NEW YORK — Sandor Martin may be known more for his boxing skills than his punching power, but the Spanish spoiler is hinting at a different approach against Alberto Puello.
Martin, 42-3 (15 KOs), will be fighting for a world title this Saturday for the first time in his 14-year pro career against WBC junior welterweight titleholder Alberto Puello, 23-0 (10 KOs). The fight will be part of the Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach pay-per-view card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The contest will be his first time back in New York since his split decision loss to Teofimo Lopez in 2022. Now, Martin says he plans to take the judges out of the equation.
“I’m going to come out there looking for the knockout, ready for some exchanges and a true war that sees the fans being the true winners of the night,” said Martin, 31.
“The Teofimo [Lopez] fight didn’t really leave any lasting lessons for me. It just showed me that I shouldn’t leave the outcome of a decision in the judges’ hands.”
Puello, 30, of the Dominican Republic, isn’t over-awed by Martin’s confidence. Puello, who is coming off his biggest victory in his last fight, a split decision win over Gary Antuanne Russell last June, seemed to dare Martin to follow through on his plans to push the fight.
“If Martin wants to knock me out, then he is making a big mistake. I don’t think that he has the strength or the tools to KO me, and he knows it,” said Puello.
Puello is in his second reign as a 140lbs titleholder, having been stripped of the WBA junior welterweight title after testing positive for banned substances prior to his cancelled bout against Rolly Romero in 2023. Puello regained his standing – and added the WBC interim belt – with the win over Russell. After Devin Haney vacated his titles in the aftermath of his no contest against Ryan Garcia, Puello also regained his status as a world champion.
“To be a world champion and to have been able to recover what was mine to begin with is a dream come true. Few people can accomplish that,” said Puello.
Now Puello, who trains under Ismael Salas in Las Vegas, will be making his first pro appearance in New York City, which has a significant Dominican population. Fighting on a major pay-per-view event in what will be his first appearance as a titleholder has the potential of helping to establish Puello as a bigger star in the sport.
“To fight here in NYC in front of a big crowd that will have a lot of Dominicans in it is truly a gift from God that motivates me a lot,” said Puello.
“I don’t care if I’m not talked about, people know who I am, and I’ll keep proving that I’m one of the best at 140.”
Martin shares a similar goal, and hopes a win over Puello will open up the doors to big opportunities.
“The 140-pound division is stacked with big names such as [Rayo] Valenzuela, Russell and [Isaac] ‘Pitbull’ Cruz. I’m here for the big fights,” said Martin.
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