They couldn't have been more wrong as Gonzalez dominated a game Martinez, at his own game, and cruised to a unanimous decision victory that proved an adage that just because a fight is hard-fought and exciting by both fighters does not mean it was a close fight.
Martinez landed his share but took many more and the only surprise by the middle of the fight was Martinez making to the final bell and doing so without being knocked down.
The technically sharp Gonzalez consistently landed his straight power shots through the wider, looping shots of Martinez and knocked the younger Mexican off-balance all evening, and yet for a fighter that is always a hit the gas, walk em' down style fighter, Gonzalez rarely gets hit squarely which makes his knockout loss to Srisaket Sor Rungvisai even more puzzling in hindsight.
Gonzalez appears to still want the third fight with Juan Francisco Estrada, although other appetizing fights could be made including a third fight with Rungvisai ( who won a controversial decision over Gonzalez before knocking him out in the rematch), WBC champion Bam Rodriguez, or even another move up in weight against the winner of the Naoya Inoue-Nonito Donare rematch at bantamweight.
I would think any one of those choices would make a great fight, although a third Rungvisai fight is the lowest reward for his risk ( I just have a feeling that if those two fight when they are 65, it's a close fight. They just mesh that way for the same reason I give Gennady Golovkin a better chance than most of surprising Canelo Alvarez).
As for Martinez, who lost twenty percent of his purse for blowing weight, I am not sure he can make the flyweight limit or trust him if he said he was going to try but I'm not sure he fits in the current 115-pound picture.
The co-feature was an absolute war as heavily favored Mauricio Lara knocked out Emilio Sanchez in three thrilling rounds.
More exchanges than you can imagine, Sanchez was knocked down in the first barely surviving, and battled through an exciting second before an early favorite for the round of the year in round three.
Sanchez storms out crunching Lara to the body, badly hurting Lara, who hit the mat for a non-knockdown with an exhausted Lara asking the referee to lift him off the floor and seeming to be on his way to a stunning upset defeat.
And with less than twenty seconds remaining in the third round, Lara rises from the verge of defeat to drive Sanchez across the ring and a second before the bell wipes Sanchez out with one punch and leaves him lying prone in his own corner.
What a fight and Lara is likely to have an excellent shot at fighting the winner of the IBF title affair between Kiko Martinez and Josh Warrington.
Boxing Challenge
TRS 33 Pts (4)
Vince Samano 31 Pts (2)
Ramon Malpica 28 Pts (2)
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