Kiko Martinez

Infobox_Boxer


name=Kiko Martinez
realname=Francisco Martinez Sanchez
nickname="La Sensación"
weight=super bantamweight
nationality= |nationality= flagicon|Spain Spanish
birth_date=28 November, 1984
birth_place=Alicante, Spain
home=Alicante, Spain
style=Orthodox
total=18
wins=17
KO=14
losses=1
draws=0
no contests=0|

Francisco Martinez Sanchez more commonly known as Kiko Martinez (born 28 November, 1984) is a professional boxer from Alicante, Spain, who fights in the super bantamweight division.cite web | author=Boxrec | title="Kiko Martinez" | work=Boxrec Fighter Page | url=http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=258662&cat=boxer| accessdate=13 January| accessyear=2008]

Amateur career

Martinez fought extensively as an amateur. He fought 40 amateur bouts and never lost, with 38 of those victories being by knockout. Martinez stated that he "could have gone to the Olympics - the Spanish amateur boxing association wanted me to sign a four-year contract but I wanted to turn professional".cite web | author=Boxrec | title="Martinez confident of upsetting Dunne" | work=RTE | url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/boxing/2007/0716/dunneb.html| accessdate=13 July| accessyear=2007]

Professional career

Debut

Martinez turned professional and had his first pro fight in March 2005, which he won at La Cubierta Stadium, Leganes in Madrid beating David Casero by knockout in the third round on a card that included Javier Castillejo.

Martinez went on to win all of his first 11 fights with each victory coming via a knockout within four rounds.

European titles

EBU title

On 10 March 2006, Martinez faced Frenchman Salem Bouaita for his EBU European Union super bantamweight title at Pabellon de Elche in Spain. This was Martinez's first fight which which went past four rounds and the fight went the full scheduled 10 rounds. Martinez was given a unanimous points win and won the title.

Martinez won a further four fights and became the mandatory challenger European super bantamweight title.

Bernard Dunne fight for the EBU title

The EBU made Martinez the mandatory challenger for, Irish fighter, Bernard Dunne's European super bantamweight title.

Martinez and Dunne clashed on 25 August 2007 at the Point, Dublin, Ireland. This was Martinez first fight outside of Spain and despite being the challenger he was confident of victory. Martinez stated before the fight that " might be a little shorter than Bernard bit I'm 5 foot 4 inches of a headache for him".

On the night of the fight the Point Depot filled with expectant Irish boxing fans and the fight was beemed live on RTE, the Irish national television broadcaster. The fight started with Dunne keeping his guard low and circling Martinez. However, Martinez quickly had Dunne on the canvas with an overhand right. Dunne appeared stunned and unaware of what had happened. Dunne beat the count but was floored twice more before the referee stopped the fight inside of only 90 seconds of round one.cite web | author=Terry Dooley| title="Bernard Dunne done over in a single round by Kiko Martinez " | work=British Boxing News| url=http://www.britishboxing.net/news_2597-Bernard-Dunne-done-over-in-a-single-round-by-Kiko-Martinez.html| accessdate=13 January| accessyear=2008] cite web | author=| title="Dunne Demolished by Martinez" | work=British Boxing News| url=http://www.livefight.com/news.php?news_id=217&y=2007&m=08| accessdate=13 January| accessyear=2008] cite web | author=Steve Bunce| title="Martinez cashes in with rapid win " | work=The Independent| url=http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/article2898375.ece| accessdate=13 January| accessyear=2008] cite web | author=Kevin Reardon | title="Kiko Stuns Dublin Crowd" | work=Costa Blanca Leader | url=http://www.costablancaleader.com/news/article.php?article_id=12631&article_section_id=1| accessdate=13 January| accessyear=2008]

The Martinez camp stated that they knew there would be a first round victory and that many of them had placed bets worth thousands of pounds with Irish bookmakers at odds of 66/1 that Martinez would win in the first round.cite web | author=Graham Houston| title="KIKO MARTINEZ KO1 BERNARD DUNNE" | work=Fight Righter| url=http://www.fightwriter.com/?q=node/1124| accessdate=13 January| accessyear=2008] cite web | author=Derek Bilton| title="WADE INTO WAYNE'S WORLD" | work=Betting Zone| url=http://www.bettingzone.co.uk/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=betting/07/11/29/manual_115818.html| accessdate=13 January| accessyear=2008]

Challenge of Wayne McCullough

Martinez had signed to fight another Irishman, the Las Vegas based former WBC bantamweight champion, Wayne McCullough at Belfast's Kings Hall on 1 December 2007.

McCullough has not fought for over two year and the Kings Hall venue was sold out for the fight. It was agreed that the non title fight would take place at 8st 12 lb mark. However, on the day before the fight there was uproar during the weigh-in and the fight was cancelled amid chaotic scenes.cite web | author= | title="Wayne blows his top" | work=Belfast Telegraph | url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3213502.ece| accessdate=13 January| accessyear=2008]

McCullough had already contracted to fight at 2 lb over the 8st 10 lb championsiop weight and he weighed in at 8st 9 lb. However, Martinez failed to make the agreed weight and was 1.75 lb over the agreed weight.

Martinez was given a couple of hours to shed the excess weight, but did not return to weigh in again and the scales were closed by a BBBofC official. A furious McCullough stated "I couldn't believe it. He comes in over the weight and then after being asked to take it off he just sits there and does nothing. I just can't believe what has happened. I was ready fight and ready to win and he comes in that much over the weight.".cite web | author= | title="McCullough's comeback bout is off" | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7121318.stm| accessdate=13 January| accessyear=2008]

Martinez first loss

Kiko Martinez made his first defence of the EBU super bantamweight title against Rendall Munroe. This was a title that he had successfully taken from Bernard Dunne in August 2007. The fight against Munroe took place at the Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre, Nottingham on 7th March 2008.cite web | author= | title="Classy Munroe holds off Martinez" | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/7284706.stm| accessdate=16 March| accessyear=2008]

The fight turned out to be fairly uneventful as Munroe countered Martinez by blocking and counterpunching, without ever troubling the champion. While Martinez failed to land the big shots that had seen him stop Bernard Dunne. The fight went the full 12 rounds, with Munroe winning by a majority points decision.

The judges scorecards were as follows:

Franco Ciminale: 113-115
Freddy Rafn Christensen: 113-115
Esa Lehtosaari: 114-114

References

External links

* [http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=258662&cat=boxer Kiko Martinez's record] @ boxrec
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/solpda/ukfs_sport/hi/newsid_7122000/7122835.stm Photo gallery of the McCullough weigh-in]