By In Palmer
Junior lightweights Juan Carlos Burgos and Roman ‘Rocky Martinez will meet each other at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 19. Burgos is the WBO’s number-one ranked challenger while Martinez is the organization’s current world champion. Burgos will enter the ring with an impressive record of 30-1 with 20 Kos while the champion has a 26-1-1 record with 16 Kos.
This will be Burgos second shot at a world title as he lost a close decision against Hozumi Hasegawa back in November of 2010 when he travelled to Japan to challenge for the belt. Burgos feels he gained a lot of experience from that bout even though he lost and he’s going to make sure that he isn’t going to waste a second shot at a world crown. He said he’s excited about getting a second opportunity for a life-changing bout and has grown both physically and mentally since his trip to Japan.
The 25-year-old Burgos of Tijuana, Mexico has looked impressive since losing to Hasegawa with five wins in the books since then. This includes victories over Luis Cruz and Cesar Vazquez, who were both unbeaten when Burgos met them. He also beat former world titleholder Cristobal Cruz by decision last February. Burgos turned pro back in 2004 and has fought some decent opposition along the way, he hasn’t really faced one of the world’s current elite boxers. He stands 5-foot 8½ inches with a 68 ½ inch reach.
Burgos is dedicating the bout to his uncle Victor Burgos who is a former world champion. Victor Burgos won his title 10 years ago, but came close to losing his life in a 2007 matchup with Vic Darchinyan. Burgos has since recovered and now works in Tijuana at City Hall. Burgos has been speaking with his uncle lately to gain motivation and confidence before his showdown with Martinez and wants to make his family proud of him by also winning a world title belt.
The 29-year-old champion Martinez hails from Puerto Rico and stands 5-feet-8-inches with a 67-inch reach. He turned pro back in 2001 and won the WBO Super Featherweight crown in 2009 when he stopped Nicky Cook in the fourth round in Manchester, England. He defended it twice before losing a unanimous decision to Ricky Burns in Glasgow, Scotland in October of 2010. He won the vacant championship last October with a 12-round split decision over Miguel Beltran Jr. in Las Vegas.
Prediction
This will be Martinez’s first title defense. He’s an aggressive boxer with a pretty solid chin, but doesn’t carry a lot of power in his fists. Burgos has quicker hands and he’ll need to use them to keep Martinez at bay. If he allows the champion to simply walk in on him it’ll be a tough night for Burgos. Martinez likes to slug it out and eventually wear his opponents down. He has a lot of heart and that could be the difference in a close bout here. Look for this bout to go the distance with Martinez hanging onto his belt when the judges’ scorecards are read.
