But here he is, ready, willing and able to not just show up in Las Vegas but upset highly touted Japanese prospect Reito Tsutsumi.
“I’m ready,” said Martinez. “I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time. The dream was almost fading away, and then I got the call and man, it’s unbelievable with the timing. I think everything works in God’s timing, so I’m happy about the timing and everything. I think it makes sense.”
It almost didn’t happen, as his car was stolen, with his phone in it, when he was going to be presented with the Tsutsumi fight. Luckily, his manager found Martinez’s brother, and he delivered the news.
Official Canelo vs Crawford Weigh-In Results
“You would think it’d be full of excitement,” said Martinez, who had just gotten a job as a bartender.
“It was a little bit of a bittersweet moment because I finally got the job that I wanted, I finally got done with these course classes that I paid for, and I’m sort of excited and finally at peace knowing that I don’t need boxing in my life to be healthy and be a good person and be happy with my life. I found God and I found something I can do that I enjoy, and they call me with this opportunity. So it’s like boxing pulls me back in.”
