Best I Faced: Kiko Martinez

10/16/2024 03:48 PM

Heavy-handed pressure fighter Kiko Martinez always looked to challenge himself and enjoyed a highly productive career, winning world titles at junior featherweight and featherweight.

Martinez, who was one of five children, was born in Elche, Spain on March 7, 1986. His birth name is Francisco Martinez Sanchez.

“I had a normal upbringing, my parents worked a lot and we spent a lot of time on the streets as they had a bar and arcades,” Martinez told The Ring through Oscar Zardain. “But we always lived well and never lacked for anything. A working but normal middle-class family.”

As a youngster Martinez played soccer, which is very popular in his country, unlike boxing. However, he found the sport as a teenager and didn’t look back.

“When I was 13-years-old, I started boxing to learn to defend myself, because I’m small and the boys used to pick on me,” he explained. “I fell in love with boxing from that moment on.”

Martinez won regional and national titles and enjoyed his time as an amateur, going 39-1, before deciding to turn professional at 18, where he was paid € 460 [just shy of $500], in June 2004.

He won his first 16 fights at home before travelling to Ireland where he scored a stunning first round knockout over hometown favorite Bernard Dunne to claim the European junior featherweight title in the summer of 2007.

“I remember it was a great night for me,” he said. “From then on, big doors opened for me and I proved to everyone and to myself that it was possible to become world champion.”

Over the next couple of years, Martinez grew in experience and became a mainstay on the European circuit.

Although he lost twice to Rendall Munroe (MD 12/ UD 12) in the U.K. and Takalani Ndlovu (UD 12) in South Africa in an IBF title eliminator, he did regain his old EBU title twice, beating Arsen Martirosyan (UD 12) in Ireland and then against Jason Booth (TKO 10) at home in Spain before being stopped by rising force and future two-weight world champion Carl Frampton (TKO 9).

“It is something I am very proud of,” he said of being European champion. “Being European champion and defending the belt was fundamental in my training. I always tell all the (new) guys that being a European champion should be a mandatory step in any career, as it was in the past.”

After returning to the win column, Martinez was offered a fight with IBF junior featherweight title Jonathan Romero in Atlantic City in August 2013. Despite being a 4.5/1 underdog, Martinez proved too strong for the Colombian and stopped him in the sixth round.

“I remember it as the most important day of my career and the happiest,” he recalled. “It was the perfect dream, in the United States, against an undefeated champion, televised by HBO – It was simply perfect!

“I was three-time European champion, but I didn’t win a lot of money. All my career till the [world] championship I had to work, giving boxing lessons, or at my father's bar as a waiter and at a construction site, all while I was training.

“The celebration was organized by my friends in the central square of my city. I have fond memories of that day.”

Martinez thrilled his fans with a hometown defense against former IBF titlist Jeffrey Mathebula (KO 9). He then headed to Osaka, Japan where he impressively beat former long-reigning bantamweight beltholder Hozumi Hasegawa (TKO 7).

“I consider that I was a worthy champion and that, like all my career, I have always wanted to fight against the best and where they gave me the best purses,” he said of his championship tenure. “They treated me very well when I beat Hasegawa. I think that was the best win of my career, or at least one of the three best wins of my career. The Japanese public is very polite and respectful. Fighting in Japan was one of my dreams. Fighting there against a legend like Hozumi and winning the fight was awesome.

Next up, came a rematch with Frampton in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he was outpointed by 12-round unanimous decision: “Frampton was the best in Europe, he had beaten me before and we had to have that rematch.”

Although Martinez suffered defeats at the hands of Scott Quigg (TKO 2), which prompted a move up to featherweight where he lost a close fight to future world champion Josh Warrington (MD 12) and later in world title fights against WBA titlist Leo Santa Cruz (TKO 5) and WBC ruler Gary Russell Jr. (TKO 5), he never let it get him down.

“All of them were very tough, high-level fights,” he said. “They gave me a lot of experience and very good purses. In the end, despite losing, you always take the positive side.”

