Always looking to challenge himself, heavy-handed puncher Kiko Martinez has enjoyed a highly productive career, winning world titles at junior featherweight and featherweight.
Martinez, who was one of five children, was born in Elche, Spain on March 7, 1986. His birth name is Francisco Martinez Sanchez.
“I had a normal upbringing, my parents worked a lot and we spent a lot of time on the streets because they had a bar and arcades,” Martinez told The Ring via Oscar Zardain. “But we always lived well and never lacked anything. A working but normal middle class family.”
As a youngster, Martinez played soccer, which is very popular in his country, unlike boxing. However, he found the sport as a teenager and hasn’t looked back.
“When I was 13 years old, I started boxing to learn to defend myself because I’m small and the boys were always picking on me,” he explained. “From that moment I fell in love with boxing.”
Martinez won regional and national titles and enjoyed his time as an amateur, going 39-1, before deciding to turn professional at 18, where he was paid €460 (just shy of $500) in June 2004.
He won his first 16 fights at home before traveling to Ireland where he scored a stunning first round knockout over hometown favorite Bernard Dunne to win the European junior featherweight title in the summer of 2007.
“I remember it was a great night for me,” he said. “From then on, big doors opened for me and I proved to everyone and to myself that it is possible to become world champion.”
Over the next few years, Martinez grew in experience and became a mainstay on the European circuit.
Kiko Martinez (left) – Photo courtesy of Maravilla Promotions
Although he lost twice to Rendall Munroe (MD 12/ UD 12) in the UK and Takalani Ndlovu (UD 12) in South Africa in an IBF title eliminator, he regained his old EBU title twice and Arsen Martirosyan (UD 12) in Ireland and then against Jason Booth (TKO 10) at home in Spain before being stopped by rising power and future two-weight world champion Carl Frampton (TKO 9).
“It’s something I’m very proud of,” he said of being the European champion. “Being European champion and defending the belt was fundamental in my training. I always tell all the (new) guys that being a European champion should be a mandatory step in any career, as it was in the past.”
After returning to the win column, Martinez was offered a fight with IBF junior featherweight titleholder Jonathan Romero in Atlantic City in August 2013. Despite being a 4.5/1 underdog, Martinez proved too strong for the Colombian and him stopped in the sixth round.
“I remember it as the most important day of my career and the happiest,” he recalled. “It was the perfect dream, in the United States, against an undefeated champion, televised by HBO – it was simply perfect!
“I was European champion three times, but I didn’t win a lot of money. My whole career until the (world) championship I had to work, give boxing lessons, or at my father’s bar as a waiter and at a construction site, all while I trained.
“The celebration was organized by my friends in the central square of my city. I have fond memories of that day.”
Martinez thrilled his fans with a hometown defense against former IBF titlist Jeffrey Mathebula (KO 9). He then went to Osaka, Japan where he impressively beat former long reigning bantamweight belt holder Hozumi Hasegawa (TKO 7).
“I think that I was a worthy champion and that, like my whole career, I’ve always wanted to fight the best and where they gave me the best purses,” he said of his championship run. “They treated me very well when I beat Hasegawa. I think it was the best win of my career, or at least one of the three best wins of my career. The Japanese public is very polite and respectful. Fighting in Japan was one of my dreams. Fighting a legend like Hozumi there and winning the fight was great.
Next up was a rematch with Frampton in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he was knocked out by a 12-round unanimous decision: “Frampton was the best in Europe, he’s beaten me before and we had to have that rematch.”
Although Martinez suffered defeats at the hands of Scott Quigg (TKO 2), which led to a move up to featherweight, where he lost a close fight to future world champion Josh Warrington (MD 12) and later in world title fights against the WBA -title Leo Santa Cruz (TKO 5) and WBC reigning Gary Russell Jr. (TKO 5), he never let himself get down.
“All of them were very tough fights at a high level,” he said. “They gave me a lot of experience and very good purses. In the end, despite losing, you always take the positive side.”
