Special Preview: #MartinezCarmona

WORLD BOXING COUNCIL STATS

WBC FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

GILA RIVER ARENA GLENDALE, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES

DECEMBER 3, 2022

TV: DAZN

The latest edition of the famous green and gold WBC belt encapsulates the image of our great and forever remembered President Jose Sulaiman, The King of Boxing Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather as an homage to their illustrious career plus the pictures of the 2 Greatest WBC´s champions per division, who were of course chosen by boxing fans.

THIS WILL BE THE WBC’S 2, 156 CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT   IN   ITS FIFTY-NINE YEAR HISTORY OF THE WBC 

EDDIE HEARN & MATCHROOM BOXING, PRESENT:

WBC Flyweight Champions

NAME                                                                      PERIOD AS CHAMPION

1. PONE KINGPETCH (THA) 1963
2. HIROYUKI EBIHARA (JAP) 1963 – 1964
3. PONE KINGPETCH (THA) * 1964 – 1965
4. SALVATORE BURRUNI (ITALY) 1965 – 1966
5. WALTER MCGOWAN (GB) 1966
6. CHARTCHAI CHIONOI (THA) (+) 1966 – 1969
7. EFREN TORRES (MEX) (+) 1969 – 1970
8. CHARTCHAI CHIONOI (THA) * (+) 1970
9. ERBITO SALAVARRIA (PHIL) 1970 – 1971
10. BETULIO GONZALEZ (VEN) 1972
11. VENICE BORKORSOR (THA) 1972 – 1973
12. BETULIO GONZALEZ (VEN) * 1973 – 1974
13. SHOJI OGUMA (JAP)                                                                  1974 – 1975
14. MIGUEL CANTO (MEX) 1975 – 1979
15. CHAN-HEE PARK (KOR) 1979 – 1980
16. SHOJI OGUMA (JAPAN) * 1980 – 1981
17. ANTONIO AVELAR (MEX) 1981 – 1982
18. PRUDENCIO CARDONA (COL) 1982
19. FREDDIE CASTILLO (MEX) 1982
20. ELEONCIO MERCEDES (DOM R.) 1982 – 1983
21. CHARLIE MAGRI (GB) 1983
22. FRANK CEDEÑO (PHIL) 1983 – 1984
23. KOJI KOBAYASHI (JAP) 1984
24. GABRIEL BERNAL (MEX) 1984
25. SOT CHITALADA (THA) 1984 – 1988
26. YONG-KANG KIM (KOR) 1988 – 1989
27. SOT CHITALADA (THAI) * 1989 – 1991
28. MUANGCHAI KITTIKASEM (THA) 1991 – 1992
29. YURI ARBACHAKOV (RUSSIA) 1992 – 1996
30. CHATCHAI SASAKUL (THA) 1997 – 1998
31. MANNY PACQUIAO (PHIL) 1998 – 1999
32. MEDGOEN SINGSURAT (THA) 1999 – 2000
33. MALCOLM TUNACAO (PHIL) 2000 – 2001
34. PONGSAKLEK WONJONGKAM (THA) 2001 – 2007
35. JORGE ARCE (MEXICO) INTERIM 2005 – 2006
36. DAISUKE NAITO (JAPAN) 2007 – 2009
37. PONGSAKLEK WONJONGKAM (THA) INTERIM 2009
38. KOKI KAMEDA (JAPAN) 2009 – 2010
39. PONGSAKLEK WONJONGKAM (THAI) * 2010 – 2012
40. SONNY BOY JARO (PHIL) 2012
41. TOSHIYUKI IGARASHI (JAPAN) 2012 – 2013
42. AKIRA YAEGASHI (JAPAN) 2013 – 2014
43. ROMAN GONZALEZ (NICARAGUA) 2014 – 2016
44. JUAN HERNANDEZ (MEXICO) 2017
45. DAIGO HIGA (JAPAN) 2017 – 2018
46. CRISTOFER ROSALES (NICARAGUA) 2018
47. CHARLIE EDWARDS (GB) 2018 – 2019
48. JULIO CESAR MARTINEZ (MEXICO) 2019 –
49. MCWILLIAMS ARROYO (P. RICO) INTERIM 2021 –

*REGAINED

TOP 10

1. MIGUEL CANTO (MEXICO)
2. PONGSAKLEK WONJONGKAM (THAILAND)
3. CHARTCHAI CHIONOI (THAILAND)
4. EFREN TORRES (MEXICO)
5. YURI ARBACHAKOV (RUSSIA)
6. ROMAN GONZALEZ (NICARAGUA)
7. SOT CHITALADA (THAILAND)
8. AKIRA YAEGASHI (JAPAN)
9. BETULIO GONZALEZ (VENEZUELA)
10. SHOJI OGUMA (JAPAN)

General Information

43 WORLD CHAMPIONS RECOGNIZED BY THE WBC OF WHICH ONLY 6 HAVE REGAINED THEIR TITLE:

PONE KINGPETCH (THAILAND)

CHARTCHAI CHIONOI (THAILAND)

BETULIO GONZALEZ (VENEZUELA)

SHOJI OGUMA (JAPAN)

SOT CHITALADA (THAI)

PONGSAKLEK WONJONGKAM (THAI)

WBC Bouts held in the Arizona State

12 TITLE FIGHTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN ARIZONA STATE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WBC AND THIS WILL BE THE 2nd. WBC TITLE FIGHT IN FLYWEIGHT DIVISION

