The Spanish boxer is waiting patiently for a promising 2023 in a division full of talent.
After putting Teofimo Lopez through one of the toughest tests of his career, Spanish fighter Sandor Martin doesn't think the former 135lb unified champion has what it takes to survive at super lightweight.
"Teofimo has a reputation as a bully, but it's not just about who wants to abuse, it's about who can. And on December 10 at Madison Square Gardens, he couldn't do anything at all.
“You could see it on his face, he was out of place, frustrated... Teofimo is a showman. I am a boxer. I beat him boxing and I beat him on his turf. I showed myself to be unbreakable in something that I dominate, and that in this new division is going to cost him a lot," was the verdict of Martin, who is convinced that the judges made a mistake in giving the decision to Lopez in New York.
Without taking away the merit of what he achieved in the ring as a lightweight, especially after that victory over Vasiliy Lomachenko, Martin believes that Lopez needs much more than a couple of fights at 140lbs to get used to the weight differences.
"It's undeniable that he became the unified 135 champion, it's undeniable that he beat Lomachenko, who was considered a superstar.
“I've adapted to the weight (Martin has been at the same weight for 15 years), I know how to take punishment and assimilate them, the speed of the fight and the way of thinking, the way of fighting. Teofimo is more of a small fighter for the division and he's going to have a hard time because there are people here who rehydrate a lot, people who are big, who have power in their hands, and honestly, at the moment I don't think he's ready to fight the tigers of the division," he said.
With the likes of Josh Taylor, Regis Prograis, Jose Carlos Ramirez, Jose Zepeda, and Subriel Matias, Sandor knows the competition for a world title will be tough. However, he will have to wait for Teofimo Lopez to make up his mind, as he won the world eliminator bout.
"Teofimo will have to choose between the WBO (Josh Taylor) or the WBC (Regis Prograis) and hopefully we can take the other opportunity, because although we didn't win that night's fight at Madison Square Garden the positions I have in the top rankings vindicate the good work we did," Martin added.