Julio Cesar Martínez Aguilar (born 27 January 1995) is a Mexican professional boxer who has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight title from 2019 to 2024.

Julio Cesar Martínez
Born
Julio Cesar Martínez Aguilar

(1995-01-27) 27 January 1995 (age 29)
Mexico City, Mexico
Other namesEl Rey ("The King")
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
Reach63 in (160 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights26
Wins20
Wins by KO15
Losses3
No contests3

Professional career

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Early career

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Martínez made his professional debut against Joaquin Cruz on 16 October 2015. He lost the fight by a split decision. He would go on to amass a 13-1 record over the course of his next 13 fights.[1]

Martínez was scheduled to fight Andrew Selby on 23 March 2019, in a WBC flyweight title eliminator to determine the next mandatory challenger.[2] Martínez won the fight by a fifth-round knockout, handing Selby the first loss of his professional career. Selby had a great start to the fight, before a clash of heads in the third round cut him along his left eyebrow, for which Martínez was deducted a point. Martínez enjoyed more success from the third round onward, knocking Selby down with a liver shot 57 seconds into the fifth round.[3]

WBC flyweight champion

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Martínez vs. C. Edwards

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As Martínez had secured his position as the mandatory WBC flyweight title challenger with the fifth-round knockout of Andrew Selby, WBC ordered the reigning flyweight world champion Charlie Edwards to defend his title against Martínez.[4] They were later given a weeklong extension from the sanctioning body to come to terms as regards the purse and venue.[5] The two parties avoided going to a purse bid, agreeing to fight at The O2 Arena in London, on the Lomachenko vs Campbell undercard, on 31 August 2019.[6]

In the third round of the fight, Martínez landed a combination of punches which staggered the champion, forcing him to take a knee. As he did so, Martínez landed a heavy body shot that completely took Edwards out of the fight. Referee Mark Lyson stopped the bout, while WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman reviewed the fight ending sequence. Sulaiman found the fight ending shot to have landed egregiously late, officially overturning the fight to a no-contest.[7]

During the post-fight interview, Edwards stated: "This is the right decision. I took a knee for a purpose...We get in this ring to abide by the rules". WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said he had ordered a rematch, to which Edwards acquiesced.[8] Edwards' manager Eddie Hearn was elusive as to the rematch, however, claiming that they planned to move up to super flyweight.[9] Edwards officially vacated his WBC flyweight title on 6 October 2019.[10]

Martínez vs. Rosales

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Following former WBC flyweight champion Charlie Edwards’ decision to vacate the title and move to super flyweight, WBC scheduled the #1 ranked Martínez to fight the #2 ranked Cristofer Rosales for the vacant WBC flyweight championship.[11] Martínez was scheduled to fight the former WBC flyweight titlist on 20 December 2019, on the undercard of the super-middleweight fight between Daniel Jacobs and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.[12] In November 2019, it was revealed that Martínez had tested positive Clenbuterol, a banned substance. WBC decided not to punish him, as the amount of the muscle-forming drug found in his system wasn't deemed sufficient to register any in-competition benefit.[13] Martínez won the fight with Rosales by a ninth-round technical knockout. Martínez took over the fight in the third round, after two competitive back-and-forth rounds, battering the exhausted former champion until referee Raul Caiz stopped the fight.[14]

Martínez vs. Harris

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Martínez was scheduled to make his first title defense against Jay Harris, on 29 February 2020. It was scheduled for the undercard of the Mikey Garcia-Jessie Vargas welterweight fight.[15] Martínez was the favorite heading into the bout, with Harris being a 7/1 underdog.[16] Martínez pressured throughout the first half of the fight, with his pace slowing from the eight round onward. Harris suffered a cut above his left eye in the second round, and was knocked down in the tenth round. Martínez won the fight by unanimous decision, with varied scorecards of 118-109, 116-111, and 115-112.[17]