WBC Fights by division in Arizona

12 BOUTS HAVE BEEN HELD IN THE ARIZONA STATE IN THE ENTIRE WBC HISTORY

20/01/1980       ALEXIS ARGUELLO – RUBEN CASTILLO                             TKO 11         TUCSON                 SFE

02/02/1980       SALVADOR SANCHEZ – DANNY LOPEZ                               TKO 13         PHOENIX               FE

12/04/1980       SALVADOR SANCHEZ – RUBEN CASTILLO                        DEC 15         TUCSON                 FE

21/02/1989       DENNIS ANDRIES – TONY WILLIS                                           KO 5              TUCSON                 LH

30/10/1993       MICHAEL CARBAJAL – DOMINGO SOSA                             TKO 7            PHOENIX               LF

29/07/2000       KONSTANTIN TSZYU – JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ                 TKO 6            PHOENIX               SL

03/11/2007       JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ – ROCKY JUAREZ                    DEC 12         TUCSON                 SFE

11/05/2019       MIGUEL BERCHELT – FRANCISCO VARGAS                      TKO 6            TUCSON                 SFE

20/12/2019       JULIO CESAR MARTINEZ – CRISTOFER ROSALES           TKO 9            PHOENIX               FL

10/09/2021       OSCAR VALDEZ – ROBSON CONCEICAO                             UD 12            TUCSON                 SFE

05/02/2022       JESSE RODRIGUEZ – CARLOS CUADRAS                             UD 12            PHOENIX               SFL

21/05/2022       DAVID BENAVIDES – DAVID LEMIEUX (INTERIM)         TKO 3            GLENDALE          SM

The King and the Canary

By James Blears

Feisty World Boxing Council flyweight Champion Julio Cesar Martinez defends his title against Samuel Carmona at the Gila River Arena, Glendale Arizona on December 3^rd right up there, on the Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez Vs Juan Francisco “Gallo” Estrada trilogy bill.

A busted right knuckle, chest infection and food poisoning from a dodgy salmon, derailed fights with McWilliams Arroyo. And now McWilliams, who was talking of retirement following a second helping of JC, is suffering from a neck and a back injury. A jack in the box set of jinxes!  When they did clash it produced one left hook knockdown apiece in the first round and then a crack of heads in round two, which left McWilliams with two lateral gashes on his  swelling right eyelid, so… a dissatisfying no contest. The rematch never seems destined to take place. How could saying this be tempting fate more than it already has been?

To paraphrase Ecclesiastes 9:11-12: “Unexpected and unpredictable circumstances are part of life and often interrupt the predictable flow of events.”

So, to fill the cloyed void, in comes Samuel Carmona from Las Palmas, Canarias, Spain. He says: “I`m happy to fight Martinez. I`m going to work very hard to bring victory to Las Palmas. You are going to see a great Carmona on December 3^rd.”

Julio Cesar who`s twenty seven, is only a year older, but a gulf of experience divides them. The champion`s record is 18-2, 14 KO`s, while the challenger is 8-0, 4 KO`s. So why would a fighter with so little pro experience want to take on a proven dynamite slugger, and fancy his chances into the bargin?

Samuel is currently ranked eighteen in the flyweight division by the World Boxing Council. A win would catapult him into the stratosphere right at the top. The money isn`t half bad too. He himself won the vacant WBA International title in only his fourth pro fight with a KO of Jose Antonio Jimenez in just ninety three seconds. His short pro career belies the fact that he learned his trade well as an amateur,  reaching the quarter finals of the 2016 Olympics.

It won`t have escaped Sam`s attention how hard McWilliams decked Julio Cesar in their one brief encounter, and how Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez comprehensively schooled him, given the fact that: “With Everything But Fear,” took that fight, moving up to super flyweight…and then some, on less than six weeks of notice, after Juan Francisco “Gallo” Estrada had to pull out, due to covid 19.

Julio Cesar is not an elegant stylist. He hauls up punches like cobble stones, but he really makes them count. Out-boxing him, slipping punches, avoiding incoming bombs, doing all this and even more over twelve torrid rounds, is a mighty tall order, especially as at five four tall, Samuel is only two inches loftier than the pocket power wrecking ball. Carmona will NEVER have felt unremitting pressure like it in his entire life, with the weight of what`s going to land.

Martinez lost a split decision in his pro debut to Joaquin Cruz and a wide UD to Maestro Chocolatito. Yet, fourteen of his opponents haven`t been able to stand up to his broadsides. His body punches are crunching and numbing, while his left hook to the head, is a goodnight sandman stunner. Julio Cesar`s nickname is Rey/King, and in spite of his diminutive size he often fights with a ferocity of mini King Kong. When he connects clean, it reputedly feels like an impact from a Mini Cooper….”Italian Job” style.

He`s said he aims to clear out the division by unifying it and then move back up to super fly and a chance his arm there. He`s already tried this, and now he knows full well the going will be extremely tough.

This fight is a huge gamble for Samuel Carmona. If he wins, it would be like: “The canary that ate the cat!” His nickname is Gitano/Gypsy. The Gypsy King is more than one hundred and fifty pounds heavier than him. He needs to take a leaf out of Tyson Fury`s ring generalship volume, and employ it against another king, specifically in this upcoming bout.

More likely Samuel will try for a KO or a TKO early on. The longer the fight goes, the more heavy artillery will land hard on him.  The Pride of the Canary Islands, he`s very much the canary descending into the mineshaft. Yet in this fight he needs to be mobile, unfettered and un-caged. A bird of a different feather!

As William Blake wrote: “A Robin Redbreast in a cage puts all Heaven in a rage.”  Taking huge risks against a mighty puncher could prove his salvation and his Jerusalem or…his downfall?