Julio Cesar Martinez is good. Roman Gonzalez is great despite being 34 years old.
“Chocolatito” proved once again that he was far from the finish line, edging past his Mexican opponent to a widely unanimous decision in a 12-round £115 and remaining one of the elite in the sport. Saturday night sports at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
Gonzalez (51-3, 41 KOs) started slow, feeling for Martinez (18-2, 14 KOs) in the first few minutes of the match. Then, after knowing what he was up against, he switched to another device and took full control of what was expected to be a competitive fight.
He’s shown like the fighting machine he always does, attacking relentlessly and delivering clean, precise shots with a consistency considerably above Martinez’s ability.
Martinez, a £112 title holder, has been successful in races here and there. And he never even thought about giving up, trying to keep up with the speed and ferocity of the Nicaraguan legend until the final bell rang.
However, by the end of the game, Martinez could have put in more punches in these 36 minutes than in the previous 19 games combined. Or so it seems.
“I was so surprised [Martinez survived]. It turns out that he arrived in very great condition,” Gonzalez said.
Some might want to commend Gonzalez because Martinez was in the fight for such a short time and moved up a division, which makes sense. At the same time, he’s proven he’s still near the top of his game at a point where many little men have finished.
The final scores were 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie scored 118-110 for Gonzalez, after 10 rounds into two.
“We should change his name from Chocolatito to Benjamin Button,” promoter Eddie Hearn said, referring to the Brad Pitt movie character going backwards. “It was an incredible performance. He just keeps getting better.”
Retirement was clearly not in Gonzalez’s immediate plans but he addressed that view after the game, saying, “I still don’t know when I’ll retire. Maybe a few more fights.”
A few more big fights, it appeared. Gonzalez lost a controversial decision in his previous fight to title holder and rival Juan Francisco Estrada, his original rival on Saturday before he withdrew after signing. coin COVID-19.
That fight, which will be the third between them, will mean the most to both boxers. But Gonzalez also wants another shot at his conqueror Srisaket Sor Rungvisai or is ready to fight one of the younger athletes, who are gaining 115 pounds.
It seems like Gonzalez doesn’t really care who’s next. “Whatever comes,” he said.
Regardless of who he’s up against, fans can be pretty sure they’ll be seeing a still formidable version of one of the greatest fighters of his generation. He made that clear on Saturday night.
