Highly ranked ultralightweight contender Sandor Martin took on Jose Felix’s limit test last night in Barcelona.
The Catalan tennis player hopes to become the first world champion of boxing in the region. And if undisputed champ Josh Taylor moves to 147lbs, then Martin is fit to win one of four world titles. However, ranked fourth and fifth by the WBA and WBC respectively, the 28-year-old will face tests far more difficult than those presented by Felix.
The Mexican’s performance is one-sided and cannot match the polished performance in Martin’s work.
Martin started the fight at a disadvantage. Obviously, he’s been watching his opponents and knows attacks are coming, but the Spaniard assures he won’t be in the danger zone anytime soon.
Patient and calm, he waits for opportunities to come, moments that will build on the mistakes of his opponents.
Martin’s left hand was particularly strong in the 2nd half, his shot like and looked like his catch just when the clock was down to six minutes.
Felix raised his hand in the third round after some mild success, an act he will continue to display. Even so, this prompted Martin to respond. Thirty seconds after Felix tested positive, Martin landed a stunning left arm that put him in his place.
The fourth and fifth rounds represent the best fight rounds from Felix. He took the old point on this scoreboard, the only one in all ten rounds. He was more purposeful, hitting the chest and notably a shot to the top of the head during an exchange. And while he started fifth in aggressive style from the first minute, Martin soon took over. A right-footed counterattack and one last laughable body shot near the end reasserted his dominance.
Round 6 to 10 is a master sport for Martin. He grabs the bull and punches it with precision combined with speed and movement. Shot power is not a trait of the former European champion, instead he will make you look silly if you can’t compete with him.
Felix is the game and hopefully Martin will fight him with the fire the Mexicans briefly showed but was soon extinguished from season six on. The 29-year-old became imprecise, reckless and was sometimes penetrated by superior opponents.
Martin started showing off the footage as the fight neared its end. Felix’s Plan A went up in smoke. Plan B never leaves the drawing room. Martin is stabbing him with stabs, counterattacks to the head and body, and letting Felix punch the air as he dodges the growing offense.
The final three innings began with Martin firing his shots home. The legs stood still for longer because Felix had nothing left to offer. The home fans were delighted with what they saw. Their man tried to finish the show and got 11order and 12order round he could have provided that but time was running out as Martin continued to knock down shots.
The scores 100-90 (twice) and 99-91 reflect how far Martin has gone in 30 minutes in the ring.
“There have been a lot of surprises lately and I don’t want to be someone else on the list,” he told DAZN’s Ade Oladipo.
Each caused one of the biggest games of 2021 by beating Mikey Garcia in the US. Martin is currently participating in the major fights in the tenth rank.
“I want to face the best in that department. Ramirez, Zepeda, Lopez. I’m not here to play games”.
