Say hello to Sandor Martin. He might be around for a while.
The obscure Spaniard turned in the performance of his life Saturday in Fresno, Calif., outboxing and ultimately defeated former four-division titleholder Mikey Garcia by a majority decision in a 10-round welterweight fight.
And it wasn’t controversial. Martin won by scores of 97-93, 97-93 and 95-95, the last of which is disputable. Boxing Junkie also has Martin winning 97-93, seven rounds to three.
Martin’s victory is one of the biggest upsets in recent years. And it was historic from the underdog’s perspective.
“I know myself, my capabilities. I’ve been doing this since I was 5 years old,” Martin said through a translator. “I said I would go and out do this, go out and beat the best fighters in the world. And that’s what I’ve done.
“… I’m very happy for what I’ve done. I’ve done something nobody has ever done from my country, to defeat someone who was a four-division world champion like Mikey Garcia.”
Garcia (40-2, 30 KOs) hadn’t fought since he outpointed Jessie Vargas in February of last year, almost 20 months ago.
Still, one of most accomplished boxers in the world wasn’t expected to have a hard time against a relative unknown who had never faced anyone near Garcia’s ability and was fighting outside Europe for the first time.
Surprise, surprise.
Garcia stalked Martin (39-2, 13 KOs) from the beginning but was never able to land punches consistently, as his slick, athletic opponent spun out of dangerous situations or clinched when Garcia got too close. At the same time, Martin countered beautifully or caught Garcia coming in before slithering away.
The American had his moments, including a handful of flurries with Martin’s back against the ropes. However, it wasn’t enough to sway two of the three judges.
Garcia thought he, as the aggressor, did enough to earn the victory.
