Julio Cesar Martinez turned what appeared to be an ordinary performance into a bold win over Canelo Alvarez-John Ryder card on Saturday in Zapopan, Mexico.
The WBC’s 112-pound boxer was overtaken and beaten by Panama’s Ronal Batista in the first half of the bout, in which the Mexican boxer looked anything but the dangerous sluggard he was supposed to be. known.
However, he took down Batista in round 7, controlled firmly and finally stopped the challenger for a minute in round 11lame pants round to hold his waist.
Batista’s decline may have started towards the end of Round 4, when he was penalized for punching Martinez after the half-time bell rang.
However, the challenger continued to box well and battled Martinez (20-2, 15 KOs) for the next few rounds in a competitive bout.
Then came Round 7. Martinez landed wide left to the side of Batista’s head, sending him falling to the frame. The referee initially ruled that Batista (15-3, 9 KOs) had missed. In a strange moment, however, ring officials eliminated him between rounds after a replay.
Martinez switched to a different gear at the time, clearly outplaying Batista over the next few innings to set up the knockout.
The end came when Martinez landed with a series of difficult and precise hits that put Batista’s back against the rope, causing the referee to stop the game.
Martinez has now won two matches in a row since he moved up in the weight class and was overtaken by Roman Gonzalez last March.
