Julio Cesar Martinez vs Angelino Cordova fight breakdown
By James Blears
Many boxers will tell you, that’s it’s the punch you don’t see coming that decks you! And so, it befell Showtime, which brought boxing to our screens for almost 38 glorious years.
Paramount, which has now merged with it, has decided, via a clinically prudent financial business decision to call a halt. The accountants dealt then delivered the crushing KO.
In a bland matter of fact statement, Paramount announced: “As we evolve our strategy to move efficiently and allocate resources to align our content offering across the business, we’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with boxing and other content produced by Showtime Sports Team.
“We express our deepest gratitude to our employees, who have contributed to this award-winning sports programming over multiple decades.”
The descending axe finalizes Showtime by this year-end.
Stephen Espinoza, whose led Showtime since November 2011, has been awarded Man of the Year, at the WBC’s recent annual Convention in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A deserved recognition of his greatness.
Saving the best 'til last, it’s been left to “El Rey” and “Huracan” to weather the end of the reign and switch off the lights with a grand finale.
WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez (20-2-2, 15KO) will defend his crown against undefeated Angelino Cordova (18-0-1, 12KO) at The Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota on December 16th. Mexico vs Venezuela will be a farewell fitting of Boxing TV’s flagship, which is sadly well and truly sunk. A goodbye wave!
Diminutive Julio Cesar has blasted his way to the top, particularly with his vaunted left hook and ferocious body attacks. His, by now, famous saying is: “With everything but fear!”
Affable and jolly outside business hours, he’s a ruthless and relentless operator when the bell rings and it’s all on the line.
Angelino Cordova is made of stern stuff and just as well, because he’s never ever faced a challenge quite like this. It’s his first attempt at the Green and Gold Belt. He “Towers” over JC, at a lofty five feet four inches and has a reach of sixty five and a half inches, to JC’s sixty four inches.
Angelino has got here by defying the odds in his most recent two fights. He defeated Axel Aragon Vega by SD in a real give and take light flyweight fight. Then he progressed by defeating former light flyweight world champion Angel “Tito” Acosta by UD in a flyweight bout.
Tito started strongly, effectively using his jab and landing crunching body shots. In round three he was applying intense pressure and then a clash of heads left Angelino with a bad gash over the left eye, which later required eight stitches to close and heal. He didn’t panic and kept fighting back. Some commentators observed, and it was they who interpreted that Tito seemed discouraged when Angelino took all of his best shots and refused to budge or wilt. That’s their considered opinion. What is an undisputable fact, is that Angelino showed admirable courage, willpower, and vim under intense fire.
What is certain is that Julio Cesar will never let this type of admirable resistance deflect his avowed intention or purpose. Come what may, he’ll maintain the onslaught throughout. His boxing ethos, creed and mission is seeking to destroy.
Enterprising Angelino is determined to capitalize on an opportunity which destiny is offering him. It was expected and hoped that there would be a highly anticipated rematch between Julio Cesar and McWilliams Arroyo. Firstly, JC suffered a hairline fracture to his right hand in final sparring session, prior to their first encounter. McWilliams nevertheless fought and won the WBC Interim title. Another cancellation as Julio Cesar fell ill with salmon food poisoning. When they did meet in the ring, both exchanged knockdowns in round one. Julio was the first to visit the canvass. He got up and dropped McWilliams. We seemed destined to witness a thrilling slugfest classic, but it was not to be.
In round two a clash of heads left McWilliams with two bad cuts and the fight was halted, with a NC decision. McWilliams then injured his neck in training and later declined to fight Martinez, so he was stripped of his title. The rematch is never going to happen. Four cancellations… jinxed?
In his most recent fight, Julio stopped elusive Ronal Batista on round 11. He likes and hankers after a pitched battle and isn’t suited to a catch me if you can running race. His best work is done at toe to toe, close quarters.
Angelino will have to withstand a constant barrage. He will need to demonstrate wily guile and resolve in a see-saw contest.
Julio Cesar has come through his own test of fire. On less than six weeks notice, he fought the supreme Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez, after Juan Francisco Estrada had to pull out due to a positive covid test. It was a seminal learning experience. The WBC super-flyweight Diamond Belt was at stake. A bold gamble by the audacious “Rey” but at this stage of his career more polish was required and it was lacking. The old Maesto, wearing toffee colored gloves got stuck into him, providing a wincingly painful boxing tutorial.
Julio was constantly under pressure and under the cosh. Chocolatito tried his level best to level him, but the younger man defiantly refused to go down. He stubbornly stood his ground and returned fire, often as not paying for it dearly. Yet, he clearly showed his mental and physical toughness, although on this occasion he was comprehensively outclassed.
Wiser but characteristically unchastised, he’s back at his natural weight and this is his seventh defense of the title he won in December 2019, overwhelming and beating Cristofer “The Whip” Rosales.
Anything can happen, but one thing is for certain – this won’t be dull!
A final salute to Showtime!
Betting Odds
1/6 Martinez
4/1 Cordova
20/1 Draw
Tale of the Tape
Julio Cesar “El Rey” Martinez
(Mexico)
WBC Flyweight World Champion
Age: 28
DOB: January 17, 1995
Residence, birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
Record: 20-2, 2 NC, 15KO
Total rounds: 123
World championship fights: 6-0, 2 NC, 4KO
Height: 5’2” – 157cm
Reach: 64” – 163cm
Stance: Right-handed
Manager, trainer: Eddy Reynoso
Angelino “Huracan” Cordova
(Venezuela)
WBC #13 flyweight
Age: 28
DOB: October 6, 1995
Residence: Roselle Park, New Jersey
Birthplace: Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
Record: 18-0-1, 12KO
Total rounds: 85
Height: 5’4” – 162cm
Reach: 65.5” – 166cm
Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Oscar Navarro
Trainer: Jose Nieves
WBC Top 10 World Flyweight Champions
1. Miguel Canto (Mexico)
2. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (Thailand)
3. Chartchai Chionoi (Thailand)
4. Efren Torres (Mexico)
5. Yuri Arbachakov (Russia)
6. Roman Gonzalez (Nicaragua)
7. Sot Chitalada (Thailand)
8. Akira Yaegashi (Japan)
9. Betulio Gonzalez (Venezuela)
10. Shoji Oguma (Japan)
Article sponsored by HÖRFA