By William Lloyd: Kid Galahad has confirmed in a statement on Sunday that he will be taking a rematch with Kiko Martinez after losing his IBF featherweight title in a sixth round knockout last Saturday night at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England.
Galahad (28-2, 17 KOs) had been dominating the fight through the first four rounds, but got a little careless in the fifth round and was knocked down by Martinez (43-10-2, 30 KOs).
There was no chance for Galahad to survive in the sixth round, considering his punch resistance was gone, and he was quickly dispatched by a single right hand from Martinez.
Hearn’s fighters are dropping like flies
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn says he has options on Martinez, and they’ll be looking to set up a rematch if that’s what Galahad, 31, wants. Based on Galahad’s statement, he’s decided to take the immediate rather instead of taking a tune-up fight first.
Hearn has had terrible luck as of late. Not only did Galahad lose last Saturday, but also Terri Harper, who was stopped in the fourth round by Alycia Baumgardner in a defense of his IBO/WBC World female super featherweight title.
Last December, Hearn’s flagship fighter Anthony Joshua was upset by Oleksandr Usyk in an unthinkable 12 round unanimous decision defeat.
Hearn’s fighters have been dropping like flies lately, and he’s doing his best to keep a stiff upper lip through all of this bad fortune.
Ever the optimistic, Hearn believes Galahad will avenge his loss to Kiko in the rematch. Hearn has the same belief about Joshua in his rematch with Usyk in early 2022.
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“He’s devastated, he’s sad, he’s disappointed and probably frustrated because he made a mistake,” said Eddie Hearn to Pro Boxing Fans on Kid Galahad after his loss to Kiko Martinez.
“Kiko is a good fighter. He gave Josh Warrington a good fight only three years ago. He gave Zelfa Barrett [a tough fight]. Some thought that was a draw or one round either way. That was at super feather.
“He [Kiko] can fight, but Kid Galahad was dominating. Kid Galahad is a brilliant fighter. When you look at the rematches, Kid Galahad will look at his career and say, ‘What do I want to do with my career?’ He’s made good money in the last couple of fights.
“He’ll be frustrated. ‘I should have won that fight. I had it in my hand,” said Hearn about Galahad.