Martínez vs. Calleros

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Martínez was scheduled to make his second title defense against Maximino Flores on 23 October 2020.[18] Four days before the fight, Flores announced his withdrawal from the bout due to a positive COVID-19 test.[19] Accordingly, Martínez was rescheduled to defend his title against Moisés Calleros. Calleros accepted the fight on less than one week’s notice.[20] Due to the short notice, he was unable to cut weight properly, and weighed in at 117.4 pounds, 5.4 pounds over the title limit. Martínez won the fight by a second-round technical knockdown. He staggered Calleros with a left hook-right straight combination, before unloading with numerous power punches, which forced the referee Cesar Castanon to stop the fight at the 2:42 minute mark. During the post fight interview, Martínez stated his desire to fight fellow titleholder Artem Dalakian and Moruti Mthalane in a title unification bouts, before moving up to super flyweight.[21][22]

Martínez vs. Cordova

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Martínez was scheduled to defend his title for the third time against the former unified minimumweight world champion Francisco Rodríguez Jr. on 19 December 2020, on the Canelo Álvarez and Callum Smith undercard.[23] Rodríguez Jr. later withdrew from the bout, due to a non-COVID related illness.[24] Martínez was expected to defend his title against McWilliams Arroyo on 27 February 2021. The fight was scheduled as the co-main event to Canelo Álvarez's super middleweight fight with Avni Yıldırım.[25] Martínez withdrew from the fight the day before, due to a hand injury. He suffered a small fracture in his right hand during a sparring session, which was aggravated during the week preceding the fight, causing his hand to swell.[26] Martínez was scheduled to make his third title defense against Joel Cordova on 26 June 2021.[27] Cordova was ranked #15 by the WBC.[28] He won the fight by a sixth-round technical knockout. Martínez first knocked Cordova down with a left hook and piled on strikes which forced the referee to stop the fight.[29]

Martínez vs. Arroyo

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On 4 October 2021, it was revealed that Martínez would face the WBC interim flyweight titleholder McWilliams Arroyo on 19 November 2021, on the undercard of the Demetrius Andrade and Jason Quigley middleweight title fight. The bout would be streamed by DAZN from the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.[30] The pair was originally scheduled to face each other on 27 February 2021, before Martínez withdrew due to a hand injury.[26] The fight was ruled a no-contest at the end of the second round, due to an accidental clash of heads which caused cut above Arroyo's right. The fight was stopped after Arroyo told the ringside physician that he was unable to see out of the damaged eye.[31]

Martínez vs. González

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Martínez faced the former four-weight world champion Román González in the main event of a DAZN broadcast card on 5 March 2022 at junior bantamweight. González was ranked #1 by the WBA and #2 by the WBC, as well as #2 by The Ring.[32] Martínez stepped in with less than six weeks notice as replacement for Juan Francisco Estrada, who was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a positive COVID-19 test.[33] He was defeated by González by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 118–110, 117–111 and 116–112 all in favor of González.[34]

Martínez vs. Carmona

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Martínez was expected to face the WBC interim flyweight champion McWilliams Arroyo in a rematch on 25 June 2022, after their first fight ended in a no-contest following an accidental head clash in the third round.[35] On 22 June, three days before the bout was supposed to take place, Martínez withdrew with an illness. This marked the third time that he had withdrawn from this specific match up, having withdraw once in each of the two previous calendar years.[36] The pair reached an agreement to pursue separate bouts on 12 July, which allowed Martínez to enter into negotiations for a title unification bout with the reigning IBF flyweight titlist Sunny Edwards.[37] As these negotiations fell through, Martínez was once again booked to face the WBC interim champion McWilliams Arroyo. The bout was expected to take place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on 3 December 2022.[38] Arroyo withdrew from the bout on 8 November, with a neck injury.[39] Martínez was rescheduled to face Samuel Carmona at the same date and venue.[40] He won the fight by majority decision, with two judges awarding him a 117–111 and 116–112 scorecard, while the third judge scored the bout as an even 114–114 draw.[41]