Martinez finishes Kid Galahad in devastating style. Photo by Matthew Pover/ Matchroom Boxing
Martinez is nothing if not persistent, and after appearing unlucky to lose a highly controversial 12-round unanimous decision to Zelfa Barrett, he found himself in the challenger’s corner in November 2021 against the IBF featherweight -titleholder Kid Galahad in Sheffield, England.
It seemed like an exercise in futility for the first four roundsand then Martinez found a fight changing right hand that dropped the defending champion heavily at the of Round 5. Although the defending champion was able to make it to his feet and was saved by the bell. It was a delay of execution he minutes rest was not enough and Galahad was quickly stopped in the sixth round.
“For me it was something incredible because it was something almost unexpected and at 35 years old,” said Martinez, who was a 7/1 underdog and later won The Ring’s 2021 Comeback of The Year award. “Having the opportunity to try to be champion at a different weight, after so many years of fighting to get it, was great. I celebrated even more than the first time.
“It was a lesson for life, I was able to show everyone that, if you keep fighting and trying hard, no matter how many times you fall, you will get your reward in the end.”
The Spaniard lost his title in his first defense against old rival Josh Warrington in a foul-filled match.
“I think my last fight against Josh Warrington was not fair, he used his head several times and he was not punished at any stage,” said Martinez, who was stopped in seven rounds. “It hurt me a lot to lose like that.
“Everyone could see it. No one warned me that I was going to face two people that night. I was alone during the entire battle, no one knew how to react in time. My angle lacks experience and the doctor lacks professional ethics. As for the referee, well, it’s not worth saying anything, everyone could see what happened and how he acted.”
Martinez wasn’t done and he reclaimed his old European title by impressively displaying his illustrious power by stopping Jordan Gill in four rounds. This led to him going to Japan to face Reiya Abe in an IBF eliminator. It was a bridge too far and he dropped a 12-round unanimous decision.
The veteran globetrotter, who must be counted among the best Spanish fighters of all time, has decided to bring the curtain down on his boxing career in August 2023.
“I was very lucky, I had a difficult but beautiful career,” says Martinez (44-12-2, 31 knockouts). “I owe nothing to anyone but my family and my team, in the end I achieved more than I ever dreamed of.”
Martinez, now 38, is married, has two daughters and lives in Torrellano, a small country town near Elche.
“My life will still be linked to boxing,” he said. “I want to continue as a coach, teach the kids and guide them so they don’t make all the mistakes I made when I was young.”
He graciously took time to talk to The Ring about the best he’s fought in 10 key categories.
DEAR JOB
Leo Santa Cruz: “He has a big wingspan and his jab is very annoying, it was accurate and precise. It was difficult to get close to him to hit him.”
BEST DEFENSE
Carl Frampton: “It was hard to land a punch on him because of his skill and legwork. Also Gary Russell Jr.”
BEST FOOTWORK
Frampton: “He was very precise in his movements; he never took a wrong step.”
BEST HAND SPEED
Gary Russell Jr.: “He has the speed of light. His punches were too fast for my reflexes.”
SMARTEST
Leo Santa Cruz: “I managed to hurt him and he was able to adapt and change his fight strategy. To me, that makes him smarter than the rest.”
STRONGEST
Frampton: “Excellent physical condition. He didn’t want to back down from my attack, and that’s why the first fight was so extremely hard and we were both broken.”
DEAR PUNCHER
Frampton: “He’s generally strong, his whole physique, but he’s also a great boxer, so his technique coupled with his power made him a very dangerous guy.”
BEST CHIN
Scott Quigg: “I hit him hard in the first round, with all my strength, and he resisted very well. A lot of my opponents went to the ground with half the power I was able to connect with Quigg.”
BEST GOAT SKILLS
Russell Jr.: “Everything he did, he did well, and I wasn’t able to connect with him the way I wanted to throughout the fight. Speed is what hurts you and I couldn’t see his punches. I think right when the fight was stopped because of the cut he started to slow down a little bit, but until the third round it was impossible for me to see his hands. I recognize that he was two steps above me that night.”
BEST OVERALL
Russell Jr.: “Complete fighter: Fast, heavy puncher, untouchable. With Russell I just didn’t have a chance.”
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at (email protected).
