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By Scott Gilfoid: Undefeated featherweight contender Josh Warrington (25-0, 5 KOs) won a controversial 12 round majority decision win on Saturday night over former world super bantamweight champion Kiko Martinez (36-8-1, 26 KOs) at the First Direct Arena, Leeds, England. The 31-year-old Martinez appeared to do more than enough to get the victory tonight.
By Michael Montero: Saturday night in Anaheim California, a reported crowd of 7,780 rowdy fans lit up the Honda Center in anticipation of the Showtime Championship Boxing doubleheader headlined by local favorite Leo Santa Cruz, defending his featherweight title against veteran Kiko Martinez of Spain. For Santa Cruz, it was his first assignment since defeating Abner Mares in the “battle of LA” last summer. And for the faded, battle-worn Martinez, he was facing the first world class opponent since his devastating KO loss to Scott Quigg last July in England.
These two went to work from the opening bell, and it didn’t take long for Santa Cruz to establish his dominance. Early in the first he dropped Martinez with a chopping overhand right that appeared to land on the back of the head.
(Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME) By Dan Ambrose: WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) made it exciting tonight in going toe-to-toe with #9 WBA challenger Kiko Martinez 36-7, 26 KOs) in stopping him in the 5th round on Saturday night in a fight televised by Showtime Championship Boxing at the Honda Center, in Anaheim, California, USA. Santa Cruz put Martinez down two times in the 1st round, but was unable to get him out of there. Martinez never stopped coming forward in the subsequent rounds, and he was catching Santa Cruz with some really big shots. Those punches would have knocked out a lot of guys, but Santa Cruz was able to take them without any signs of ever being hurt.
Santa Cruz trapped the 29-year-old Martinez against the ropes in the 5th and then flurried on him until referee Raul Caiz Sr. stepped in and halted the contest at 2:09 of the round. To his credit, Martinez was still on his feet, but he wasn’t throwing anything back and was just covering up during the final seconds of the flurry.
By Dan Ambrose: WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) did not look good in defeating former IBF super bantamweight champion Kiko Martinez (36-7, 26 KOs) by a 5th round knockout TKO on Saturday night in Santa Cruz’s first defense of his WBA 126lb title at the Honda Center, in Anaheim, California, USA.
Santa Cruz dropped Martinez in the 1st round. Four rounds later, he finished him off with a blizzard of punches in the 5th round to get a stoppage. In between all this, the two fighters threw shots at close range in a phone booth type fight.
(Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME) By Dan Ambrose: WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (31-0-1, 17 KOs) weighed in successfully on Friday for his title defense against #9 WBA Kiko Martinez (35-6, 26 KOs) this Saturday night. Santa Cruz weighed in at 125lbs, and he looked in great shape as he always does.
During the face off at the weigh-in, the 5’7 ½” Santa Cruz looked considerably taller than the 5’5” Martinez, giving the appearance that the two fighters belong in separate weight classes.