Premier Boxing Champions card from SoCal
The underdog almost got the victory.
Hometown favorite Aron “El Asesino” Martinez faced Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero in the main attraction of Saturday’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) show presented by TGB Promotions and airing live on NBC Sports. The show was held at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
This card had an early start time (doors officially opened at 11:00 a.m.) and ticket holders were treated to a whopping 11 bouts during this six-hour showdown at StubHub.
As the sun began to beat down heavily in the outdoor stadium, the action would also began to sizzle in the main event of the show.
Heading into the contest, this bout was expected by many to be a bounce-back victory for Guerrero (who was beaten by Keith Thurman in March of this year).
But Team Martinez gave 101% in trying to spoil Guerrero’s victory in their battle scheduled for ten rounds of action. Gilroy’s Guerrero got Saturday’s win over the hometown hero, East L.A.’s Martinez, in a split decision win. Judge Max De Luca saw the fight in Martinez’s direction with a 95-94 score while judges Jerry Cantu saw it 97-92 for Guerrero with Eddie Hernandez scoring it 95-94 for “The Ghost.”
It was a competitive and exciting war from the get-go. With only four knockouts on his pro record, 33-year-old Martinez (19-4-1, 4 KOs) came out of the corner ready for war, aggressive and swinging hard. Aron’s last bout was a TKO loss against Josesito Lopez in April 2014 and this Guerrero fight was Martinez’s return to the ring. Unheralded by many, critics did not expect the Mexican warrior to be such a tough test against former champ Guerrero (33-3-1, 18 KOs). But Team Martinez had the confidence, chutzpah, some plans of their own and executed it well in the early rounds of the competition. Digging deep into the body of Guerrero and tagging him upstairs as well, Martinez looked like a man on a mission. And a man with a plan.
Taking the fight to the southpaw Guerrero, Martinez was connecting on some hard shots while raging forward. The inside game belonged to Aron as he roughed up Guerrero, who delivered combinations of his own. Working hard, “El Asesino” was effective in his punches, targeting the face and chin of “The Ghost” and trapping him in the corner. Round 4 brought heavy drama and further ignited the crowd. You gotta love the drama of the fight game!
In the fourth frame, Martinez shocked the audience by scoring a knockdown of Guerrero. Aiming for the face and chin of his foe, Aron unleashed a barrage of shots. As Robert hit the deck, the arena erupted. Referee Ray Corona administered the count as Guerrero got back on his feet right before the sound of the bell. The fans were shocked to see Guerrero go down.
Would Martinez upset the more experienced champ who has faced elite competition? Would the underdog prevail? Would/could Aron close the show in Round 5 and shock the boxing world?
Nothing better than the drama in boxing.
As the clock ticked, Martinez did a good job keeping the fight rough and rugged while a seemingly re-energized Guerrero used his boxing skills en route of his controversial victory. As this Guerrero-Martinez duel continued, Robert had more success in the second half of the bout. Aron appeared to slow down in his punch output as the Gilroy boxing star got his bearings back. Both had their moments as the rounds continued. Both stepped on the gas as they continued their war of attrition; both gladiators’ faces showed the marks of punishment inflicted. The two men locked horns–neither slugger giving in.
It was a thrilling punch fest; it was an action-packed fight with Guerrero being knocked down by the big underdog.
Since 2013 Guerrero had lost to Keith Thurman, had a battle versus Yoshihiro Kamegai and a defeat by Floyd Mayweather Jr. and many wondered how the battle-tested fighter would be just three months after the Thurman clash?
Proving he was not just an “opponent” or a punching bag for the favored Guerrero, Martinez didn’t get the official win but did earn respect while putting his name out there in the welterweight division. And on national and free public TV (non-cable or PPV TV), no less. Saturday was sports viewers’ heaven on NBC with this live boxing card offered after the French Open and sandwiched between the Belmont Stakes (Triple Crown winner) Stanley Cup hockey finals, PBC is getting the attention of the mainstream audience.
These PBC cards will hopefully bring new fans to the sport and this Guerrero-Martinez scrap no doubt earned the respect–and attention–of newcomers.
And when the split decision verdict was announced, boos rained down from the crowd.
So after this fight, what’s next for the pair of prizefighters?
Robert Guerrero will look for bigger fights and bigger names in the future as he wants to reclaim his championship status while Aron Martinez should now be a name in the game that people will want to follow. Guerrero has beaten the likes of Andre Berto, Selcuk Aydin, Michael Katsidis, Joel Casamayor and more and will aim for a high profile opponent in his next outing. Martinez may now get higher profile fights while remaining and underdog, but that’s nothing new for the Southern California boxer.
I’ve known Aron and his brother (also a pro fighter) Aalan Martinez for many years now. Aron is a humble boxer who has claimed victories over Joseph Elegele, Prenice Brewer, Dashon Johnson, Albert Herrera, etc. I’ve seen him fight in several small club shows but before the Guerrero brawl, he was not exactly on the radar in the larger boxing universe. Perhaps this latest showdown will provide bigger opportunities for Martinez, promoted by Thompson Boxing Promotions (known for their underdog victories like Martinez’s TBP stablemate Josesito Lopez and former Thompson fighters Mauricio Herrera and Timothy Bradley). Making the most of his time in the spotlight, the underdog won his own personal battle.
And Martinez did receive a hero’s reception as the crowd cheered loudly as Aron made his way to the dressing room.
Later in the afternoon as the swing bouts continued, Team Martinez remained in the venue greeting family, friends and new fans who wanted to meet the hero who came so close to snatching the victory from Guerrero in a very close battle. He was constantly surrounded by well wishers. I spoke to Aron after the fight and while he was obviously disappointed in not getting the other two judges’ decision, he says he looks forward to the future and hopes to be back in the ring as soon as possible. Martinez remains humble, working in construction and also just getting engaged to his fiancé Cat.
It was a memorable bout in this new PBC series and the real winners are the boxing fans who were treated to a rousing 10-round bombs-away fight with over 1,000 punches thrown by the two warriors.