Javier Martinez On His Son Being His Motivation To Fight: "I Want To See Him Grow"
Unbeaten prospect Javier Martinez discusses his journey into the pro ranks and why he fights for his son.
Author’s Note: While waiting for the next edition of the newsletter, which would hopefully be published tomorrow May 21, I wrote a 1,300-word feature on unbeaten prospect Javier Martinez, who will fight on the May 22 Top Rank card from Las Vegas, free for everyone to enjoy. Happy reading!
Twitter: @CarlosToroMedia
All Javier Martinez wanted to do during his days as an amateur boxer was to qualify for the United States Olympic boxing team. Such a goal required him to spend years training and living in Colorado Springs (far from his native Milwaukee) to gain that coveted spot and make a lot of sacrifices.
One such sacrifice was not getting to see his son as often as he’d like to.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time. I did it back then when I was in the amateurs too. I used to live in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Center. You never get used to it… Anytime I go home, I see my son and he’s always a little bigger and it breaks my heart. It always sucks being away from your family, from your loved ones, but we’re always hoping for that big reward. I’m always away from my son. I was in the U.S.A. team for four years and during those four years, I was always away from my son. My son means the world to me. [He’s] my motivation,” Martinez said.
Martinez did end up winning the 2020 U.S. Olympic boxing trials, which was the best and most realistic chance of him qualifying for the team. Years of hard work, giving up the chance to see his son grow, but winning the U.S. trials should have resulted in a happy ending. On most occasions, it should have earned him a spot on the team.
Except it didn’t.
Despite winning the U.S. Olympic boxing trials, Martinez was only selected as just an alternate. To say that Martinez was heartbroken would be an understatement.
All that effort, all the times he’s missed his son because of training, gone by the wayside. The life of a boxer is not an easy one, especially for someone who gave up so much just to see his dream go unfulfilled.
“People don’t see that sacrifice we go through. It’s tough,” Martinez said.
But with the end of one dream came another, one that Martinez had his sights on ever since he was young, aspiring pugilist: fighting for Top Rank Boxing as a pro boxer.
Martinez’s love for the sweet science blossomed watching the legendary rivalry between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, who is Martinez’s favorite fighter. Now 25 years old, Martinez is looking to carve out his path in the pros and hopes to one day carry Marquez’s legacy every time he steps into the ring.
Interestingly enough, Martinez said he plans on getting a tattoo of Marquez, though he doesn’t have a timetable for that yet.
“Nothing yet [as far as an update on the Marquez tattoo].. I’m still working on different tattoos. But hopefully, in the future, I will get that done,” Martinez said.
Top Rank was heavily involved in that rivalry and getting to see boxing shows promoted by the Bob Arum-led company throughout the years morphed into a lifelong desire to step into the ring draped in the Top Rank logo.
Once Martinez decided he’s had enough of the amateur ranks, he moved on to the pros. It didn’t take long for him to get signed by Top Rank, fulfilling just the first in his career goals list.
“Growing up, I was watching Top Rank and all their big shows. The Pacquiao vs. Marquez fights, that’s what got me into boxing. I always wanted to be part of that. That was always a dream of mine. My interest was always with Top Rank. It worked out perfectly,” Martinez said.
As Martinez is about to finish year one of his pro career, the young prospect feels good getting acclimated into the pro ranks. He has won his first three fights with his most recent one being a first-round knockout victory over Billy Wagner in February.
All in all, Martinez has felt the transition from the amateurs to the pros to be a smooth one.
“It’s been good, getting that amateur style out of the way and moving on to the pros, moving to a better future to become a world champion. It wasn’t too hard because I always had a pro style. But in the amateurs, you have to fight at a fast pace, starting from the beginning. You have to be at a fast pace, throw a lot of punches. In the pros, it’s more about setting your punches up, taking your time and looking for the right punches. That’s the only difference,” Martinez said.
All three of his fights did take place at Top Rank’s bubble at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with no fans allowed to attend those shows in the midst of a global pandemic.
His fourth fight, against Calvin Metcalf on May 22, will be his toughest and the one where he will get to compete in front of a live crowd.
Metcalf is no stranger to facing tough prospects, having faced the likes of Shane Mosley Jr., Connor Coyle, Quatavious Cash and Timur Kerefov. None of them were able to knock Metcalf out.
Normally, Metcalf is not a fighter a prospect with only three pro bouts would face, but Martinez takes the challenge as a test to see how far along he’s developed in this first year. Yet, Martinez views this fourth fight against his most experienced opponent yet as an endorsement from the Top Rank brass.
“The way I look at it is, not to be cocky, but I’m up there with the best so it’s only a matter of time before they test me. I feel like I’m moving in the right direction for them to give me this fight so I’m going to try to do what I can do and get him out of there. I want to show I’m one of the top guys.”
- Javier Martinez
With the bright lights of Vegas and his first taste of fighting in front of paying fans fast approaching, Martinez is ecstatic to get in the ring and prove he belongs in the conversation when it comes to top prospects.
“I want to stop this guy. I really want to knock him out. I want to prove what I can do. The guys that he’s fought, they’re not on my level. We’re going to see. That’s my test right now. I feel like I’m being tested and I want to pass with flying colors,” Martinez said.
Like his idol Marquez, Martinez hopes to show the crowd a memorable night and be the highlight of the show. It is a tall order, given that Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor will face off for the undisputed junior welterweight title in the evening’s main event.
But that’s how confident Martinez is of his abilities. He says he’s more than ready to fight Metcalf in any way possible, whether it would be an all-out brawl or a chess match. The Milwaukee native’s main priority is to deliver a sizzling knockout reel and be the first one to beat Metcalf inside the distance.
“I’m going to hit him hard from the first round so it really doesn’t matter if it’s in the first or in the sixth. I’m ready to fight him all six rounds if I have to. I want to stop him. That’s my goal. The impression I want to leave is that I’m a great boxer and that I can box well. I want to show I have a great heart so if he wants to duke it out, we can duke it out in the middle of the ring. I want to show him everything. I want to hear the people scream. I want to make people scream,” Martinez said.
An impressive win would go a long way for his development as a prospect and as a future star. Like any other pro boxer, Martinez wants to win a world championship. And like any other father, Martinez hopes to make a living through years of fighting and be able to see his son grow up without missing the precious moments a child goes through their young lives.
“My goal is to make a living so I can have my son closer to me so that I don’t have to be away from him for so long during these long camps. I want to see him grow. That’s my thing so I want to make that happen. That’s my motivation,” Martinez said.
Video Interview Below: