To the outside eye, Xavier Martinez (10-0, 6 KOs) may come off as a normal 20-year-old kid, but his life story has begun to take voyage in a direction that only few can dream of.
Arising from the thoroughfares that is South Sacramento, CA to become a beacon of hope to his fellow community is a pride that Martinez feels deeply; knowing that “big opportunities don’t come easy where we come from.”
In 2016, Martinez was a hard-working 18-year old professional boxer, attending his girlfriend’s graduation. His phone rang and on the other end of line he heard his manager telling him that Floyd “Money” Mayweather was waiting at the airport on a jet and wanted to meet with him.
Devoted to his attendance of this special event, he declined to leave the ceremony and instead, the next day he found himself being whisked to Miami to meet face-to-face with the one and only, Floyd Mayweather.
As is turns out, Mayweather had seen Martinez’s prior knockout victory on television and offered to sign him to Mayweather Promotions’ well-esteemed stable of fighters, best known as “The Money Team.”
Martinez says being part of TMT motivates him, because he knows that he is part of an elite group of fighters who represent Mayweather himself. For Martinez, just being signed isn’t enough; he aspires to be the best boxer to rise from The Money Team banner.
When asked to describe his fighting style, Martinez labeled himself as “an old school fighter that work’s behind his jab, but has superior defense.”
Martinez believes his style is somewhat reflective of his two boxing heroes; Diego Corrales and Floyd Mayweather, as he possesses the heart and attrition of Corrales, pooled with the defensive prowess of Mayweather.
The Money Team and Martinez are looking to make 2018 a busy year for him; by foreseeably acquiring a 15-0 record by the years end. Martinez expects to use this year to build a platform to even bigger fights and opportunities, further explaining that he stays in the gym daily and works hard so that he can accept whatever Mayweather sends his way.
This Saturday night, in Las Vegas, Martinez was scheduled to take his undefeated Lightweight talents to the undercard of Mayweather Promotions’ “Sin City Showdown” at Sam’s Town Casino, but Martinez’s opponent did not get commission approval.
The show is headlined by The Money Team’s once-beaten Lightweight contender, Sharif Bogere as Bogere steps in against Mexico’s Arturo Santos in a scheduled 10-round bout.
Martinez feels that his work ethic, matched with the backing of Mayweather Promotions, is a combination that will set him apart as he ascends the ranks of the Lightweight division.
All photos by Julio Sanchez
