Lester Martinez Decisions Carlos Gongora With Ease
In his latest tour of duty, super middleweight Lester Martinez (18-0, 15 KO’s) kept his perfect record intact in dominant fashion. The heavy-handed Guatemalan accomplished this by defeating a very game Carlos Gongora (22-3, 17 KO’s) by way of unanimous decision.
The bout opened with Gongora controlling the action with his jab and establishing a rather leisurely pace. There was a notable but somewhat subtle shift in action in the second round when Martinez began finding a regular home for his thumping righthand. Over the next three periods, Martinez would increase his pace and the damage he inflicted. While largely fighting on the outside, he utilized his fast hands to throw in short burst combinations to connect with punishing hooks and uppercuts.
His attack was mostly focused on the head, but he frequently dipped down to the body. In the middle rounds however, the southpaw veteran Gongora switched tactics and began leaning on Martinez, pressing him to the ropes and scoring well while fighting in the phonebooth. This success was short-lived though. By the eighth round, Martinez was back rattling Gongora’s teeth like a bumpy road does a truck with shot shocks.
In fact, it was a minor miracle that referee Sharon Sands did not stop the match in the final round. For a significant chunk of this period, Gongora frequently had his head snapped around which made him look extremely worn and vulnerable. To his credit however, he made it to the final bell. Despite the valor that he displayed, Gongora lost to Martinez by way of unanimous decision to the tune of 99-91 (twice) and 100-90.
Be the first to comment