Martinez and Burgos Fight to a Draw in NYC

Martinez and Burgos Fight – Lot of folks thought Burgos won, and didn’t like the draw. Readers, what say you? (Chris Farina-Top Rank)

WBO super feather champ Rocky Martinez battled Juan Carlos Burgos in the first bout of the HBO-Top Rank production at the Madison Square Garden Theater on Saturday night.

After twelve tight rounds, the judges weighed in. They saw it 117-111 (Burgos), 116-112 (Martinez) and 114-114. Martinez held on to his crown.

Martinez called Burgos “big and strong” after, and felt he won at least eight rounds but conceded the last three were very difficult. What about a rematch? “No problem,” he said.

The Mexican Burgos worked well to the body but ate a couple clean left hooks in the first. Burgos again scored with body blows in the second. Puerto Rico’s Martinez fought smart, and patiently. In the third, Burgos went lefty some, let Martinez come to him more, and worked underneath to good effect. Neither man’s jab was so effective as to set the tone. It looked like the men shared a similar style and I wondered if one would diverge, surprise the other, in order to differentiate themselves. Indeed, Martinez fought angry, nasty in the sixth, and took that round. Martinez, age 29, landed the showier shots in round seven, another tight round, in which the men fought mostly at close quarters. The eighth was something of a treading water round. They fought with some space in between, and took a round off from hard rumbling. It looked like Burgos, age 24, might be backing up too much, if one was thinking how many judges think, in the ninth. Burgos was vicious to the body in the tenth, and took it. Did a couple showy head shots take it for Martinez in round 11? They rumbled to the final bell, in the tight twelfth.