by Mariano A. Agmi
Journeyman Leo “Aztec Boy” Martinez (15-12, 7 KOs) shocked a packed house at BB King’s Blues Club & Grill in Times Square on Wednesday, battering undefeated junior welterweight Joelo Torres (11-1, 7 KOs) for seven and a half rounds before knocking out the Puerto Rican prospect at 1:23 of the eighth and final round.
Torres (138 lbs) employed a steady body attack in round one, pressuring the Chicago-based Mexican with jabs and overhand rights.
Martinez (133 lbs) began trading with Torres in rounds two and three, looking to force exchanges and hoping to land something significant. In response, Torres connected with sharp right hand counters and left hooks to the body.
The “Aztec Boy” began taking over the fight in round four, applying enormous pressure on the Puerto Rican prospect out of Guaynabo with a busy body attack and stinging hooks.
In rounds five and six, Martinez began breaking down Torres, pinning the prospect against the ropes and landing straight lefts and rights. Torres tried to avoid the incoming, but his legs looked increasingly worn from both the difficulty making weight and the steady pressure.
The proud Torres mounted a final offensive in round seven, landing a few hard right hands to Martinez’s head. The 29-year-old Mexican was not to be denied, however, maintaining a high energy level and a steady output throughout the fight. Employing feints and an in-and-out style, the Aztec Boy forced furious exchanges, landing potent left hooks and avoiding most of the return fire. Battered around the ring and carrying the look of a defeated fighter, the Puerto Rican began absorbing a terrible beating as the round came to a close.
The thrashing continued in the eighth and final round, with Martinez pouncing around the ring after Torres in an attempt to land a final left hook. Seeming unable to land a fight changing blow, the 29-year-old Torres was reduced to boxing for the moral victory of seeing the final bell.
Instead, Martinez forced an exchange in the second minute of the round that ended with a devastating left hook, dropping Torres for the count. The Puerto Rican prospect, who had struggled to make the 140lb limit, was so weakened from the dehydration and grueling punishment that ringside doctors recommended he leave in a stretcher.
Torres was transported to a local hospital, where he was said to be in stable condition on Thursday afternoon. For his part, Leo Martinez hopes to continue scoring upsets that he can parlay into bigger bouts. This is the second time that the tough Mexican scored a big upset, as he also stunned former IBF featherweight champion and former US Olympian Eric Aiken in 2005.
BRACERO OUTBOXES MATHIS
In the night’s co-feature, Brooklyn prospect Gabriel “Tito” Bracero improved to 9-0, winning a 6-round unanimous decision over Rochester’s Winston Mathis (6-1, 2 KOs) in a competitive junior welterweight bout.
The “Rochester Reaper” landed big looping rights to begin the bout, reddening Bracero’s left eye in a competitive round. A clash of heads sliced open the same left eye in round two, as Bracero attempted to box through the blood.
The popular Puerto Rican began taking over the fight in round three, as Mathis’ output began to steadily decline. Meanwhile, Bracero employed a balanced body and head attack, regularly connecting with left hooks and straight right hands.
Encouraged by the action, promoter Lou DiBella shouted, “if this kid had a punch, he’d be a hell of a prospect at junior welterweight!”
Indeed. With zero knockouts in six bouts, if the Puerto Rican prospect were blessed with just a little of the power that his more famous countryman with the same nickname, Felix “Tito” Trinidad possesses, he would be a force to be reckoned with.
Instead, the bout began to take a repetitive cycle, as Bracero continued to outwork his fading opponent in the most competitive bout of the evening.
Judges Larry Hazzard, Jr., Julie Lederman and John McKaie all scored the bout 59-55.
HAMER DECISIONS MEJIAS
Harlem heavyweight prospect Tor Hamer (11-0 8 KOs) pounded out a six round unanimous decision over New York’s Alexis Mejias (10-4, 4 KOs).
This bout served as a litmus test for Hamer, as fellow New York heavyweight Derric Rossy knocked Mejias out in just one round in January.
Instead, the 2008 National Golden Gloves champion was extended to the final round for only the second time in his pro career, as Mejias used his experience and toughness to push the Harlem product the full six rounds.
Hamer (220 lbs) aggressively stalked his opponent from the opening bell, landing hard right hands and left hooks to the body.
A right hand in round three knocked down Mejias. Hamer attempted to end matters, but the New Yorker rose to his feet and held on for dear life.
Incredibly, the Penn State graduate appeared as gassed as a fighter after ten rounds as round three came to a close. Despite his fatigue, Hamer continued to look for openings that would lead to a knockout. He never found them.
Larry Hazzard, Jr. scored the bout 60-54 while John McKaie saw it 60-53 and Steve Weisfeld had it 59-54, all for the 27-year-old Hamer.
OTHER ACTION
Undefeated junior middleweight Denis Douglin improved to 8-0 (4 KOs), needing only 1:27 to knockout Columbus OH’s Chad Greenleaf (12-14-1, 5 KOs) in round one.
The 21-year-old Douglin, nicknamed “Mamma’s Boy” because he is trained by his mother, stunned Greenleaf with a brutal right hook and followed up with a flurry that battered Greenleaf to the canvas, causing referee Steve Willis to halt the bout.
In a female bout, Brooklyn’s Keisher McLeod-Wells (3-1, 1 KO) used superior technique and ring generalship to win a four round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Laura Gomez (3-1).
The aggressive Gomez rushed but could not trap the slick McLeod, who used a height and reach advantage as well as a long jab and quick right hand to pepper her slower opponent for the duration of the bout. All judges scored the bout 40-36.
Phil Jackson Benson (5-1, 4 KOs) cruised to a 4-round shutout victory over Victor Paz (9-9-1, 1 KO). The Queens native dropped Paz in round two and went on to win by scores of 40-35 (3x).
The six bout card was presented by DiBella Entertainment.