WHILE we all discuss how shocked Devin Haney, Bill Haney and everyone else was by Ryan Garcia's performance on Saturday night (April 20) in Brooklyn, let's spare a thought for Sandor Martin when you have the chance.
Second only to Devin Haney in terms of impact from Saturday's shock, Martin, the number one ranked WBC super lightweight, like the rest of us, fully expects Haney to get his job done on Saturday and retained the title before his match, Martin, in the summer. This belief was then only reinforced by what the Spaniard had seen and heard from Garcia in the days and weeks leading up to the fight, raising the possibility of an upset that he was even not taken into account. In fact, for Martin, it was a done deal; Both results Haney vs. Garcia and the identity of his next opponent. All he needed on Saturday was confirmation of what he already knew.
“I think the whole world expected Haney to win,” Martin told Boxing news. “On paper, it's an 80/20 fight for Haney and Garcia is not in his league. But in the ring Ryan Garcia knocked out Devin Haney.”
Smash.
That's definitely a word for it. Dropped three times (in rounds seven, 10 and 11), Haney was indeed repeatedly smashed by Garcia's left hook, especially when landing his own jab, and as a result, on his face wearing the expression of a man completely shocked at what he had done. discovered; a performance that was widely viewed both at the Barclays Center and at home.
“It was an incredible fight and an incredible performance from Ryan Garcia,” Martin said. “I think two things: one, if all of that is true (before the fight), then there is a very serious problem with his mind. But if it's all fake then Ryan Garcia is a very good actor. My coach said, 'Let's wait for Garcia, because maybe he's in better shape than people think.' And that's really important to remember. He had all the cards and he made a very good plan.
“Garcia had an impressive performance but I'm really disappointed with Haney. No one expected Ryan Garcia to perform like this and Devin Haney is the favorite. But boxing is very difficult and unpredictable. Garcia plays cards very well. He played to Haney's mind and then did very well in the ring. I respect him for this.”
Ryan Garcia rocks Devin Haney (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Much of the frustration Martin felt about Haney was undoubtedly due to Haney's attempts to complicate what had been a seemingly simple situation. After all, now that Haney lost to Garcia but still retained the title because Garcia couldn't make weight, an opponent like Martin now doesn't know where he stands in the pecking order. On the one hand, he still sees himself as next and thinks that Devin Haney, despite his defeat, will honor this and become his next opponent. But this hope is weighed down by the much greater belief that Haney will want to fight Garcia again and that this rematch, if immediate, is unlikely to take place at 140 pounds. This, for obvious reasons, left Martin feeling cold, once again watching from the sidelines.
“Now I don't know (what happens). It's strange now,” he said. “Devin Haney lost the fight but went on to win the title. Alright. But now will Devin Haney fight me for the WBC title? I do not know. If he doesn't continue to hold the title, the WBC and (WBC President) Mauricio Sulaiman need to speak up about this situation.
“Ryan Garcia has said he won't fight at 140 pounds, so I need another official opponent for the championship. Ryan Garcia tells everyone he can't make 140 pounds, but maybe that's just another crazy idea of his and he's playing tricks again. Maybe he Maybe create that weight. For me, the most important thing now is the conversation between my managers, Salvatore Cherchi, Christian Cherchi and Mauricio Sulaiman. They need to come up with a solution in this case. I'm waiting for my chance and ready to take the belt.
“It's only fair that I fight for the title and that's what I want. Winning the belt and becoming world champion is my goal in boxing. For me, my team, my country and my family, it's very important. Becoming a world champion helps boxers have a better future. To achieve this, I will fight best at 140 pounds. I'll fight Subriel Matias, I'll fight Devin Haney, I'll fight Ryan Garcia, I'll fight Isaac Cruz, and I'll fight Teofimo Lopez again. It's one of the best tournaments in the world and I want to prove I'm the best fighter in this tournament. I just needed the chance to shock the world again. I shocked the world against Mikey Garcia and I also shocked Teofimo. Now I just need another chance at the belt. Then I will do the rest.”
Martin, 42-3 (15) as a pro, returned to the ring in December with a third-round stoppage of Mohamed El Marcouchi in Torino, Italy, and feels good. more because of that, he said. He has also remained in the gym since that fight, knowing that the opportunity to challenge for his WBC title, this opportunity he has wanted for so long, would have been, in an ideal world. , will soon be approaching.
“After the last fight, I continued to train because I knew my situation and my position in boxing,” he said. “I'm waiting for the world title.
“To me, it's a mistake if you need to fight to train. You need to stay focused, that's what I'm doing. I spend every day of my life at the gym. I hit the gym to become a better fighter and improve my boxing skills.
“I was very happy (with my last match) because I got my feeling and motivation back. When I fought before, I wasn't in a good mood. I want to be in better shape in the ring and I felt that in December. I am very motivated and ready to fight the next world champion.”
Sandor Martin appears to defeat Teofimo Lopez (Al Bello/Getty Images)
At age 30, Martin found himself in a difficult situation. For all intents and purposes, he is entering his physical and fighting prime and will therefore certainly be conscious of wasting too much of his day waiting for other people's decisions . Equally, however, being so close, he knew that taking on another war in the interim would risk blowing away everything he had worked so hard to win.
“I'm not considering another type of fight at the moment,” Martin admitted. “I want to fight for the next world championship and the WBC needs to give me that opportunity. I have no problem fighting anyone anywhere in the world, but I need to take the first step. This first step is to get the opportunity and become a champion with the WBC.
“In four or five years, maybe I will be a different type of fighter. The most important thing is to realize my dream, starting from Spain. That's difficult. People don't understand how difficult it is to have that dream in Spain. Maybe if I had been born in another country, I would have had an easier path to the world title. If you were born in America, you have more connections and more chances to become world champion and have a good career. In Spain, things are much more difficult. That's why I'm so proud. I am proud of my work in the sport of boxing. A lot of world champions, if they were born in Spain and lived here, they wouldn't be world champions.”
