Julio Cesar Martinez was scheduled to have his own 112-pound title fight Saturday night against Venezuela’s Angelino Cordova, which Showtime was supposed to air from The Armory in Minneapolis.
Their fight was postponed on Thursday, though, when it was revealed that Martinez’s visa issue rendered him unable to enter the United States.
While disappointed he won’t be able to fight, Martinez will have plenty of time to pay closer attention to what happens in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday night. Martinez wants to fight the winner of the flyweight title unification bout between unbeaten IBF champ Sunny Edwards and undefeated WBO champ Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.
Martinez predicted that San Antonio’s Rodriguez (18-0, 11 KOs) will knock out England’s Edwards (20-0, 4 KOs) in their intriguing encounter between a strong southpaw and a right-handed technician. DraftKings sportsbook lists Rodriguez as slightly more than a 2-1 favorite to win a 12-round main event DAZN will stream worldwide from Desert Diamond Arena.
“If it’s a knockout, it’s Bam’s fight because of his aggressiveness and strength,” Martinez told BoxingScene.com. “Now, if it comes down to the judges I believe Edwards will win because of his technique and speed.”
Regardless, Martinez wants to add 112-pound championships to his WBC belt.
“Bring anybody on,” Martinez said. “I’m game to fight anybody anytime. My main goal is to unify the titles and to become undisputed.”
Martinez is managed and trained by Eddy Reynoso. Like Reynoso’s star fighter, Canelo Alvarez, Martinez is now aligned with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions.
Edwards and Rodriguez are promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, but Martinez hopes a fight with the winner can still be made.
“I’m going forward with everything but fear because I’m a man, not a clown,” Martinez said. “And that’s my philosophy. I’m game to face anybody that gets in my way.”
After the postponement of Martinez-Cordova, Showtime will move forward with a three-fight telecast that’ll mark the end of the premium cable network’s 37-year tenure in boxing.
Cuban southpaw David Morrell Jr. (9-0, 8 KOs) will defend his WBA world super middleweight title against Ghana’s Sena Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) in the 12-round main event of this “Showtime Championship Boxing” broadcast. Brooklyn’s Chris Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs) and Jose Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs), of Renton, Washington, will square off in the co-feature, a 10-round rematch of a lightweight fight Colbert narrowly won by unanimous decision March 25 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Showtime’s three-bout broadcast will begin at 9 p.m. ET with a 10-round welterweight rematch in which 40-year-old former champions Andre Berto (32-5, 24 KOs), of Winter Haven, Florida, and Robert Guerrero (37-6-1, 20 KOs, 2 NC), of Gilroy, California, will meet 11 years after their first fight. Guerrero knocked Berto to the canvas twice, once in the first round and again in the second round, and won unanimously on points in November 2012 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.