Kiko Martinez vs Carl Frampton 2

Northern Irishman Carl Frampton became the International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight champion by defeating Kiko Martinez on a unanimous 12-round decision at the Titanic Quarter in Belfast on September 6, 2014. A crowd of approximately 16,000 filled the purpose-built outdoor arena, giving the country its largest boxing attendance for many years. Both men weighed 121 pounds. Frampton entered unbeaten in 18 contests, while Martinez brought a record of 31 wins and four defeats into the third defence of his title. Steve Gray was the referee.

It was their second meeting. Nineteen months earlier, Frampton had stopped Martinez in the ninth round to win the European championship, but the Spaniard had rebuilt his position emphatically. He travelled to Atlantic City and stopped the previously unbeaten Jonatan Romero to take the IBF belt, then knocked out Jeffrey Mathebula and halted Hozumi Hasegawa in two successful defences. Frampton had remained active with stoppage victories over Jeremy Parodi and Hugo Cazares. The champion therefore returned to Belfast with improved standing and abundant confidence, although Frampton’s earlier victory made the local man the favourite.

The opening round was cautious, with Frampton refusing to provide the stationary target Martinez required. The challenger worked behind a quick left jab, moved in both directions and stepped away whenever Martinez attempted to close the distance. Martinez advanced behind a tight guard, seeking to bring his hooks into play, but his feet could not carry him into range quickly enough. Frampton increased his output in the second, landing a sharp combination and a chopping right hand that forced the champion backwards. His advantage in speed was already apparent, and he was finishing the exchanges before Martinez could respond.

Frampton continued to control the early rounds with his jab and straight right, mixing occasional attacks to the body with quick changes of direction. Martinez pressed steadily and remained dangerous whenever the distance shortened, but too many of his punches were blocked or fell short. Frampton was equally comfortable leading or allowing the champion to come forward, and his accuracy prevented Martinez from establishing the sustained pressure that had brought him the championship. The Belfast fighter was also physically strong enough to hold his ground when required rather than surrendering the ring at every advance.

The first decisive incident came in the fifth. Martinez slipped early in the round, but the genuine knockdown followed when Frampton struck him with a hard right hand to the head. The champion went heavily to the canvas and rose unsteadily, with the bell arriving before Frampton could mount a prolonged follow-up. Martinez recovered between rounds and resumed his pursuit, showing the durability that had distinguished his successful championship run. Frampton did not become careless in search of a stoppage. He returned to his jab, kept his punches compact and made Martinez begin his attacks from too far away.

Martinez enjoyed greater success as the fight entered its second half. His persistence brought him closer in the seventh and eighth rounds, and he attempted to make the contest rougher along the ropes. He was repeatedly warned for pulling Frampton’s head down, but no points were deducted. Even when Martinez managed to close the space, Frampton generally answered with the cleaner punches before turning away from danger. In the ninth, with the champion plainly behind, Martinez increased his efforts and tried to impose himself physically. Frampton met him with a well-timed straight left and continued to move out before the Spaniard could assemble his hooks.

The champion produced one of his better rounds in the tenth, driving forward and obliging Frampton to work harder under pressure. His face showed the marks of Frampton’s accurate punching, but his strength and determination remained intact. Any possibility of a late recovery was checked in the final two rounds. Frampton stood his ground more frequently, drove combinations through and around the guard and finished the contest attacking. Martinez continued to advance until the final bell, but he could not land the blow necessary to alter a result that had long been taking shape.

Judges Mike Fitzgerald and Dennis Nelson each scored the fight 119-108, while Marcus McDonnell returned a card of 118-111. The margins reflected Frampton’s command of the early rounds, the fifth-round knockdown and his strong finish, although Martinez’s effort made the contest more demanding than the totals alone suggested. Frampton had won by using speed, judgement of distance and disciplined movement rather than matching the champion in a prolonged exchange of hooks. The victory improved his record to 19-0 and brought Belfast a new world champion, while Martinez lost his title after completing the distance despite being outboxed for most of the contest.

Frampton’s rise reminded me strongly of Barry McGuigan’s 30 years earlier. He had become far more than a Belfast fighter. Supporters across Britain and Ireland followed him, and the 16,000 packed into the Titanic Quarter showed just how immensely popular he had become. Like McGuigan before Pedroza, Frampton entered his world-title night carrying enormous public expectation.

Martinez was no paper champion. Since Frampton stopped him in their first meeting, the Spaniard had travelled to America, won the IBF title and defended it twice by stoppage. He was strong, experienced and bloody persistent. What he lacked was the foot speed and variety to deal with Frampton at his sharpest.

Frampton boxed exactly as he needed to. He controlled the range with the jab, changed direction before Martinez could set his feet and punished the champion for following him in straight lines. The right hand that dropped Martinez in the fifth was beautifully timed, but Frampton impressed me more by resisting the temptation to chase a reckless finish.

Martinez made him work and had some success later, but the decision was beyond argument. Frampton was quicker in thought and execution, and he finished strongly. This was not merely a popular fighter being carried by his crowd. It was a technically mature performance from a man fully deserving of a world championship.