In one of the most intense battles ever seen in modern times in a middleweight world championship, Argentina's Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez barely survived a vicious last round attack from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., to defeat the "Son of the Legend" and recapture the WBC belt yesterday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
A fast a accurate Martinez fought extremely well during the first 11 rounds, delivering a boxing lesson the Chavez, but with huge combinations in round 12, Chavez Jr. forced an increasingly tired "Maravilla" hard down to the canvas.
With seconds left, a very hurt Martinez manage to stand up to bravely traded huge bombs with his 11 years younger opponent.
Time was indeed running out as the Argentinian went down again, but the dramatic fall was ruled a slip by experienced referee Tony Weeks.
Official scorecards were: Stanley Christodoulou of South Africa 117-110, Adalaide Byrd of Las Vegas 118-109 and Dave Moretti of Las Vegas 118-109 all in favor of the new WBC middleweight world champion Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez.
The awesome win was the greatest victory for the Argentinian, the 50th his boxing career. Chavez Jr. lost his undefeated record, but for many of his Mexican fans, the defeat was not that disappointing at all
"The junior lost but showed tenacity and a warrior's heart, so did Martinez. It was just a great fight among Latinos, the perfect gift in independence day," said a fan post in Latin American portal Notifight.com, the worlds #1 boxing site in Spanish.
Philboxing's friend, the talented Mexican photographer Pepe Rodriguez of the WBC, was well-positioned at the Thomas & Mack to capture photos of the epic combat. Here Pepe offers Philboxing readers exciting photos of the thrilling action. Gracias Pepe!
Photos by Pepe Rodriguez/WBC
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