Fernando Martinez hopes to conjure up the spirits of past champs in Japan vs Kazuto Ioka
A quick review of the historic rivalry between Argentine and Japanese fighters can be quite revealing for those who haven’t followed it through the years.
Japan’s first world champion Yoshio Shirai lost his belt to Argentina’s first-ever champ, the legendary Pascual Perez, in 1955. A little over a decade later, Horacio Accavallo challenged Katsuyoshi Takayama for the vacant version of the same flyweight belt that Perez had won, and brought it back to Argentina after a great performance. And on Dec. 12, 1968, defensive wizard Nicolino Locche climbed through the ropes at the Kokugikan in Tokyo to face Paul Takeshi Fujii and ended up producing one of the most enduring masterpieces of Argentine boxing, frustrating the Hawaii-born slugger into submission in ten memorable rounds.
Fernando Martinez has heard those stories all his life, and he wants a piece of that action.
“I thought a lot about this,” said Martinez, the current IBF junior bantamweight titlist, during a boisterous press conference, days before embarking to Japan to face Kazuto Ioka at the very same Kokugikan where Locche inscribed his name in history. “A lot of time has gone by since all those champions like Accavallo, Locche were able to win in Japan. I would love to be next.”
The dream is perfectly rooted in reality. After all, between Luis Firpo’s failed challenge of Jack Dempsey in 1923 until Perez’s win in Japan more than 30 years later, plenty of Argentine fighters tried and failed to secure title shots anywhere in the world. The possibility of getting a fair opportunity and a fair result in Japan has always been there, and Martinez aims to take advantage of that level playing field.
“I want to make history,” said Martinez, rated at No. 3 by The Ring at junior bantamweight. “I believe Argentina deserves to have a unified champion, and we’re more focused and readier than ever. I have the right age and the right experience. These last three fights I had gave me a lot of experience. I am relaxed because we’ve had a terrific job with my team. I am only gearing up for the fight and feeling excited about it.”
The last three fights that Martinez (16-0, 9 knockouts) talks about took place in hostile territory, and he never failed to leave a positive impression. He took the title on points from Jerwin Ancajas in a minor upset back in February 2022 in the US, and followed up with an even wider decision eight months later. In the second defense of his belt, Martinez stopped then-unbeaten Jade Bornea in 11 rounds in Minneapolis, setting up his unification clash with Ioka (31-2-1, 16 KOs).
Fernando Martinez (left), Rodrigo Calabrese (center) and ‘Pileta’ Maidana (far right) at a press conference in Buenos Aires – Photo by Francisco Morilla
Trainer Rodrigo Calabrese believes that the streak began even earlier.
“The fight in South Africa was the most important because it was a turning point,” said Calabrese, in reference to Martinez’s war against Athenkosi Dumezweni back in 2019. “A difficult fight in hostile territory, and that was the one that gave us the confidence to move forward.”
Calabrese, who has been with Martinez since the fighter’s father and trainer passed away a decade ago, has witnessed his fighter’s growth but he has also fostered it carefully, picking the right fights at the right time along with Martinez’s managerial team at Chino Maidana Promotions, an outfit headed by former junior welterweight titlist Marcos Maidana and his inseparable sidekick and cousin nicknamed Pileta. Their combined boxing acumen was instrumental in Martinez’ gradual growth into championship territory.
“It is difficult to achieve things in Argentina this level,” said Calabrese. “Whenever we have a big fight such as this one they tell us that we can’t do it, but here we are, in a unification fight in Japan. We waited two months because (Juan Francisco) Estrada was supposed to fight Ioka, but we’re finally here. We’ve been aiming for Ioka for a while, and we know this is a huge fight in Japan. But be it against him or anyone else, it will always be difficult.”
Martinez sorted out one of those difficulties by travelling to the US for some quality sparring ahead of his clash against Ioka, who is rated at No. 2 by The Ring at 115 pounds, spending about a month in Nevada before heading to Japan.
A loud drum-and-brass band representing the Boca Juniors soccer team follows Martinez to each one of his public appearances – Photo by Francisco Morilla
But Calabrese’s main task is probably the most complicated one, and it is filing up the shoes of Martinez’s father.
“I always said this: I am only following up on his dad’s steps. What I can say about Fernando is that when he is fully trained he is very difficult to beat,” said Calabrese.
Martinez himself doesn’t necessarily feel such a void. In fact, he claims to have a direct line of communication with the patriarch of the family that he shares with no less than 11 other siblings who grew up in abject poverty in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
“I dream about my fights. I dream about being up there celebrating and jumping up and down. And even though I haven’t had my dad for the past nine years, before each one of my fights my dad comes to visit me and gives me his advice and his encouragement to show the world that I am here to stay,” said an emotional Martinez, choking up on his words as a fanfare of drums and brass exploded at the end of every one of his interventions during the press conference.
La Boca, of course, is the home of the fabled Boca Juniors soccer team, which has one of the most passionate fan bases anywhere in the world. They call themselves “La Doce” (The Twelfth), claiming to be the extra player in the 11-player roster and carrying them to victory with their deafening cheers raining from the stands in every game.
That’s a mojo that Martinez wants a piece of, too.
“As I always say, I am just like Boca, wherever I go in the world, the pressure is on the other fighter to beat me,” said Martinez, to a choir of approving claps and laughter.
Boca Juniors also had its greatest victories in Japan, where during several years a game was played between the teams that had won the European and South American tournaments in what amounted to an unofficial final game to crown the best team in the world.
Leaning on that tradition, Martinez feels he has to give a fair warning to Ioka and his people.
“They are the ones who have to be worried, because I have all the hunger. Ever since I was a kid, we were 12 siblings, always struggling, even though my dad always provided for us. But we never had any luxuries. Our parents taught us values, and now that I am in my best moment, I have these fights that gave me much more experience. I had already traveled around the world as an amateur, but now I am in my peak.
“I was very well received in Japan, people are very respectful but I can tell they love blood and they love a good fight. And that’s what I will give them. They’re going to have to kill me to take this fight from me. Ioka better be scared, because my hunger is for eternal glory. I want immortality, just like Pascualito and Nicolino and Accavallo, and that’s my aim. I am here for the glory.”
Diego M. Morilla has written for The Ring since 2013. He has also written for HBO.com, ESPN.com and many other magazines, websites, newspapers and outlets since 1993. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He has won two first-place awards in the BWAA’s annual writing contest, and he is the moderator of The Ring’s Women’s Ratings Panel. He served as copy editor for the second era of The Ring en Español (2018-2020) and is currently a writer and editor for RingTV.com.
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