![](https://wbcboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/MARTINEZ_CORDOVA.jpg)
By James Blears
The next opponent of master blaster WBC flyweight champion Julio Cesar “Rey” Martinez, finds himself in an unenviable real life Rocky situation, with little to lose, but a mountain of a sheer uphill gradient grit if he`s to somehow win.
On the one hand, formidable “Rey” Martinez is coming back from a fractured right mitt injury. That`s not uncommon for a big hitter, who`s hands from time to time can crack under the sheer joules generating pressure of the blows they`re delivering. So to ease his way back into the fray, Julio Cesar (19-1, including 13 KO`s and one no contest) is doing a voluntary defense, against the capable but nowhere near as accomplished Joel “Trino” Cordova (13-4-2, including three KO`s).
Joel, who`s no slouch on the domestic scene, has built a respectable record. Since his TKO loss to Dewayne Beamon in 2018, he`s pulled himself up by his boot straps with six wins, two draws and one no contest. Certainly no journeyman, he`s a decent fighter, who`s possessed a healthy streak of stubborn determination, but all of sudden and probably to his surprise, whether he`ll admit it or not, he finds himself catapulted into the big league and the big time against a big hitter.
Julio Cesar normally goes in against much taller fighters, because he stands at only five feet two inches in his boxing boots. He happily admits he`s not the loftiest, but never lets it worry him one iota. Nothing is a tall order for him, because oh boy can he sock!
A reporter once primly pointed out to the fearsome and legendary heavyweight champion Jack “Manassa Mauler” Dempsey, that he was on the small size for such a big division. Jack who was barely six feet tall, robustly demurred, retorting that he loomed much more than a head and shoulders over his hapless stricken opponents, who invariably ended up helpless, about six inches tall, once he`s dispatched them flat on to their backs!
Joel is also just five feet two inches tall. His reach is reach is sixty six and a half inches compared to a sixty four inch span for Julio Cesar and they`re both from Mexico City. Nicknamed “El Trino” which translated means Warbler he`s verbally more than erudite. JC rejoices in the nickname “El Rey” which means The King. There the comparisons abruptly end. For the Warbler to avoid wobble and a tumble, he`ll have to devise a strategy to avoid the Champion`s ferocious crunching body attack, which tends to tenderize opponents into lowering their meat hooks and often getting clobbered upstairs and then back down again.
Julio Cesar lost a split decision in his pro debut to Joaquin Cruz on October 16th 2015. He`s never looked back since!
His big chance came against then undefeated Welshman Andrew Selby on March 13th 20019, in an eliminator to determine the mandatory challenger. Andrew started off brightly, but slightly miscalculated pocket sized power. Julio`s constant and unremitting pressure began to tell, and in round
five Andrew was dispatched by a sinking left hook to the liver. So it was all over at the fifty second bruising mark of that round.
Julio continued picking on Brits, with his challenge to Englishman Charlie Edwards, who was the WBC flyweight champion, on August 31st 2019 at the O2 Arena in Old London Town. Prior to this and the line, over the airwaves, during a presser in Mexico City, an impudent reporter asked Charlie, where he was doing his altitude work? Somewhat nonplussed, Charlie replied he hadn`t gone up to the heights and was satisfied with his meticulous preparations. Meanwhile Julio had been taking in lung fulls of thin air at the rarefied realms of the Centro Otomi High Altitude Center, perched in the brooding misty mountains overhanging Toluca… for weeks!
A rapid fire combination in the round three hurt Charlie, who took a knee. Julio`s momentum was unstoppable and he hit prone Charlie a meaty right to the body, while the Brit was still on his haunches.
In the interest of fairness and impartiality, the WBC carefully reviewed the replay and rightly ruled it as a no contest. Charlie, who was struggling with the weight, decided to vacate the title and move up to super flyweight. So Julio, had to do it all over again, this time against former champion Cristopher Rosales. They duked it out in a give and take firestorm, until singed, exhausted and overwhelmed Cris was saved in round nine by Referee Raul Cruz, who intervened in a merciful and timely manner. A new champion was crowned.
Julio decided to continue his crusade against fighters who are proud to fight for the dragon emblem of Wales, taking on Jay Harris on February 29th 2020. In spite of being badly cut over the left eye in the second round and knocked down in the tenth, Jay kept himself in the fray and finished upright, battered but unbowed, to go the full distance, losing a unanimous decision.
Bad luck followed, because Maximo Flores who was to be Julio`s next opponent on October 23rd 2020, tested positive for Covid 19, so he couldn`t compete. So, on less than a week`s notice, Moises Calleros stepped in. Unable to make the weight in such a short time, he came in 5.4lbs over the limit, at a chunky if not cuddly 117.4bs. That extra weight did him little good, because Julio came down on him like a ton of bricks, stopping him at 2.42 of round two with a veritable mortar avalanche of punches.
Then more misfortune, because JC was lined up to fight former unified straw weight champion Francisco Rodriguez Jr on December 19th, but Julio fell ill.
A mouthwatering encounter with very capable and accomplished Puerto Rican ace McWilliams Arroyo was lined up for February 27th this year. But Julio fractured his right hand in a final sparring session and had to pull out, one day before the contest. McWilliams fought anyway, winning, to become the WBC Interim Champion.
