Santa Cruz stops Martinez in fight to stay undefeated

ANAHEIM: Leo Santa Cruz stopped Kiko Martinez Saturday for his first defense of the WBA featherweight title, which could put him in line for a super-fight in one of boxing’s strongest divisions. American Santa Cruz knocked Martinez down twice in the opening round before finishing him off at 2:09 of the fifth when referee Raul Caiz stepped in to halt the slugfest at the Honda Center arena. The Anaheim fight came on the same day that Carl Frampton beat Scott Quigg in a split decision to become the WBA and IBF super-bantamweight champion in Manchester, England.

Now that he has his first title defense in the deeply talented 126-pound division out of the way, Santa Cruz is aiming for a showdown with Northern Ireland’s Frampton in the not too distant future. “I want Frampton,” Santa Cruz said in the ring after his victory. “He said he wants to move up in weight so bring it on.” It didn’t hurt that Santa Cruz looked impressive Saturday, throwing 140 punches in the first round as Martinez was sent to the canvas for just the fourth and fifth time in his career. The first knockdown was a punch to the top and side of the head, and the second was a straight right hand set up by a left jab. In the final round, Santa Cruz trapped Martinez on the ropes and unloaded a barrage of lefts and rights against the helpless Spaniard in front of a crowd of 7,700. The fight was filled with plenty of toe-to-toe action in the centre of the ring as Martinez was able to survive the two knockdowns and come back strong in the second round.