Martínez vs. Batista

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Martínez was initially expected to face the mandatory WBC title challenger McWilliams Arroyo on 6 May 2023. Arroyo was however unable to make the date, due to a pre-existing injury. Martínez instead made a voluntary defense against Ronal Batista on the same date.[42] He retained the title by an eleventh-round technical knockout, after having knocked Batista down in the seventh round. The knockdown was first ruled a slip by the in-ring referee, but ringside officials scored it as a knockdown in between the rounds. Batista was docked a point after the end of the fourth round, as he landed a strike after the bell had sounded.[43]

Martínez vs. Cordova

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Martínez was scheduled to defend his WBC flyweight title against Angelino Cordova on 16 December 2023 at The Armory in Minneapolis.[44] The fight was postponed due to VISA issue on Martínez's side.[45] In February 2024, it was announced that the fight was rescheduled for 30 March 2024 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.[46] Martínez twice knocked Cordova down and won the fight by majority decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 114–112 for the champion, while the third ringside official handed in an even 113–113 scorecard.[47] The fight was later overturned to a no contest when Martinez failed a post fight drug test.[48]

Professional boxing record

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26 fights 20 wins 3 losses
By knockout 15 1
By decision 5 2
No contests 3
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
26 NC 20–3
(2)
Angelino Cordova NC 12 30 Mar 2024 T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBC flyweight title
25 Win 20–3
(2)
Ronal Batista TKO 11 (12), 1:00 6 May 2023 Estadio Akron, Zapopan, Mexico Retained WBC flyweight title
24 Win 19–3
(2)
Samuel Carmona MD 12 3 Dec 2022 Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona, U.S. Retained WBC flyweight title
23 Loss 18–3
(2)
Román González UD 12 5 Mar 2022 Pechanga Arena, San Diego, California, U.S.
22 NC 18–2
(2)
McWilliams Arroyo NC 3 (12), 0:01 19 Nov 2021 SNHU Arena, Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. Retained WBC flyweight title;
Arroyo unable to continue after accidental head clash
21 Win 18–2
(1)
Joel Cordova TKO 6 (12), 0:59 26 Jun 2021 Arena Alcalde, Guadalajara, Mexico Retained WBC flyweight title
20 Win 17–2
(1)
Moisés Calleros TKO 2 (12), 2:42 23 Oct 2020 Gimnasio TV Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico Retained WBC flyweight title
19 Win 16–2
(1)
Jay Harris UD 12 29 Feb 2020 The Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas, U.S. Retained WBC flyweight title
18 Win 15–2
(1)
Cristofer Rosales TKO 9 (12), 1:20 20 Dec 2019 Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. Won vacant WBC flyweight title
17 NC 14–2
(1)
Charlie Edwards KO 3 (12), 1:43 31 Aug 2019 The O2 Arena, London, England WBC flyweight title at stake;
Originally a KO win for Martinez, later ruled a NC
after Edwards was hit while he was down
16 Win 14–2 Andrew Selby KO 5 (12), 0:57 23 Mar 2019 Centro de Espectáculos del Recinto Ferial, Metepec, Mexico
15 Win 13–2 Irvin Ordaz TKO 1 (8), 1:52 26 Jan 2019 Lienzo Charro, Ciudad Guzman, Mexico
14 Win 12–2 Victor Ruiz KO 1 (8), 1:57 6 Oct 2018 Estadio Chevron, Tijuana, Mexico
13 Win 11–2 Juan Lopez Martinez KO 1 (8), 2:11 11 Aug 2018 Mexico City Arena, Mexico City, Mexico
12 Win 10–2 Ivan Meneses Flores TKO 2 (8), 0:23 7 Jul 2018 Domo del Parque San Rafael, Guadalajara, Mexico
11 Win 9–2 Jose Armando Valdes RTD 6 (10), 3:00 23 Feb 2018 Associación Mexico Japonesa, Mexico City, Mexico
10 Win 8–2 Martin Tecuapetla TKO 4 (6), 2:59 16 Dec 2017 Domo Sindicato de Trabajadores IMSS, Tlalpan, Mexico
9 Win 7–2 Marvin Diaz TKO 1 (10), 2:47 7 Oct 2017 Arena Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico
8 Win 6–2 Édgar Sosa UD 8 17 Jun 2017 Explanada Delegacion Cuauhtemoc, Mexico City, Mexico
7 Win 5–2 Hugo Hernandez Aguilar UD 8 1 Oct 2016 Deportivo Plan Sexenal, Mexico City, Mexico
6 Win 4–2 Joaquin Cruz MD 8 13 Aug 2016 Arena Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
5 Win 3–2 Israel Izquierdo TKO 1 (6), 1:02 9 Jul 2016 Arena Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
4 Win 2–2 Leonardo Baez TKO 2 (6), 1:20 2 Apr 2016 Auditorio Blackberry, Mexico City, Mexico
3 Win 1–2 Sergio Granados TKO 2 (4), 2:24 3 Mar 2016 Auditorio Blackberry, Mexico City, Mexico
2 Loss 0–2 Joaquin Cruz SD 4 16 Oct 2015 Auditorio Pablo Colín, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico
1 Loss 0–1 Fernando Monroy TKO 2 (4), 1:34 21 Mar 2013 Jose Cuervo Salon, Polanco, Mexico

