Top Rank signs Javier Martinez
Javier Martinez, USA Boxing’s top-rated fighter at 165 pounds, has signed a multi-year contract with Top Rank and will make his professional debut as a middleweight June 30 live on ESPN.
Martinez, 24, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, won the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, but after being selected as an alternate for the Olympic team, elected to punch for pay after roughly 160 bouts in the amateur ranks.
✍️ SIGNED ✅
Top U.S. amateur, 2020 Olympic Trials winner and 5x National Champion Javier Martinez has signed a multi-year promotional contract with Top Rank.
The Milwaukee native will make his pro debut June 30 on ESPN. Stay tuned for more details. ?? pic.twitter.com/512tzhRJ54
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) June 22, 2020
Martinez is trained by Jorge Capetillo, who is known for his work with the likes of lineal/WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and former world champions Jessie Magdaleno and Antonio DeMarco.
“With Javier’s amateur credentials, fan-friendly style, and Top Rank’s amazing track record at developing amateurs into champions, this is a win-win for everyone,” said Tim VanNewhouse, Martinez’s manager. “I look forward to a big future for Javier, and I’m eager for everyone to see his pro debut on ESPN June 30.”
“I knew it would be hard for me to qualify for the Olympics, so when I found out they chose someone else, it made no sense for me to stay,” Martinez said. “I got this opportunity from Top Rank, so why not? I have a great promotional company and manager behind me.
“I’ve just been beating everyone in the country the past three, four years, so the time was right to make my next move.”
Martinez, the youngest of five children born to Mexican immigrants, first picked up a pair of gloves at 8 years old. He hopes to become only the second Milwaukee-born fighter — Pinky Mitchell was named the inaugural junior welterweight world champion in 1922 — to win a professional world title.
“I do this for my family. I do it for my kid,” said Martinez, who has a 7-year-old son. “I want to represent Milwaukee and my parents, who came to this country with nothing and built a life for my brothers and me.”
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
