Martínez Vs. Chávez Jr.
Martinez fought Julio César Chávez Jr. on September 15, 2012, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada for Chávez Jr's WBC Middleweight title. Martinez won by Unanimous Decision after surviving a 12th round knock down following a dominant performance over the first 11 rounds.
Martinez out worked and out landed Chávez throughout the first 11 rounds of the fight, in dominating fashion. Though Chávez had his moments trapping Martinez in the corner on the ropes, Martinez fought Chávez and used his fast lateral movement to avoid and neutralize Chávez' offensive attack. Chávez hurt Martinez in the 12th round, sending him to the canvas half-way through the round. Martinez got up with a little over 1 minute left in the fight, and rather than clinch or hold on to Chávez, Martinez continued to throw and trade blows with the Mexican. Despite being fatigued and clearly hurt, Sergio Martinez managed to hold and survive the thrilling 12th round. Martinez won the fight by unanimous decision, by the scores of 117–110, 118–109, and 118–109. After the fight, it was revealed that Martinez had broken his left hand (as early as the 4th round) and torn his right meniscus, the latter of which would require surgery.
After the fight, Chavez tested positive for cannabis. As a result, he received a fine of $20,000 and was indefinitely suspended by the World Boxing Council.
The Bleacher Report, ESPN, and The Los Angeles Times all gave round-by-round reports on the fight. Martinez was a slight favorite in the contest.
After his surgery, Martinez confirmed his next title defense would take place in his native Argentina, in what would be his first fight in his home country since leaving for Spain in 2002. News agency Reuters reported that Martinez could make his first title defense against British fighter Martin Murray on April 27, 2013 in Argentina. Martinez defeated Ring Top 10 Middleweight Martin Murray on April 27, 2013 in Argentina.
Read more about this topic: Sergio Gabriel Martínez, Professional Career, Middleweight