On Friday night, Raul Martinez hopes to erase any lingering memories Chicago boxing fans may still have of his Windy City debut last September. 

That evening, before a packed crowd at the Aragon Ballroom, and just two minutes after the opening bell, Martinez backed his opponent – former contender Miguel Martinez – into the ropes and threw a couple of punches, none of which appeared to land cleanly.  

Out of nowhere, Miguel collapsed and refused to get off the canvas, claiming he’d been fouled by a blow to the back of the head. 

Telefutura replays clearly showed that the youngster had cuffed the back of the veteran’s head and pushed him to the floor, but no punch was landed – certainly nothing to keep the fighter rolling around on the deck for several minutes, which he did. 

“I kind of hit him in the side of the head before pulling him down,” Raul said as he left the ring to boos. “He was trying to act like it was a foul. But I didn’t think the ref would count him out.” 

One thing is certain. Martinez (12-0, 9 KOs) will likely get a much stiffer test from Columbia’s super bantamweight champion Andres “Andy Boy” Ledesma (13-1-1, 8 KOs), when the two square off in a scheduled 10-round battle at Cicero Stadium that will  kick off the “ShoBox” series for 2006. 

In fact, Martinez is hoping for a stiff challenge from Ledesma, because he wants to be considered a serious title challenger by year’s end. 

“Right now, my career is moving a lot faster than just about all the other boxers I turned pro with,” the undefeated puncher acknowledges. “At this weight, things happen fast. After 15 or 16 wins, I could be fighting for one of the belts. It all depends on how prepared I am. That’s why I’m in the gym every day learning my craft.” 

And, so far, preparing for the unexpected has paid off. 

‘I Tried to Knock Everyone Out’ 

When WBA lightweight champ Juan Diaz pulled out of his scheduled defense against Ebo Elder on an ESPN pay-per-view show last April, Martinez’s bout with Jose Tirado was added to the broadcast. The youngster impressed many that evening with his combination of speed and power.  

“Once you’re in the ring with me, you realize how hard I hit,” Martinez says matter-of-factly. “I have great power. In the amateurs, I tried to knock everyone out. As a pro, I realize I can’t do that. I have to use my intelligence and speed. But I still like showing the power.” 

And it was “the power” that initially attracted boxing’s star makers to the young fighter long before he turned professional. 

As an amateur, Martinez says, Main Events signed on as his sponsor and helped cover many of his expenses so he could focus his full attention on boxing.  With their support, Raul was able to win four national titles – including the U.S. Challenge and the PAL – and he reigned for four straight years as a Texas Golden Gloves champ. 

“Texas has one of the best amateur boxing programs in the country, so having four state rings at home in my trophy case is something I’m very proud of,” he says. “I also got to travel all around the world on the U.S. National Team. The first country I fought in outside the U.S. was Ireland. Then we flew all around Europe and South America competing in meets. I fought in Brazil. I got to go to Greece and Denmark. It was beautiful just to be able to travel around the world. If it wasn’t for boxing, I never would’ve seen those places.” 

Heading into the 2004 Olympic Trials, Martinez was a clear favorite to become the United States’ representative at 112 pounds. But, in a major upset, he lost a 16-14 decision to California’s Charles Huerta in the quarterfinals. Feeling he’d clearly won the match with Huerta, Martinez entered the “challengers’ bracket” and hoped to qualify for a spot on the team by winning the box-offs.  But, in yet another huge upset, Raul lost a two-point decision (24-22) to Aaron Alafa. 

“Prior to the 2004 Olympic qualifying tournament in Mississippi, I had a lot of injuries,” Martinez says, recalling his final days as an amateur. “I needed cortisone injected into my shoulders just to compete. By the time the Trials came along, I wasn’t peaking. I was about 60 percent. And I still think I won both of those fights. Unfortunately, sometimes you don’t get the decision.” 

Following his losses in the Trials, Martinez says he took a month off to heal and then decided to make the leap to the professional ranks. 

“When I announced my intentions, I immediately got offers from Top Rank and some other promoters,” he recalls. “But I already had a friendship with Carl Moretti and Kathy Duva (at Main Events). I knew them personally. I trusted them. And it’s worked out great.” 

‘I’m Trying to Fight Smarter’ 

To improve Martinez’s technique and cut down on his physical injuries, however, Main Events did recommend that Raul work with trainer Fernando Castrejon, who has since helped the young fighter perfect his often neglected boxing skills. 

The result has been 12 straight wins, nine by knockout, and a different mindset for a fighter who built his reputation on planting his feet and slugging it out. 

“I’ve been using my jab more as a pro,” Martinez says of his transition from brawler to boxer. “In the amateurs, I didn’t use it as much and that affected the scoring of some of fights. But I’ve got a great trainer now. 

“Fernando trained Ricardo Lopez – one of my idols – and he’s currently training Jesus Chavez,” he adds.  “So he’s been helping me a lot with my style. I can still slug when I want to. I feel like I’m strong enough to go toe-to-toe with anyone out there. Right now, though, I’m trying to fight smarter.” 

That said, what will Martinez do if Ledesma lives up to his promise and charges out at the opening bell looking for a knockout? 

“If Ledesma comes in on me, I will counter punch,” he insists. “If he wants to brawl, I will box him. Whatever he wants to do, I’m ready for him.  I’m in great shape.”  

8 Count Productions and Main Events Present:

Live from Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois

Main Event
Joel Julio vs. Robert Kamya, 10 rounds, junior middleweights

Co-Feature

Raul Martinez vs. Andres Ledesma, 10 rounds, bantamweights
 

Five-Bout (Non-Televised) Undercard

Miguel Hernandez vs. Butch Hajicek, 8 rounds, middleweights

Dave Pareja vs. Derek Andrews, 6 rounds, light heavyweights

Mike Gonzales vs. Oney Hellems, 4 rounds, lightweights

Reynaldo Reyes vs. Ricardo Swift, 4 rounds, middleweights

Omar Reyes vs.Luis Navarro, 6 rounds, featherweights  

Tickets start at $30.  To reserve yours, call the Cicero Stadium (located at 1909 S. Laramie Avenue in Cicero) at 312-226-5800.  Doors for this special event will open at 6 p.m. with the first bell at 7 p.m.  The ShoBox telecast begins at 10 p.m. (central time).  

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