The Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs. Sergio Martinez middleweight championship fight on Saturday night nearly reproduced the historic action from Las Vegas over 20 years, where Julio Cesar Chavez stopped Meldrick Taylor with just seconds remaining in the 12th and final round. Here, JCC Jr. was dominated all night, but in the 12th, he rallied and put down Maravilla, and went for the kill. Martinez managed to survive the late onslaught, but not without gaining some last-minute, new-found respect for Jr. Right here, see how all the action went down with our collection of Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez fight night pictures.
Martinez had won every round up until the final stanza. But he wasn’t playing it safe, he continued fighting the same way he had all night, and in fact, was being even more brazen, looking to finish the show strong. Chavez decked him, and he was badly hurt, beating the count but stumbling around, still holding his hands at his waist. Refusing to hold on, he managed to buy enough time to get his senses, and close the battle on his feet. Chavez keeps his stock high with that final closing rally, while Martine was able to secure the win and not succumb to some late Las Vegas magic.
We wouldn’t see Chavez vs. Taylor II, but it made for a memorable ending for the Chavez Jr vs. Martinez results, and a round that could very well be Round of the Year here in 2012.
