
Mikey Garcia On Loss To Sandor Martin: 'No Big Deal, It's Not End Of World'
Mikey Garcia suffered one of the biggest upset losses in boxing on Oct. 16 when he dropped a majority decision loss to little-known Spaniard fighter Sandor Martin.
Mikey Garcia: record, next fight and profile →

Mikey Garcia suffered one of the biggest upset losses in boxing on Oct. 16 when he dropped a majority decision loss to little-known Spaniard fighter Sandor Martin.

By Corey Erdman - In late 2020, both Mikey Garcia and Sandor Martin made appearances on DAZN. Late in October of that year, Garcia made an appearance as a guest of honor at the Juan Francisco Estrada-Carlos Cuadras fight at the TV Azteca Studios in Mexico City. Garcia, visibly above his fighting weight, did a lengthy interview in the ring with WBC boss Mauricio Sulaiman to help the broadcast kill time.

Regis Prograis reacted succinctly and understandably Saturday night to Mikey Garcia’s stunning loss to Sandor Martin. Prograis issued a one-word Tweet, “F---!!!!!,’ immediately after Martin was announced as a majority-decision winner over Garcia in their 10-round welterweight fight at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California. Garcia was consistently listed as a 20-1 favorite to beat the Spanish southpaw in what was supposed to be a tune-up fight for the four-division champion.

Martin, Garcia Fight Photos Gallery - Fresno, California - In a welterweight bout, Sandor Martin (39-2, 13 KOs) pulled off a massive upset with a ten round majority decision over four division world champion Mikey Garcia (40-2, 30 KOs) (photos by Ed Mulholland)

Fresno, California - Sandor Martin (39-2, 13 KOs) pulled off what may become the biggest upset of the year, when he boxed his way to a ten round majority decision over four division world champion Mikey Garcia (40-2, 30 KOs)

Sandor Martin outlanded the sluggish Mikey Garcia and was more accurate, landing 47% of his power punches. Garcia landed just 19% of his total punches, his second lowest total as a pro (Spence-18%). Martin landed 31 punches in round 10, second most by a Garcia opponent not named Errol Spence.

By Jake Donovan - Few boxing pundits outside of Spain were familiar with Sandor Martin prior to being selected as the comeback opponent for Mikey Garcia. Those who knew him gave him little to no chance of what he was able to accomplish on Saturday evening.

Mikey Garcia, Sandor Martin Scorecard BoxingScene Live - On Saturday, October 16, MIKEY GARCIA makes his highly anticipated return the ring after over a year out, facing off against European super lightweight champion SANDOR MARTIN live from Chukchansi Park, California. (photos by Ed Mulholland)

Nikita Ababiy entered uncharted territory in preserving his unblemished record. The unbeaten middleweight from Brooklyn returned to the ring for the first time in eleven months, soundly outpointing Sanny Duversonne over eight rounds. Judges Robert Byrd (80-72), Daniel Sandoval (79-73) and Steve Morrow (77-75) all scored in favor of Ababiy in their DAZN-streamed undercard bout Saturday from Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California.

Mikey Garcia views this weekend as the first step on the path to reclaiming past glory in the 140-pound division. The former four-division champion will fight at a maximum of 145 pounds in his upcoming clash with Spain’s Sandor Martin. The catchweight is a little lighter than he originally intended heading into this event, though fitting considering the loftier goals he has in store for the upcoming year—revisiting a hoped-for clash with former junior welterweight titlist Regis Prograis, which he plans to parlay into big fights with the two most notable names in the division.