Kiko Martinez Destroys Jordan Gill to Claim his EBU Belt!
In just his second fight of the year, Jordan “The Thrill” Gill (27-2-1, 8 KO’s) went to battle against Kiko “La Sensacion” Martinez (44-11-2, 31 KO’s). The bout marked the first defense of his EBU European featherweight strap. Gill, ranked #8 (IBF) and #13 (WBC), initially captured the secondary title from Karim Guerfi, by way of ninth round stoppage, in his only other bout this year. Minus one technical draw, versus Alan Luques Castillo, The Thrill is riding a four-fight win streak since losing by stoppage to Mario Enrique Tinocco back on May 10, 2019.
For his part, Martinez entered the duel simply trying to get back into the win column. This is because the Spaniard was coming off of a seventh round TKO loss at the hands of Josh Warrington. It was actually the second time that La Sensacion was thwarted by Warrington as he lost to him in a prior match on May 13, 2017. Despite his #4 (IBF) ranking, Martinez has navigated a somewhat rocky career over the last several years. In fact, La Sensacion is 5-3-1 in his last nine fights.
ONE-SIDED ANNIHILATION
The opening two rounds saw a pesky Kiko Martinez stalking Gill in relentless fashion. Despite his aggression, the offensive pace was fairly measured as The Thrill moved and countered well off the back foot. With the arrival of the third however, the fight dynamic shifted in a hurry. In the first minute, Gill was dropped but didn’t seem all that greatly affected.
Then again, in the final 45 seconds of the third period, Martinez put Gill down. This time he dropped him with a straight right. Gill recovered well enough both times but his face was badly bruised and beginning to ooze blood. The situation continued to degrade as another straight right slapped him back on the canvas in the fourth. The Thrill popped up quickly only to be clobbered and dropped with a thudding left hook.
Following the fourth knockdown, Gill’s own corner threw in the towel to get their bloody fighter out of further danger. With the win, Martinez took possession of Gill’s EBU European featherweight strap. During his post-fight interview, the newly crowned champion expressed interest in squaring off with Leigh Wood in his next outing.
By: Bakari Simpson
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