Jolly and affable outside ring hours in a way somewhat reminiscent to the legendary Rocky Marciano, Julio Cesar`s favorite saying is: “No fear.” I dare say that given a step ladder, he`d cheerfully be willing to even take on giant Tyson Fury, who towers over him at six feet nine inches tall!
No one expects very much from “Trino.” Will he quickly fold, from a proven and eye watering onslaught, or somehow hold his own and fight back to make it competitive. And if so…for how long? The odds and the punches will be stacked against him at the Arena Alcalde in Guadalajara this coming Saturday night. In a building blocks sense…Lego let`s go!
Could he even achieve a staggering upset which would ripple and reverberate the world over?! Almost no boxer climbs up into the ring already conceding defeat, before the first bell as even tolled. In each boxer`s mind, no matter how outgunned and outclassed, there`s the firm and abiding conviction that somehow and in some way, he/she will indeed pull out and pull off a minor or mega miracle. Yet, as Mike Tyson once quipped: “Every fighter has a plan before he`s hit in the mouth.”
It won`t be until then and there and when Trino feels that whistling first fist impact, that he`ll truly appreciate the tangible magnitude of the challenge he`s voluntarily taken on. He`ll be earning every penny and peso of his biggest ever payday.
With healed hands, Julio is keen to unify the flyweight division, before moving up to super flyweight. Until then he`ll be a fly by night. Any opponent who has a reasonable record is a potentially dangerous threat. Sensible rather than arrogant, Julio Cesar is focusing on and certainly not overlooking or looking past Joel. The question here is…just how viable and just how durable is “Trino?”
WORLD BOXING COUNCIL
Jose Sulaimán WBC HONORARY POSTHUMOUS LIFETIME PRESIDENT (+)
Mauricio SulaimánWBC PRESIDENT
WBC STATS
WBC FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
ARENA ALCALDEGUADALAJARA, JALISCO, MEXICO
JUNE 26, 2021
TV: DAZN
THIS WILL BE THE WBC’S 2, 111 CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FIGHT IN THE FIFTY-EIGHT YEAR HISTORY OF THE WBC
EDDIE HEARN & MATCHROOM BOXING, PRESENTS:
JULIO CESAR MARTINEZ JOEL CORDOVA
(MEXICO) (MEXICO)
WBC CHAMPION WBC no. 15 / CHALLENGER
Nationality: Mexico Nationality: Mexico
Date of Birth: January 27, 1995 Date of Birth: July 13, 1994
Birthplace: Mexico City Birthplace: Chignahutla, Puebla
Residence: Mexico City Residence: Valle de Chalco, Edo. Mex.
Alias: El Rey Alias: El Trino
Record: 17-1-0-1nc, 13 ko’s Record: 13-4-2, 3 ko’s
KO’S %: 69% KO’S %: 16%
Age: 26 Age: 26
Guard: Orthodox Guard: Orthodox
Total rounds: 80 Total rounds: 110
World title fights: 4 (3-0-0-1nc) World title fights: 0 (0-0-0)
Trainer: Mauricio Aceves Trainer: Enrique Morales
Manager: Eddy Reynoso Manager: Alejandro Brito
Promoter: Clase y Talento Boxeo Promoter: Box Stars
NAME PERIOD
*REGAINED
42 WORLD CHAMPIONS RECOGNIZED BY THE WBC OF WHICH ONLY 6 HAVE REGAINED THEIR TITLE:
PONE KINGPETCH (THAILAND)
CHARTCHAI CHIONOI (THAILAND)
BETULIO GONZALEZ (VENEZUELA)
SHOJI OGUMA (JAPAN)
SOT CHITALADA (THAI)
PONGSAKLEK WONJONGKAM (THAI)
159 WORLD TITLE BOUTS HAVE BEEN HELD IN THE HISTORY OF THE WBC
JAPAN 50
THAILAND 48
MEXICO 15
SOUTH KOREA 12
USA 10
VENEZUELA 6
ENGLAND 8
PHILIPPINES 2
ITALY 2
NORTH IRELAND 1
KUWAIT 1
JAMAICA 1
FRANCE 1
CHILE 1
AUSTRALIA 1
TOTAL 159
168 BOUTS HAVE BEEN HELD IN MEXICO IN THE ENTIRE WBC HISTORY.
THIS WILL BE THE 16th. FIGHT IN THE FLYWEIGHT DIVISION IN MEXICO IN THE HISTORY OF THE WBC
LT. FLY 36
FEATHER 23
SUPERFLY 17
FLY 15
STRAW 14
LIGHT 13
SUPERFEATHER 11
BANTAM 10
WELTER 7
SUPERBANTAM 7
SUPERWELTER 6
SUPERLIGHT 6
MIDDLE 2
HEAVY 1
TOTAL BOUTS 168
THERE HAVE BEEN 122 WBC TITLE FIGHTS BETWEEN MEXICANS IN THE WBC HISTORY
WORLD TITLE BOUTS BETWEEN MEXICAN BOXERS BY DIVISION IN THE WBC HISTORY
SUPERBANTAM 21
LT. FLY 15
SUPERFEATHER 14
FEATHER 14
BANTAM 13
LIGHT 11
SUPERFLY 9
WELTER 6
STRAW 6
FLY 5
SUPERLIGHT 4
MIDDLE 3
SUPERWELTER 1
TOTAL 122
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