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Julio Cesar Martinez". boxrec.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Andrew Selby: Welsh flyweight looking for big win in Mexico". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Andrew Selby stopped by Julio Cesar Martinez in Mexico City". independent.co.uk. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  4. ^ BoxingScene Staff (April 2019). "Julio Cesar Martinez is Pumped To Face Charlie Edwards". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  5. ^ Rodríguez, Salvador (13 June 2019). "Cerca de un acuerdo Charlie Edwards y Rey Martínez para pelea titular". espndeportes.espn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Lomachenko vs Campbell: Charlie Edwards defends WBC belt against Julio Cesar Martinez at The O2". skysports.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  7. ^ Gray, Tom (31 August 2019). "Julio Cesar Martinez-Charlie Edwards ends in bizarre no-contest in third". ringtv.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  8. ^ Emons, Michael. "Charlie Edwards keeps world title after late blow from Julio Cesar Martinez". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  9. ^ Garcia, Aragon (September 2019). "Hearn hints Charlie Edwards WON'T face Julio Cesar Martinez again". boxingnews24.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  10. ^ Johns, Marquis (6 October 2019). "Charlie Edwards vacates Flyweight title". bigfightweekend.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  11. ^ Rodríguez, Salvador (8 October 2019). "Rey Martínez disputará título ante Cristofer Rosales en diciembre". espndeportes.espn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Julio Cesar Martinez vs Cristofer Rosales on December 20, live on DAZN". boxingnews24.com. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  13. ^ Worsell, Elliot (6 November 2019). "Boxing News at Five: WBC won't punish Martinez and Vargas for positive PED tests, Adams hangs up the gloves". boxingnewsonline.net. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  14. ^ Frauenheim, Norm (21 December 2019). "Julio Cesar Martinez stops Cristofer Rosales to win first title". boxingjunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  15. ^ Rafael, Dan (3 January 2020). "Flyweight world titlist Julio Cesar Martinez returns to ring Feb. 29". espn.co.uk. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Jay Harris promises to shock the world and Julio Cesar Martinez". boxingnewsonline.net. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  17. ^ Salazar, Francisco (March 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez drops Jay Harris in round 10, retains WBC fly belt by decision". ringtv.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  18. ^ "Major Boxing Tripleheader Announced Featuring Juan Francisco Estrada". fightsports.tv. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  19. ^ Donovan, Jake (15 October 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez Hunts For Replacement, Maximino Flores (COVID) Out". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Julio Cesar Martinez Fights Moises Calleros Tonight On DAZN — Boxing News". 14 June 2021. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  21. ^ Idec, Keith (23 October 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez Destroys Moises Calleros in Two". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  22. ^ Rosenthal, Michael (24 October 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez puts Moises Calleros away in second round". boxingjunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Julio Cesar Martinez to defend belt vs. Francisco Rodriguez Jr. on Canelo Alvarez undercard". espn.com. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  24. ^ Salazar, Francisco (10 December 2020). "Julio Cesar Martinez vs. Francisco Rodriguez Jr. postponed due non-COVID related illnesses". ringtv.