Xavier Martinez survives scare, defeats Claudio Marrero by decision

Junior lightweight Xavier Martinez ran into a ton of trouble against Claudio Marrero, but he survived a brutal round 8 to pull out a decision victory. 

Mayweather Promotions fighter Xavier Martinez had a rough junior lightweight bout against experienced veteran Claudio Marrero on Saturday, Oct. 24. Still, he survived the trial by fire and came out on top.

Martinez (16-0, 11 KOs) dreamed of winning a title before his contest with Marrero. Their 12-round affair on the undercard of the Lipinets vs. Custio main event was billed as a WBA junior lightweight title eliminator. Most expected the undefeated 23-year-old Martinez to defeat the older veteran Marrero, but Marrero nearly had Martinez out.

Marrero (24-5, 17 KOs) is a former champion who proved to be a very dangerous opponent for Martinez. He defeated Carlos Zambrano in 2017 to win the interim WBA featherweight title. Marrero’s career suffered some setbacks over the years, with his last loss coming against Kid Galahad in his last bout in February. Galahad stopped Marrero in round 8, but Marrero nearly ended Martinez’s night in that same round.

Marrero proved to be a tougher opponent than anticipated for Martinez. He routinely targeted Martinez’s head with his lead right hook. It’s that punch that almost spelled disaster for Martinez.

Xavier Martinez almost saw his undefeated record go up in flames in the eighth round against Claudio Marrero

In round 8, Marrero connected with a right hook that rocked Martinez with more than two minutes remaining. Martinez unsteadily got to his feet and looked severely hurt. Marrero unleashed a flurry of combinations and again damaged Martinez with a series of right hooks that sent him to the canvas for a second time.

Martinez got to his feet and intelligently held Marrero to slow down his assault. He made it out of the round but dropped a 10-7 round. Miraculously, Martinez staged a comeback.

Martinez looked recovered in round 9 despite having two swollen purple eyes. He boxed well for the remainder of the bout and did enough to defeat Marrero by unanimous decision despite the two knockdowns in round 8.

Martinez told FanSided before the fight he would love a fight with interim WBA champion Chris Colbert as the two have bad blood stemming from an Instagram row. He was tested by Marrero and passed, but just barely. Martinez demonstrated he can take a punch and extends his undefeated record.