Dorado, P.R.- WBO Super Featherweight Champion Román “Rocky” Martínez weighed 135lbs. yesterday at the 30 day weigh in for his upcoming title defense in Glasgow, Scotland against local Ricky Burns. The Puerto Rican brawler was an impressive fourteen and a half pounds under the 149.5lbs limit weight for this stage.
Half an hour before midday, Martínez (24-0-1, 15KO’s) was doing abdominal work before getting into the ring with Dennis “Sensei” Rivera to do some padwork in the smoldering heat of the small gym. His public relationist, Ricardo Rodríguez, told 15rounds.com that the team would be traveling to Scotland the 29th of August at the latest, thus giving Rocky time to get used to the weather.
Martínez is not new to traveling to his opponents’ backyards. In March 2009, he knocked out British Nicky Cook in the fourth round in the M.E.N. Arena in Manechester, England. Rodríguez told us they will again be looking for a knockout victory, taking the judges out of the equation and looking to impress in order to set themselves up for the bigger fights. Among the fighters they wish to meet is WBA Interim Titlist, Jorge “Coloradito” Solis of Guadalajara, Mexico.
Rocky’s team, composed of Rodríguez, Rivera and trainer Raúl “Papo” Torres are all aware of the type of opponent they face Burns (28-2-0, 7KO’s). Torres knows Burns is a very skilled fighter who boxes well and knows how to move; he has never been stopped and his only two losses have come against Carl Johanneson and Alex Arthur. Still, Torres prediction is a stoppage before the sixth round.
In order to achieve that, Martínez has been working his lateral movements, slipping punches and hitting without getting hit. In Rocky’s case, this is easier said than done. A brawler by nature, the Puerto Rican has shown improvement in his boxing in his last fights but still reverts to his brawler self when anyone in the ring gets hurt; be it him or his opponent. In his last fight, against Gonzalo Munguia, Rocky boxed well the first two and a half rounds, slipping punches and landing his jab, until halfway through the third round he started trading bombs with Munguia and eventually finished him in the fourth. Impressive enough considering Gonzalo had never been stopped, but the Nicaraguan “Destructor” is a boxer who is there to be hit. Not the case with Burns.
Come the fourth of September we will see if Rocky can force his work plan on his opponent. Burns most likely doesn’t have the power to stop Martínez’s charge but he does have the movements to get away from it and counter effectively. The question is whether or not the Champion can pressure and cut off the ring well enough to land his ill intended body shots and come through with another overseas victory.
