After the controversial finish last Saturday night in the WBO super featherweight contest between champion Roman “Rocky” Martinez (26-1-2, 16KOs) and mandatory challenger Juan Carlos “Mini” Burgos (30-1-1, 20KOs), Burgos and his team have been stating their case to anybody who will listen of why he deserves an immediate rematch. After controlling most of the action with superb boxing skills and a punishing body attack, Burgos was surprised along with much of the ringside media and fans that the contest was considered a draw with scores of 117-111 for Burgos, 116-112 for Martinez and an even 114-114.
Story by Felipe Leon & Fightnews.com
Paco Valcarcel, the president of the WBO, stated on Monday night to popular Spanish language boxing radio show that in his eyes, the fight was a tight one. A statement that Burgos had umbrage with, “I think he was sitting at an angle where he couldn’t see that the more effective and hard punches were landed by me. I hurt Martinez a couple of times and I don’t think he was able to see that. Many people have mentioned why I didn’t knock him out and there is a reason, something that happened in the ring but I don’t want to say what it is because I don’t want people to say that I am making excuses. Only I and my corner know what happened but regardless of that, I think I clearly won the fight, I think I won nine rounds and Martinez three.”
Throughout the fight, Burgos felt he was winning the fight and for him, he did more than enough to convince the judges but anybody else that watched the fight.
“I definitely felt that I was winning while the fight was happening,” Burgos said sternly. “I had made promise to give a great performance for everybody at Madison Square Garden and for those watching on HBO and that is why I motivated to exchange punches. I wanted to leave everybody with a good impression and I feel that I did by boxing and also exchanging punches while landing the better and harder punches.”
Despite stating that he wanted a rematch with “Mikey” Garcia immediately after their fight last Saturday night, recently dethroned WBO featherweight champion Orlando Salido has released a statement that mentions he wants to move four pounds north and challenge Martinez in the near future. When asked if he was willing to face Salido in an elimination bout, Burgos has interesting things to say.
“I am willing to face Orlando Salido in an elimination fight if that is ordered by the WBO but in the last convention in October of last year, I was named the mandatory challenger for ‘Rocky’ Martinez. He can’t fight anybody else until he beats me and he didn’t. He didn’t beat me, he didn’t prove that he beat me so he needs to fight me next and my team and promoters are already doing all they can to get it for me but if I need to, I will face Salido to get the opportunity for a world title.”
