Time to Run it Back
Julio Cesar Martinez and McWilliams Arroyo run it back after their first meeting was deemed a no-contest due to an accidental headbutt.
It hasn’t been an easy time for WBC flyweight champion Martinez, who has since fought overweight when losing to Roman Gonzalez. He’s looking to get his career back on track against Arroyo.
Boxing odds have Martinez at -800, so he’s expected to retain his belt.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and Boxing odds for Martinez vs Arroyo. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Champ Needs to Rebound
Things were running smoothly for Martinez before his disappointing loss to Gonzalez. He had beaten some tough fighters, and although the no contest against Arroyo was annoying, he showed very little in his subsequent fight.
We’re not sure if he took Gonzalez too cheaply, but he suffered a resounding loss to the 50-3 fighter after failing to make weight, which suggested there was going to be problems from the outset.
Martinez was fined 20% of his $250,000 payday and promoter Eddie Hearn put him back into the flyweight division.
“He looked too small, he looked too inexperienced,” Hearn told ESPN. “He’ll go back to flyweight.”
The sportsbook expects Martinez to get back to his best. The -800 is a skinny quote but he’s classy at his best. However, there is some concern that he’s had to shed a lot of weight for this fight. He already found it too tough against Gonzalez, so he might not be at his fittest.
It all depends on his mindset but the 18-2 fighter owns 14 wins via knockout and he’s got enough power to end the fight early.
Arroyo Ready for Rematch
Arroyo has been preparing for the rematch since November 2021, and he could cause a big upset on Saturday.
The 36-year-old won’t get many more opportunities to fight for a world title and he could take it with both hands, but he needs to find something extra.
He lost the first three rounds against Martinez in their first meeting, so he knows what needs to happen to get off to a better start. The accidental headbutt might have come at the right time as he was getting dominated.
The +500 underdog with boxing betting markets is up against it, but he faces Martinez who hasn’t been impressive since they last met. There is a small window of opportunity for the challenger if he’s willing to take it.
“I am happy because I hope that this time the public will be able to see a great fight, it will be very different, this time they notified us with more time and we used much more sparring partners for this fight and the preparation has been very good”, Arroyo said.
The rematch gives Arroyo another chance of victory but he’s the sizable underdog for a reason.
Martinez vs Arroyo Head-to-Head
The first meeting between Martinez and Arroyo ended in a no-contest after an accidental headbutt in the opening round.
The fight continued into the third round before referee Johnny Callas called an end to it after Arroyo was unable to continue. Arroyo was also knocked down in the second round.
Martinez vs Arroyo Fight Information
- Game: Martinez (18-2) vs Arroyo (21-4)
- Location: Tech Port Arena, San Antonio
- Day/Time: Saturday, June 25, 7 p.m. ET
- Live stream: Box Live
Martinez vs Arroyo Betting Lines
Martinez vs Arroyo Prediction
There isn’t much value with the -800 odds for Martinez to win but he’s -350 to score by knockout.
The Mexican champion has power in his hands with 14 knockouts, so if Arroyo isn’t careful, he could be knocked to the canvas early in the fight.
It’s hard to get a line on their first fight but Martinez looked much the better and he’ll be wanting to make a statement after an embarrassing loss.
