By Robert Segal: In a one-sided fight, IBF super flyweight champion Fernando Martinez (15-0, 8 KOs) took former IBF champ Jerwin Ancajas (33-3-2, 22 KOs) to school, defeating him by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision in a rematch on Saturday night at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The scores were 119-109, 118-110, and 118-110. Whatever chance Ancajas had of winning the fight, he threw it out the window by loading up on every shot, trying to knockout Martinez, which was never going to work.
Martinez, 31, used his high-volume punch output to get the better of Ancajas and buried him with each shot. It’s more than a little surprising that Ancajas didn’t learn from his previous loss to Martinez earlier this year because he made the same mistakes tonight as he did back then.
Their fight was similar to the previous one between them, with the Argentinian Martinez soundly beating the hard-hitting Ancajas by a 12 round unanimous decision last February.
Martinez threw nonstop punches in the seventh through the ninth round, forcing Ancajas to give ground to survive. Ancajas loaded up with shots, but he paid a heavy price each time he threw a shot, as Martinez would come back with three or four stinging blows.
Where things really fell apart for Ancajas is in the 12th round, with him getting reckless with his shots. He came out looking to score a knockout, and Martinez took advantage of his wildness by nailing him with numerous shots that had him stunned.
Ancajas looked like he needed saving in the last 30 seconds of the round, and it was heroic to stick it out until the bitter end. It would have been wise for Ancajas’ corner to throw in the towel because he was eating punches from Martinez and had virtually no chance of winning.
All in all, it was another great performance from Martinez, showing his mastery over Ancajas. The talent level between the two fighters was just too wide for the match to be competitive.
You got to wonder what Ancajas and his management were thinking in electing to take the rematch with Martinez because it was obvious that it was pointless for a second fight to take place after their precious one.
Ancajas needs to move up to 118 because he’s outgrown the 115-lb division, and he doesn’t have the same zip on his punches as he previously did.