Martinez is nothing if not persistent, and after he appeared to be unlucky losing a highly contentious 12-round unanimous decision to Zelfa Barrett, he found himself in the challenger's corner against IBF featherweight titleholder Kid Galahad in Sheffield, England, in November 2021.

It looked like an exercise in futility for the opening four rounds, and then Martinez found a fight changing right hand that dropped the defending champion heavily at the of Round 5. Although the defending champion was able to make it to his feet and was saved by the bell. It was a stay of execution he minutes rest wasn’t enough and Galahad was quickly stopped in the sixth-round.

“For me it was something incredible, because it was something almost unexpected and at 35-years-old,” said Martinez, who was a 7/1 underdog and later won The Ring’s 2021 Comeback of The Year award. “To have the opportunity to try to be champion at another weight, after so many years fighting to get it, was wonderful. I celebrated even more than the first time.

“It was a lesson for life, I was able to show everyone that, if you keep fighting and trying hard, no matter how many times you fall, in the end you will get your reward.”

The Spaniard lost his title in his first defense to old rival Josh Warrington in a foul-filled contest.

“I think my last fight against Josh Warrington wasn’t fair, he used his head several times and he wasn’t penalized at any point,” said Martinez, who was stopped in seven-rounds. “It hurt me a lot to lose like that.

“Everyone could see it. Nobody warned me that I was going to face two people that night. I was alone during the whole fight, nobody knew how to react in time. My corner lacked experience and the doctor lacked professional ethics. As for the referee, well, it’s not worth saying anything, everyone could see what happened and how he acted.”

Martinez wasn’t done and he regained his old European title by impressively showcasing his vaunted power stopping Jordan Gill in four rounds. That led to him heading to Japan to face Reiya Abe in an IBF eliminator. It proved a bridge too far and he dropped a 12-round unanimous decision.

The veteran globetrotter, who must be considered amongst the best Spanish fighters of all time, decided to bring the curtain down on his career retire from boxing in August 2023.

“I have been very lucky, I have had a hard but beautiful career,” said Martinez (44-12-2, 31 knockouts). “I don’t owe anything to anyone except my family and my team, in the end I have achieved more than I ever dreamed of.”

Martinez, now 38, is married, has two daughters and lives in Torrellano, a small rural village near Elche.

“My life will continue to be linked to boxing,” he said. “I want to continue as a coach, teaching the kids and guiding them so they don’t make all the mistakes I made when I was young.”

He graciously took time to speak to The Ring about the best he fought in 10 key categories.

BEST JAB

Leo Santa Cruz: “He has a big wingspan and his jab is very annoying, it was accurate and precise. It was difficult to get close to him to hit him.”

BEST DEFENSE

Carl Frampton: “It was difficult to land a punch on him because of his skill and leg movements. Also Gary Russell Jr.”

BEST FOOTWORK

Frampton: “He was very precise in his movements; he never took a wrong step.”

BEST HANDSPEED

Gary Russell Jr.: “He has the speed of light. His punches were too quick for my reflexes.”

SMARTEST 

Leo Santa Cruz: “I managed to hurt him and he was able to adapt and change his fighting strategy. To me, that makes him smarter than the rest.”

STRONGEST

Frampton: “Excellent physical condition. He wouldn’t back down from my onslaught, which is why the first fight was so extremely hard and we both ended up broken.”

BEST PUNCHER

Frampton: “He’s strong in general, his whole physique, but he’s also a great boxer, so his technique together with his strength made him a very dangerous guy.”

BEST CHIN

Scott Quigg: “I punched him hard in the first round, with all my power, and he resisted very well. Many of my opponents went to the ground with half the power that I managed to connect with Quigg.”

BEST BOXING SKILLS

Russell Jr.: “Everything he did, he did well, and I couldn’t connect with him like I would have liked to in the whole fight. Speed is what hurts you and I couldn’t see his punches. I think just when the fight was stopped because of the cut he started to slow down a bit, but until the third round it was impossible for me to see his hands. I recognize that he was two steps above me that night.”

BEST OVERALL

Russell Jr.: “Complete fighter: Fast, heavy puncher, untouchable. With Russell I just didn’t stand a chance.”

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk.

Follow @AnsonWainwright

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