Sergio Martinez vs Adrian Stone

Only 70 seconds separated the challenger from the final bell when a contest that had lasted nearly 12 rounds ended with sudden and decisive violence. Before his hometown following at the Whitchurch Sports Centre in Bristol, Adrian Stone was knocked out by Sergio Martinez at 1:50 of the last round on October 9, 2003. It was the first defence of Martinez’s IBO super-welterweight title and the final contest of Stone’s professional career.

Martinez, a 28-year-old southpaw from Argentina who was then based in Spain, weighed 153¼ pounds and entered with a record of 29 wins, one defeat and one draw. He had won the championship four months earlier at the Manchester Arena, where he overcame two knockdowns to outpoint Richard Williams. Stone weighed 152½ pounds and brought a record of 33-4-2. The Bristol-born boxer had previously held the same IBO title, winning it from 1992 Olympic champion Michael Carruth in 2000 and making three successful defences before dropping to welterweight for an unsuccessful challenge against WBC champion Shane Mosley.

Martinez began in his customary loose southpaw manner, moving lightly and using the right jab to prepare the straight left. Stone, shorter and more compact, sought to reduce the distance and make the champion work at close quarters. Martinez possessed the quicker hands and feet, but Stone was familiar with championship boxing and did not allow him an uncontested passage through the early rounds. The challenger kept advancing, looking to bring his right hand into play against the southpaw stance.

Stone’s persistence brought its reward in the third round when he knocked Martinez down. It was a reminder that the champion, for all his speed and mobility, could be caught when moving with his hands low. Martinez recovered without panic and resumed his boxing, circling away from Stone’s stronger hand and striking in quick bursts. The knockdown did not alter his method. Rather than stand and seek immediate repayment, he returned to controlling the space between them.

Through the middle rounds, Martinez gradually imposed his superior pace. His right jab repeatedly interrupted Stone’s forward movement, while the straight left and following combinations caught the challenger as he attempted to come inside. Stone continued to press and had occasional success when he could hold his ground, but he was required to absorb punches merely to reach his own hitting distance. The effort began to tell. Martinez remained the quicker man and increasingly found the target before moving out of range, while Stone’s attacks became slower and easier to anticipate.

The challenger nevertheless survived into the twelfth and was still attempting to force the fight when Martinez found the finish. With Stone tired from his long pursuit, the champion increased the weight and number of his punches. Stone was sent down but rose and tried to continue. Martinez did not waste the opportunity. Another sustained attack dropped Stone for the second time in the round, leaving him unable to beat referee Paul Thomas’s count. The knockout was recorded at 1:50.

Stone had fought with determination in front of his own people and had provided the contest’s first knockdown, but Martinez’s recovery and command of the later rounds decided the issue. The Argentine improved his record to 30-1-1 and retained the title in a performance that displayed the qualities which would later carry him to greater honours: speed, balance, patience and the ability to remain composed after being hurt. For Stone, aged 32, the defeat closed a ten-year career with 33 victories, five losses and two draws.

Looking back, this was one of the nights when Sergio Martinez showed he was becoming a serious fighter. He had taken the IBO title from Richard Williams on eight days’ notice, recovering from two knockdowns to win clearly. Four months later, he entered Adrian Stone’s Bristol territory and again showed his composure.

Stone was no mug. He had beaten Michael Carruth and shared a ring with Vernon Forrest and Shane Mosley. He also punished Martinez’s habit of carrying his hands low by dropping him in the third round. But Martinez had the quicker feet, controlled the distance with his right jab and repeatedly brought the straight left behind it. Stone spent too much energy chasing and closing the gap before he could work.

By the later rounds, Stone was surviving on toughness while Martinez continued changing angles and landing in clusters. The challenger deserves credit for reaching the twelfth, but he was exhausted and taking clean punches. Martinez dropped him twice in the final round, ending matters at 1:50. That finish told me plenty: Martinez had been floored, remained disciplined and systematically broken down an experienced opponent in his own hometown.