After the fight: Beautiful brutality of Josh Warrington vs. Kiko Martinez

Josh Warrington and Kiko Martinez piled up the points in a grueling IBF featherweight title match that saw Warrington regain the belt he relinquished.

The March 26 IBF featherweight title matchup between Josh Warrington and Kiko Martinez wasn’t exactly competitive, but there was something beautiful about the brutality produced between them in less than seven full rounds.

Warrington owned the edge over Martinez all night, but even in defeat, Martinez managed to take an abundance of punishment while breaking Warrington’s jaw. Martinez’s ability to take Warrington’s flurries while causing damage with a limited amount of punches shows something special.

According to CompuBox stats, the numbers were clearly in Warrington’s favor. They produced similar punch outputs, but Warrington landed 155 punches to Martinez’s 65.

When a fighter doubles his opponent in connects, it’s usually a one-sided affair. Martinez was never in the fight against Warrington, but his heart and determination made up for his lacking ability.

Warrington vs. Martinez 2 featured two boxers who were viewed as unlikely to surface again as champions.

Martinez (43-11-2, 30 KOs) became a world champion for the first time in 2013 after winning the IBF super bantamweight title against Jonathan Romero. He lost that belt five fights later to Carl Frampton.

At 36 years old with double-digit losses on his record, Spain’s Martinez was a massive underdog against Kid Galahad in November 2021. His round 6 TKO upset over Galahad in Galahad’s hometown of Sheffield, England, once again made him a champion.

Martinez possessed an intrinsic feeling he would win that fight, despite being largely alone in his sentiments.

“I’m confident because as I said last time, I was going to become World Champion, and I did it,” Martinez said during a pre-fight media conference. “I said I was going to beat Kid Galahad within the distance, and I did. The same will happen on Saturday, I will beat Josh Warrington within the distance.”

Martinez saw his battle with Warrington as a mirror image of his contest with Galahad. The parallels existed, but the history here was different.

Josh Warrington vs. Kiko Martinez 2 lacked the closeness of their first match but exceeded in terms of determination and carnage

Warrington and Martinez fought once before in 2017. Warrington squeaked out a majority decision at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England, Warrington’s hometown.

Ironically, their championship rematch occurred at the same venue, but a lot changed in five years. This time around, Martinez had the momentum entering the fight.

Warrington’s 2021 TKO loss to unheralded opponent Mauricio Lara caused many to second guess Warrington’s boxing longevity. He also had his doubts.

“I thought to myself, am I at my peak?” Warrington told FanSided before his September rematch with Lara.

Warrington looked better against Lara the second time, but the draw left his boxing future in question. Doubts lingered headed into the Martinez rematch.

Warrington (31-1, 8 KOs) fought as a man possessed. He used his size to push Martinez back in round 1.

Warrington swung with an abundance of power punches. A clash of heads opened up a cut between Martinez’s eyes closer to his left brow, which caused a steady stream of blood to leak down his face.

The sight of red emboldened Warrington, who increased his ferocity. He dropped Martinez with a looping right hand.

While Martinez beat the count and made it out of the round, he was down on the cards and damaged.

Still, Martinez tried to mount an offensive. By round 3, Warrington was bleeding from the left eye, and Martinez was moving forward in round 4.

Martinez was never winning the fight, but he didn’t give up despite getting repeatedly punched in the face. For a second, it looked like Martinez might change the fight’s tide early in round 4, but Warrington had different plans.

Past the midway point of round 4, Warrington pushed Martinez off of him and resumed his dominance. He threw and landed more punches than Martinez, who was forced to shell up and take Warrington’s shots.

The scenario got worse for Martinez in round 5 as another cut opened up by his right brow. Still, he pressed forward, trying to get the fight back on track.

Things didn’t work out for Martinez. Warrington’s offensive pressure broke him down, and a final flurry in round 7 forced the referee to stop the contest.

After the fight, Warrington and Martinez’s faces showed the results of war. Cuts, bruises, and in Warrington’s case, broken bones were on display.

Martinez was less effective against Warrington in the rematch, but he was as valiant as ever. Likely, Martinez will never reign as a world champion again, but his spirit can’t be questioned.

Warrington again holds the IBF title he relinquished in 2021. He’s not a shot fighter, but he’s not the same boxer that defeated Carl Frampton in 2018.

Age and the accumulation of punches have taken a toll on Warrington, but he is ‘The Leeds Warrior,’ and he proved it against Martinez. Who knows how much Warrington or Martinez have left in the tank, but they’re still full of guts and pride.

Even though their skills have declined, the vibrancy of their nature hasn’t. That’s what made Warrington vs. Martinez 2 such a fun and impactful fight.