Sandor Martin on Friday returns against Jose Felix in his first fight since his upset victory over Mikey Garcia.
Sandor Martin (39-2, 13 KOs) vs. Jose Felix (39-5-1, 30 KOs)
- Date: Friday, April 1
- Time: 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (main event later in show)
- Where: Palau Olimpic Vall d’Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
- TV/Stream: DAZN
- Cost: DAZN is $19.99 per month or $99.99 annually
- Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
- Rounds: 10
- At stake: No major titles
- Pound-for-pound ranking: None
- Odds: NA
- Also on the card: Samuel Carmona vs. Joel Cordova, junior bantamweights; Jorgelina Guanini vs. Stevi Levy, junior featherweights
- Prediction: Martin UD
- Background: Martin took a giant step forward in his career when he defeated four-division titleholder Mikey Garcia by a majority decision in a 10-round bout fought at a catch weight of 145 ponds this past October in Fresno, California, Martin’s first fight outside of Europe. The Spaniard returns to his hometown to face solid, but limited Jose Felix on Friday. Martin, a slick southpaw, has won 10 consecutive fights since he lost a unanimous decision to capable Anthony Yigit in 2017. None was close to the magnitude of the Garcia fight, in which Martin used his skills and athleticism to outbox one of the more respected fighters in the world even though he was fighting above his natural weight. He won by scores of 97-93, 97-93 and 95-95, the last of which didn’t reflect what happened in the ring. Still, only the WBO sees fit to rank Martin (at No. 4) at junior welterweight. Of course, Felix is a step down from Garcia. The Mexican, who once fought for an interim world title, is only 4-4 in his last eight fights. That includes a unanimous-decision loss to Tyrone McKenna this past August in Northern Ireland, a fight in which both fighters went down. Felix has been off his feet on many occasions, including five times in a loss to Jonathan Maicelo in 2017. He also was stopped in three rounds by countryman Isaac Cruz in 2018. Felix’s best hope in this fight is his punching power.
[lawrence-related id=24837,24795]