Paso Robles boxer is 7-1 as an amateur. On Friday, he fights as a pro for the first time
Messing with Bryan Martinez isn’t wise.
Just ask one of his sparring partners, who took a body blow so vicious he quit and sat down in agony for 20 minutes.
The 24-year-old boxer out of Paso Robles makes his professional debut Friday night in a scheduled four-round match at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sacramento against undefeated middleweight Joeshon “Shontime” James (4-0), out of Dixon.
Martinez has been preparing for this opportunity for the past three years, training under former professional boxer Michael “Coach Mike” Dixon, also of Paso Robles.
He has a 7-1 amateur record with three knockouts.
“I’ve been waiting and waiting,” Martinez said. “It has already been rescheduled three times because of COVID. You have to have a mentality that you’re ready to go. You’re risking your life in the ring. It’s you or the other guy.”
When Martinez talks about his upcoming bout, he expresses a cool confidence, outwardly unafraid.
“I’ve been working non-stop in the gym, staying in shape, doing what I have to do and my emotions are: ‘I’m ready,’” he said.
On a recent afternoon at Knockout Boxing Gym and Fitness on Combine Street in Paso Robles, Martinez pounded away at Dixon’s punching mitts as they maneuvered around the ring — working on footwork, vision and speed.
“Ninety-eight percent of the time the guy that has the technique and footwork is going to outbox the other guy,” Martinez said.
Dixon concurred: “Footwork is so important. If you can move both directions and fight from both sides, that creates problems. He has boxed against some really good amateurs and sparred with pros. I know he’s ready.”
Football helped boxer develop toughness
Martinez — who grew up in Paso Robles and played football for the Bearcats — said his father was a former mixed-martial arts fighter and trained under Dixon in Paso Robles.
Bryan Martinez, weighing in at 160 pounds, first met Dixon at the age of 14.
As a football player at Paso Robles High who graduated in 2016, Martinez developed his physicality on defense as a tackler, enjoying the camaraderie of a team sport.
A few years out of high school, he started training seriously as a boxer and took some of that football toughness into the ring.
“I think the best part is I played football and that was exciting,” Martinez said. “But that’s like a team, you know? When you’re boxing, it’s just you and the other guy. You can’t rely on anyone else.”
Martinez said if his opponent lands a punch, it’s important to shake it off quickly.
“You feel them, but you have to show that you didn’t feel them at all,” Martinez said.
Martinez ready for pro competition, coach says
But Martinez is also familiar with dealing the pain.
“During a sparring match, I caught someone here with the spleen shot,” Martinez said. “He was sitting on the stool for like 20 minutes.”
Dixon added, “That was the day we went through four guys,” and they realized they probably should take it easy on the local competition.
“We had to get out of town to get quality sparring in,” Dixon said. “Since then, we’ve had him spar with an Olympic Russian and a pro that’s 12-12 who wasn’t that good, but he’s a pro, and they’ll have different techniques and pacing.”
Dixon wants Martinez to spar with as many good fighters as he can, so they’ll hit the road to train in Bakersfield, Lompoc, Los Angeles or wherever they feel they can get a good sparring workout in.
“I think he’s more equipped to be a better pro than he is an amateur,” Dixon said. “And actually, that’s because of his conditioning. He’s going to take people out to deep water and drown them.”
Dixon has taught Martinez to be able to fight in a southpaw stance or in his natural stance as a right-hander, shifting and moving to the side to fire off blows to the ribs or catch his opponent exposed or off balance.
Dixon studies the techniques of fighters such as Andre Ward, Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather to pass on knowledge to Martinez.
They carefully review the fight film of their upcoming opponent to pick out weaknesses and develop a plan.
Though they train hard, one of Dixon’s beliefs is not to overwork his fighters.
Dixon said in his fighting days he used to spar with guys at California Men’s Colony and go 10 or 12 rounds with two or three different sparring partners, but he doesn’t want Martinez going over six rounds given that he’s fighting a four-round fight.
“My deal is to keep him safe, keep his brain safe, and have him prepared to go,” Dixon said. “And part of that is getting in great shape without doing too much.”
Representing Paso Robles
Martinez says he’s fighting for his family, which includes his infant daughter, girlfriend, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins — who will cheer him on as a professional.
While not many pro boxers have come out of Paso Robles, Martinez said he has good mentors in Dixon and Adriel Pebenito, the gym’s owner, a former pro featherweight and lightweight, who have helped show him the way.
Martinez works out at Knockout Boxing Gym about four to five times per week, Pebenito said.
In recent years, Paso Robles has seen some talented fighters come through the gym, including a few that developed there, left the area and furthered their careers elsewhere, Pebenito said.
But Martinez could be an inspiration to a younger generation that could stay in Paso Robles and potentially follow in his footsteps.
“I would say in the way that things are going, (pro fighters coming out of Paso Robles) should be duplicated more often,” Pebenito said. “It’s isn’t that we’ve haven’t had people good enough. We’ve had good prodigies here. Some of them are here just for a love of the sport and not seeking the recognition.”
Pebenito said that Martinez is a talent and strong, but only lacks fight experience, adding that he will have to remain focused when the spotlight is on him.
Pebenito said he was nervous stepping into the ring in his fights, but he used that anxiety to channel into adrenaline.
“If he had a little bit more experience, it would be great, but I think he can do it anyways,” said Pebenito. “They’re going to go for the shot and they can do it.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 10:40 AM.
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