Argenis Mendez Congratulates, Calls Out Rocky Martinez

By Jake Donovan

It’s barely been a month since Argenis Mendez realized his lifelong dream of winning a major title. The Dominican boxer hit boxing paydirt with his revenge-fueled 4th round knockout of Juan Carlos Salgado in their HBO-televised rematch last month in California, serving as his proudest honor in his boxing lifetime, which also includes a tour with the 2004 Dominican Republic Olympic boxing squad.

The win netted Mendez an alphabet title in a 130 lb. division that is long on talent but considerably short on notoriety. The relatively low-key weight class became somewhat faceless following the defection of rising American star Adrien Broner, who is now the man to beat at 135 lb.

That’s not to say that there aren’t entertaining fights to be made. Mendez proved that in his two fights with Salgado, with last month’s knockout coming 18 months after a split decision loss in their thriller of a first fight.

There are plenty of other worthy candidates in the division, all of whom Mendez would love to begin lining up in the near future. Inactivity has been an issue that he no longer wishes to endure. There was plenty of action at the top level in his division which caught the public’s eye, including a title changing hands and a Top 10 fighter losing for the first time in his career.

Mendez took note and hopes to entice his peers in a series of tough fights. First on his hit list is a showdown with fellow 130 lb. titlist Roman ‘Rocky’ Martinez.

“I want to congratulate Rocky on his big win last week,” Mendez said of Martinez’ split decision win over previously unbeaten Diego Magdaleno in their title fight last weekend in China. “He doesn’t get a lot of respect from the critics, but he keeps finding ways to remain champ. He did it last year to win the title (a split decision nod over Miguel Beltran Jr.) and again in New York City (a disputed draw against Juan Carlos Burgos this past January).

“He showed a lot against (Magdaleno). He forced an undefeated fighter to fight his fight and that allowed him to remain champion.”

Mendez did precisely the opposite in his last fight. Primarily a boxer, the Dominican took the fight straight to Salgado, never letting up until he was able to close the show and claim what he felt was rightfully his all along. With one major belt in tow, the goal is to collect them all and then move up to collect some more.

“For my next fight, I would love nothing more than for ‘Genis to face Roman ‘Rocky’ Martinez,” states Jose Nunez, Mendez’ longtime manager. “We can put that fight anywhere - New York, Florida, Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico and it would be a huge event between the two.”

While Martinez is first on the list, he’s hardly the last and only. In a world of multiple titles, Mendez would love to bring clarity to a division long in need of an identifiable leader. He would also love to tend to unfinished business.

“I was also impressed with what (Takashi Miura) did to Gamaliel Diaz to win his title,” Mendez says of Monday’s title fight in Japan. Miura dropped Diaz four times en route to a ninth round stoppage to win a belt. “I would love to fight him or that other champ from Japan, the undefeated guy (Takashi Uchiyama, who next faces unbeaten contender Jaider Parra in May).

“Yuriorkis Gamboa also remains on my radar,” Mendez states, recalling the point last year when camps briefly discussed the possibility of a fight. “I remember it came up, but then they decided they didn’t want to do it. They tried to jump the line and get Salgado before I did, so I’d like to give him the chance to go after that same title.”

Of course, Mendez is a realist. While fights with Gamboa or even Broner – who is moving to face welterweight titlist Paulie Malignaggi in what may or may not be a one-time jump – remain at the top of his wish list, pursuing those who will actually get in the ring with him is the main priority.

“Gamboa and Broner bring the money, those are the biggest paydays. But I don’t think either one of them want to risk losing to me,” Mendez believes. “I know that Rocky Martinez has the balls to fight me. That’s the fight I want and it would be a great fight for the fans.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board, Yahoo Boxing Ratings Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox