GARCIA-MARTINEZ TITLE FIGHT IS ON, PURSE BID CALLED OFF
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 10 Sep 2013
The WBO junior lightweight title fight between champion Roman ?Rocky? Martinez and former undefeated featherweight champion Mikey Garcia is on with a purse bid scheduled today, called off.
World Boxing Organization (WBO) president, Francisco ?Paco? Valcarcel, announced that Martinez and Garcia reached an agreement to face each on November 9 for the WBO junior lightweight title in Corpus Christi, Texas on a Top Rank card that will also feature former WBO super bantamweight champion Nonito ?The Filipino Flash? Donaire in a rematch with three division champion Vic Darchinyan in a ten round non-title bout.
Valcarcel said ?There is no need a purse bid today. We have an agreement for the fight between Martinez and Garcia to fight on November 9? as he called off the scheduled purse bid with a minimum of $150,000 for the fight between Martinez (27-1-2, 16 KOs) and Garcia (32-0, 27 KOs).
Garcia who is a stablemate of Donaire recently told the Manila Standard that he was moving up to lightweight to help pave the way for his close friend Donaire to eventually fight for the WBO featherweight title.
Garcia who won the 126 pound title with an 8th round technical decision over Orlando Salido last January 19, subsequently failed to make the weight in a title defense against Juan Manuel ?Juanma? Lopez and lost the belt on the scales prompting him to move up in weight.
In winning the title Garcia dropped Salido twice in round one and once each in rounds three and four before Garcia?s nose was broken by an accidental head-butt and the fight had to be called off with Garcia winning easily on the scorecards of the three judges.
Salido will fight Orlando Cruz for the vacant title with Donaire hoping to beat Darchinyan and earn a crack at the winner of the Salido-Cruz title fight on October 12 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Martinez won the lightweight title with a 4th round TKO of Nicky Cook on March 14, 2009 before losing the title to Ricky Burns by a twelve round unanimous decision before regaining the title by beating Miguel Beltran Jr on September 15 last year before retaining the 130 pound title with a twelve round split decision over Diego Magdaleno last April 6.
Photo: Nonito Donaire Jr and Mikey Garcia in New York.
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