Fernando Martinez, Showcases Hotel Grand March Before Match, Defeats Battle-Hardened Kazuto Ioka

On July 7, at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, in the WBA-IBF World Super Flyweight unification match, Fernando Martinez achieved a decisive victory over Kazuto Ioka, breaking the pre-fight predictions and handing Ioka his first defeat in 5 years and 7 months.

The day before, on July 6, Martinez was spotted arriving at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel (Tokyo, Shinagawa Ward) where the public weigh-in and press conference were held, with a loud volume and a large entourage. The group arrived at the hotel with one of the staff members blasting Latin music from a boombox, waving a flag of the renowned Argentine soccer club ‘Boca Juniors,’ and wearing their uniforms.

Leading the group, Martinez was seen in a uniform from the U.S. MLS soccer team ‘Inter Miami,’ with the Messi logo and the number 10 printed on the back, his hair dyed in Boca Juniors’ blue and yellow, and wearing a headband and sunglasses.

“Raised in a poor family as the seventh of twelve siblings, Martinez began his boxing career at the age of six. After losing his father a few months before the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, he suffered from depression and fell into alcohol addiction. He later overcame these challenges and, at the age of 28, claimed the WBC World Super Flyweight title, making him a remarkable example of perseverance and a late-blooming athlete.

The reason for his entourage wearing the ‘Boca Juniors’ uniform, a club where Diego Maradona played and which has immense popularity among the impoverished, is said to be to always remind him to never forget his hunger for success.”

Pre-fight predictions, including those from international bookmakers, favored Ioka even in his home country, but Martinez overturned these expectations with a decisive victory. Throughout the weigh-in and press conference, he maintained a cheerful demeanor and a strong spirit of service. It was impressive to see him happily respond to requests for photos and autographs from women and children in front of the hotel.

At the press conference on July 3, Martinez, a big fan of Japan, mentioned that he had also been inspired by ‘Vegetto Blue’ from ‘Dragon Ball’ when choosing his hair color. Regarding his next fight, he said:

“If I win against Ioka, I want to have a unification match with either (WBC champion) Rodriguez or (WBO champion) Tanaka. It depends on the fight money. But since I like Japan, I want to fight here.”

He remained smiling throughout. If a fight in Japan were to materialize, it would undoubtedly be welcomed by many Japanese fans.