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  25. ^ Happe, Liam (27 January 2021). "Julio Cesar Martinez vs. McWilliams Arroyo confirmed as chief support for Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez vs. Avni Yildirim". dazn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  26. ^ a b Rodríguez, Salvador (26 February 2021). "Julio Cesar Martinez withdraws from title defense; McWilliams Arroyo gets interim title bout". espn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Julio Cesar Martinez defends against Joel Cordova on June 26 live on DAZN". fightmag.com.au. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  28. ^ "Martinez vs Cordova - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  29. ^ "Julio Cesar Martinez stops Joel Cordova in sixth round to retain WBC flyweight title". skysports.com. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  30. ^ Coppinger, Mike (3 October 2021). "Demetrius Andrade-Jason Quigley middleweight title fight headlines Nov. 19 tripleheader, sources say". espn.com. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  31. ^ Rosenthal, Michael (20 November 2021). "Julio Cesar Martinez-McWilliams Arroyo fight ruled no-contest". boxingjunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  32. ^ "Gonzalez vs Martinez - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  33. ^ "Chocolatito Gonzalez vs. Julio Cesar Martinez Officially Set For March 5 In San Diego". boxingscene.com. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  34. ^ Christ, Scott (6 March 2022). "Chocolatito vs Martinez full fight video highlights and results: Chocolatito Gonzalez dominates Julio Cesar Martinez, wins decision". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  35. ^ "Martinez vs. Arroyo II on June 25". wbcboxing.com. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  36. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (23 June 2022). "Julio Cesar Martinez withdraws from McWilliams Arroyo rematch". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  37. ^ Salvador, Rodriguez (13 July 2022). "Trabajan Martínez-Edwards y Arroyo-Velázquez para octubre". espn.com.mx. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  38. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (3 October 2022). "Julio Cesar Martinez vs McWilliams Arroyo 2 joins Estrada vs Chocolatito 3 in Glendale". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  39. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (8 November 2022). "McWilliams Arroyo injured, Julio Cesar Martinez fight cancelled a fourth time". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  40. ^ Salazar, Francisco (13 November 2022). "Julio Cesar Martinez To Defend Flyweight Belt Against Samuel Carmona On December 3". ringtv.com. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  41. ^ Donovan, Jake (3 December 2022). "Julio Cesar Martinez Bags Majority Decision Over Samuel Carmona in Tough Defense". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  42. ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (10 April 2023). "Julio Cesar Martinez vs Ronal Batista leads May 6th Canelo vs Ryder undercard". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  43. ^ Rosenthal, Michael (6 May 2023). "Julio Cesar Martinez survives slow start to stop Ronal Batista in 11th round". boxingjunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  44. ^ "Julio César Martínez defiende título el CMB el 16 de diciembre". Notifight (in Spanish). 7 December 2023.
  45. ^ Songalia, Ryan (15 December 2023). "Visa issues KO Julio Cesar Martinez-Angelino Cordova title fight". The Ring.
  46. ^ Iskenderov, Parviz (14 February 2024). "Julio Cesar Martinez faces Angelino Cordova on Thurman vs Tszyu undercard". FIGHTMAG.
  47. ^ "Julio Cesar Martinez drops Angelino Cordova twice, wins majority decision". Boxing Junkie. 31 March 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  48. ^ "Julio Cesar Martinez suspended nine months for failed drug test". 25 June 2024.
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Sporting positions
World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Charlie Edwards
WBC flyweight champion
20 December 2019 – 23 May 2024
Vacant