Every boxer has their own style they bring into the ring. No one fighter is the same. That's what makes them unique. Because if they were all the same, boxing would be boring, and it wouldn't be the sport it is today.
Watching Julio Cesar Martinez fight is a joy to see. Why, you ask? The way Martinez uses angles at only 5'2" to connect his power shots with perfect authority is like watching Michael Jordan swish the basketball through the hoop. The way he glides his feet to get into those positions is uncanny because he does it so quickly, like Usain Bolt running the 100 meters that you don't even see it happening. It's all a flash, making "El Rey" the most exciting fighter in boxing.
Martinez (18-1, 14 KOs, two no contests), the current WBC flyweight champion, ventures up a weight class to put those skills to the test on Saturday as he battles Roman "Chocolatito" Gonzalez from the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, Calif., live on DAZN (check your country for availability).
How did Martinez get to the point where he now faces the most crucial fight of his career against a legend of the sport?
For Martinez, it all began in Tepito, a small neighborhood in Mexico City, where he was born. Growing up, Martinez had a passion for school. But when it came down to it, punching someone was always in his DNA.
"I really liked mathematics," Martinez told DAZN News through an interpreter. "I didn't really like the natural sciences. The truth is, I like school, but I was a fighter. I didn’t like when people spoke to me in a certain way. I would explode. Boxing has always been mine."
Under the guise of his father, Martinez has adopted the style we see today. Because of the style not many had ever seen, he had a very successful amateur career, going 230-20, including winning some Olympic and national tournaments before turning professional in October 2015.
"It's a style that I've always liked to fight, to clash, to go forward," Martinez admits. "Back in my amateur days at Tepito, I would always spar, fight with people who were always bigger than me. They would really beat me up and leave me bleeding because they were professionals too. But I liked it. I liked throwing down with them. Then when I would fight people at my weight, I didn't really feel anything."
Greatness in a boxer takes years to see unless you are a generational talent like a Floyd Mayweather Jr. or a Vasiliy Lomachenko. You know it when you see it. To hear Martinez tell the story, he became special with each passing victory in his eyes.
"Since I got into boxing, I thought if I'm going to get in, it's not just to do it, it's to have a great trajectory," Martinez said. "So I've always been preparing very hard because of that at 1,000 percent, preparing conscientiously. I also asked for my dad for the opportunity to support me. I was studying in school, but I wanted to concentrate more on sports. I won some Olympic tournaments (and) national tournaments. (I) would go to Guadalajara for a month at times, different parts of Mexico to compete, and I always walked away with my hand raised in victory."
Martinez's professional journey, though, didn't get off to a roaring start, losing a split decision to Joaquin Cruz in a four-round affair. Since then, Martinez's reeled off 18 consecutive wins to get to the point where he is today. But where you could see that Martinez had the chance outside of his bubble to become special was in his seventh pro fight against former WBC junior flyweight champion Edgar Sosa.
"The biggest fighter I have ever fought, and it's a guy who had a big trajectory because he told me before that he was going to hurt me, and he would say, ‘Hey, better be careful in there because you're hurting me. I’m 35, 36 years old at the time,’" Martinez said. "His name was Edgar Sosa. He was a world champion before, and he returned at 35, 36 years old. He would say, 'Look, if Juan Manuel Marquez can knock out (Manny) Pacquiao at 38 years old, then at 35, (I) can come back stronger.’ He was coming back. He was going to get a title shot.
"Either I was going to get thrown in the top five or top 10 by beating him, or he was going to get a title shot. It was actually a calm fight. It actually seemed like he didn't want to hurt me. But what happened was that the fight was going to be at bantamweight. And then we moved it up to super bantamweight, and he had to forfeit a bit of his purse. But I was just happy to take the fight. It was no problem. I accepted it as super bantamweight because I wanted to fight the best. I beat him by unanimous decision knocked him down two times in the fourth and the sixth. I think I hurt him in that fight badly. I'm just happy I had that opportunity."
Martinez continued to gain experience, competing in Mexico. He became a household name and made the boxing world take notice when he made the trek to England to square off with WBC flyweight champion Charlie Edwards in August 2019. Martinez's style was too much for Edwards, and he had appeared to win by third-round knockout to win his major world title. But a controversial shot was deemed late since Edwards reversed the ruling, and the bout was deemed a no contest.
Edwards vacated the belt, and Martinez faced Cristofer Rosales for the vacant strap in his next fight. Martinez battered Rosales to a pulp and stopped him in the ninth round to capture the title. From there, Martinez hasn't looked back with four straight title defenses, going 3-0 with one no contest. Two of those wins have come via stoppage.
The way Martinez approaches and conducts each fight is one of a sophisticated daredevil. Someone who appears to throw caution to the wind with no regard for the danger that lies in front of them, yet one who conducts the symphony with a tactical plan in place. Having that mentality in Martinez's mind makes him the most exciting fighter in boxing with only an upward and unlimited trajectory.
"I like to come out and exert my full potential," Martinez said. "I like to come out, as we say, to see who has the better chin. I like to clash, no doubt about it. In my fights, I like to decide the fate of my own fights. I don't like the judge(s) or nobody else to decide who's going to win. I like to leave no doubt, and I like to finish my own fights. That's what I'm going to keep doing, and I'm making sure that it's clear who won.
"I do feel that I need a little bit more of a trajectory. We've barely started this thing in the sport of boxing. I want to continue fighting the best. I have a belt, but I feel it's the first of many. I want to be undisputed champion. I want to fight the best. I want to sweep the entire flyweight division. I want to sweep the super flyweight division after I move up."
Martinez wanted to return in the first quarter of 2022. The goal was to become the undisputed flyweight champion and then move up to super flyweight. When unified champion Juan Francisco Estrada had to pull out because of COVID-19, Gonzalez needed an opponent. When asked, Martinez immediately jumped at the opportunity to battle the former pound-for-pound great.
Facing "Chocolatito" was something Martinez envisioned for late 2022 or early 2023. Gonzalez brings the same fighting mindset as Martinez.
It’s Mexico against Nicaragua. That's the icing on the cake Martinez needs as he's looking to continue to show why he's the most action-packed fighter in the sport.
"I'm very motivated, and it makes me very happy," Martinez said. "We were really looking forward to this fight. We thought that it would take longer, maybe a half-year or a year. But I'm very happy for this. This is a watershed moment that'll lead us to bigger purses and to being the best-paid fighter of the smaller weight divisions.
"More than anything, we know that we're going to expect a war. You know why? Because nobody comes here to lose."