Photo by Rigo/Tru Boxing Headz
On Saturday night, at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, AZ, Alexis Santiago (16-3, 7 KOs) took on Hanzel Martinez (20-2, 16 KOs) in a 10-round bout for the WBC-NBSC Title.
It was an intense battle from the first bell, as the Phoenix native, Santiago, took early control of the fight.
Using a Philly Shell-esque defense, he was able to counter and snipe almost all of Martinez’s shots and score a flash knockdown of the Tijuana fighter in round one.
Photo by Gabriel Polanco/Round By Round Boxing
Things continued to heat up as Martinez finally broke through midway through the bout and was able to make a brawl out of it. Santiago, not shying away from the challenge, did go toe-to-toe with his opponent.
What ensued was a back-and-forth war for the remainder of the fight, as both fighters would trade and connect to the delight of the crowd.
There were various moments late in the fight where it seemed as though Santiago was hurt to the body, only to come back, counter and hurt Martinez.
During the ninth-round, it seemed that the tide was finally turning in Martinez’s favor, as he threw down thunderous hooks to the body.
Martinez backed Santiago into the ropes, ripping him continuously to the body, but “Beaver” kept coming back, getting better and better in the last two rounds.
Alexis Santiago UD10 Hanzel Martinez (98-91, 98-91, 96-93) #boxing #boxeo #IronBoy11 Good fight. Beaver retains WBC USNBC bantamweight title
— Ryan Bivins (@sweetboxing) February 23, 2014
When it was all punched and done and the fireworks smoke settled, Santiago was declared the winner by unanimous decision, sweeping all the judges’ scorecards.
Martinez, the epitome of a “tough-as-nails” fighter, showed a lot of wear and tear on his face from the tough bout.
Two swollen eyes did not break the Mexican’s spirit and during the post-fight interview he requested a rematch. Whether he gets that opportunity remains to be seen.
Overall it was a great event with a good undercard complimenting a fight of the year candidate main event with many local fighters putting out good fights in the intimate atmosphere of the Celebrity Theater.
Alexis Santiago defeats Hanzel Martinez by UD. #Boxing #Boxeo #RBRBoxing #IronBoy #Huevos pic.twitter.com/EQu5VL2p2v
— RoundByRound Boxing (@RBRBoxing) February 23, 2014
The Scottsdale, Arizona based Iron Boy Promotions will return in two months with Iron Boy XII.
Header photo by Rigo/Tru Boxing Headz
