on April 11, 2015, at the Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...
, Puerto Rico. Salido came into this fight with a perfect record of (5-0, 4 KO's) against Puerto Rican fighters. Martinez defeated Salido by a 12-round unanimous decision when the judges scored the fight 114-111, 115-110 and 116-109. Martinez dropped Salido in rounds 3 and 5 and Salido lost one point for low blows in round 11, which didn't help the outcome. Martinez claimed the title for the third time. A rematch was confirmed for September 12 at the
MGM Grand Arena The MGM Grand Garden Arena is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena within the MGM Grand Las Vegas, MGM Grand resort, located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The venue opened on December 31, 1993, with a concert by Barbra Streisand, and s ...
in Las Vegas on the undercard of Mayweather vs. Berto. Martinez retained his world title by split decision draw in the rematch with Salido. In what many believed was a win for Salido as he threw over 1000 punches landing 285 compared to Martinez who landed 189 from 691 thrown. The three official judges scored the bout (113-115, 115-113 & 114-114).


Martinez vs. Lomachenko

It was announced that Martinez would defend his WBO title against accomplished Ukrainian boxer
Vasiliy Lomachenko Vasiliy Anatolyevich Lomachenko (also spelled Vasyl Anatoliyovych Lomachenko; , ; born 17 February 1988) is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed between 2013 and 2024. He has held multiple world championships in three weight clas ...
on June 11, 2016, at
The Theater at Madison Square Garden The Theater at Madison Square Garden is a theater located in New York City's Madison Square Garden (MSG). It seats between 2,000 and 5,600 people and is used for concerts, shows, sports, meetings, and other events. It is situated beneath the main ...
. Lomachenko was the current WBO featherweight champion and was moving up in weight looking to become a two-weight world champion. Lomachenko outboxed and outclassed Martinez for four rounds, landing left hands and right hooks, using his footwork to keep the range he wanted at all times. Lomachenko knocked out Martinez with a big right hook in the fifth round becoming a two-division world champion in his seventh pro fight.


Inactivity

According to TMZ Sports in early July 2017, it was reported that
Gervonta Davis Gervonta Bryant Davis ( ; born November 7, 1994), also known by his nickname "Tank", is an American professional boxer. He has held the World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight title since 2023, having previously held the Regular version fr ...
would feature in the co-main event of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor on August 26, 2017, at the
T-Mobile Arena T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International ...
in Paradise, Nevada. On July 29, The Ring Magazine reported that Davis would likely defend his IBF title against former WBO champion Martínez. On August 10, Ringtv reported that Davis would instead fight unbeaten prospect Francisco Fonseca (19-0-1, 13 KOs), who at the time was ranked number 7 by the IBF. According to some sources, the potential fight with Martínez was dropped due to notice and Martínez would not have had enough time to make the 130 pound limit.


Professional boxing record


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Roman 1983 births Living people Sportspeople from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico Super-featherweight boxers World Boxing Organization champions Puerto Rican male boxers World super-featherweight boxing champions