By Jack Price @PriceyJ97.
WBO super-featherweight champion Rocky Martinez looks set to return to action on April 13th on the undercard of the highly-anticipated bout between Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux.
Martinez, sometimes seen by other fighters as a champion that is "there for the taking," has many different options for his return date. The Puerto Rican has named three fighters that he is looking to face.
"I have not sat down with my promoter to know the exact details but (Diego) Magdaleno, (Orlando) Salido or a rematch with (Juan Carlos) Burgos (are all possibilities)," said Martinez. "Everything depends on the business and if there is a good deal. Should be on April 13th."
Personally, I think it has to be the rematch with Burgos that takes place next. Martinez (26-1, 16 KO's) just managed to cling on to his title with a questionable draw against Burgos (30-1, 20 KO's) on January 19th. I, along with many others, believed Burgos just deserved to win that fight, so a rematch is definitely necessary. And I won't be surprised if it is ordered by the WBO anyway.
Martinez-Salido would be an interesting match-up, but it seems unlikely for this fight to happen in April. Salido (39-12, 27 KO's) lost his featherweight world title to Mikey Garcia also on the January 19th HBO broadcast and says he is moving up to super-featherweight, with a fight with Martinez being his main target. However the 32-year old has also stated that he is looking to take a bounce-back fight in May and then start fighting for world titles again at the end of the year.
Magdaleno (23-0, 9 KO's) would also be an interesting match-up for hardcore fight fans. The young Top Rank prospect is slowly making his way through the ranks and this could be seen as the perfect opportunity for him to really make an impact on the world scene. I suspect that Magdaleno and his team see this as a winnable fight for the 26-year old, but will they want to take the risk just yet?
All three of these will be tough fights for the Puerto Rican pressure-fighter, and his time as world champion may be coming to an end. Can he bounce back from the controversial draw in January and pull off a top-class performance in April?
Martinez, sometimes seen by other fighters as a champion that is "there for the taking," has many different options for his return date. The Puerto Rican has named three fighters that he is looking to face.
"I have not sat down with my promoter to know the exact details but (Diego) Magdaleno, (Orlando) Salido or a rematch with (Juan Carlos) Burgos (are all possibilities)," said Martinez. "Everything depends on the business and if there is a good deal. Should be on April 13th."
Personally, I think it has to be the rematch with Burgos that takes place next. Martinez (26-1, 16 KO's) just managed to cling on to his title with a questionable draw against Burgos (30-1, 20 KO's) on January 19th. I, along with many others, believed Burgos just deserved to win that fight, so a rematch is definitely necessary. And I won't be surprised if it is ordered by the WBO anyway.
Martinez-Salido would be an interesting match-up, but it seems unlikely for this fight to happen in April. Salido (39-12, 27 KO's) lost his featherweight world title to Mikey Garcia also on the January 19th HBO broadcast and says he is moving up to super-featherweight, with a fight with Martinez being his main target. However the 32-year old has also stated that he is looking to take a bounce-back fight in May and then start fighting for world titles again at the end of the year.
Magdaleno (23-0, 9 KO's) would also be an interesting match-up for hardcore fight fans. The young Top Rank prospect is slowly making his way through the ranks and this could be seen as the perfect opportunity for him to really make an impact on the world scene. I suspect that Magdaleno and his team see this as a winnable fight for the 26-year old, but will they want to take the risk just yet?
All three of these will be tough fights for the Puerto Rican pressure-fighter, and his time as world champion may be coming to an end. Can he bounce back from the controversial draw in January and pull off a top-class performance in April?
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