Martinez happy with pro debut win, but not fully satisfied with performance
The 24-year-old middleweight debuted as a pro on Tuesday.
24-year-old middleweight prospect Javier Martinez, a longtime U.S. amateur standout, made his pro debut on Tuesday night’s Top Rank card on ESPN, beating Jonathan Burrs via shutout decision over four rounds.
It was a solid first effort for the Milwaukee southpaw, but while he’s happy with the win, he also wasn’t fully satisfied with his own performance. For one thing, he didn’t know Burrs (2-2, 0 KO) was going to fight in an orthodox stance, and he also didn’t have his entire normal team with him.
“I went in there with a game plan that I thought that I was fighting a southpaw,” said Martinez. “I quickly adjusted. I should have used my jab more. In my next fight, I will fix that, and I will have my full team with me,” said Martinez.
“I could tell that I was working the body well. Those right hooks were very effective, and I am happy to win my pro debut. I will get back in the gym and work on the things that I need to work on, and I will keep getting better with each fight.”
Martinez (1-0, 0 KO) definitely did some good work to the body in the fight, as Burrs obviously felt some of those shots to the breadbasket. Burrs was tough and didn’t go down, but you could see visible pain on his face more than once.
The jury is obviously still out on Martinez, but he definitely does have some skills and a good foundation to build on. Expect to see him back in The Bubble soon enough.