As far as Xavier Martinez is concerned, last month’s pre-birthday win was all of the celebrating he needs to experience.

The unbeaten junior lightweight prospect proved his mettle in his latest win, surviving two knockdowns in a disastrous 8th round to outpoint Claudio Marrero two weeks ago in Uncasville, Connecticut. Martinez rallied back to sweep the balance of the fight and keep his perfect record intact, all within hours of his 23rd birthday.

“I feel like I proved a lot in this fight,” Martinez insisted to BoxingScene.com. “It’s not like I was in there with some chump. I was up against a crafty southpaw, a former (interim) titlist who a lot of other guys in my position would have avoided. But these are the fights I want in my career, to prove what I can do in the ring.”

 The bout was the first of 2020 for Martinez, who entered the year as one of the sport’s hottest young prospects following a trio of knockout wins in 2019, all of which were televised. Still, his most recent fight prior to Marrero was a quick hit of John Vincent Moralde, knocking out the Filipino at just 0:21 into the opening round.

Essentially, it left Martinez with barely any ring time at all over the past 18 months heading into his toughest test to date. The fight marked the first time the unbeaten Sacramento native was pushed past the eighth round—a statistic which came about thanks to his fighting heart and overall boxing skills.

The brief scare in the fight won’t at all deter his handlers—Mayweather Promotions and head trainer Ray Woods—from continuing to move forward with his career. No soft touches are required for what he plans to achieve as soon as by this time next year.

“Leonard (Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions) and Floyd (Mayweather), they know the fights I want and where I want to go with my career,” notes Martinez. “Whatever they have planned for me, they know I’ll be ready for it. I just showed it [against Marrero] and will do so against anyone they line up for me in the ring.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox