Charlie Edwards vs Julio Cesar Martinez Preview Aug. 31st
WBC Flyweight Champion Charlie Edwards of England will be defending his title for the second time when he takes on Julio Cesar Martinez of Mexico at the O2 Arena in London this Saturday, August 31st. The 12 round bout can be seen live in the USA on ESPN + while fans in the UK can catch the action on Sky Box Office. Edwards beat Cristofer Rosales by unanimous decision in December to win the title and defended it by unanimous decision against Angel Moreno in March. Martinez last fought in March when he stopped Andrew Selby in the fifth round.
Edwards vs Martinez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Julio Cesar Martinez +261
- Charlie Edwards -316
My Pick
The 26-year-old Edwards hails from Epsom, Surrey and enters the ring with an impressive 15-1 mark with 6 Kos. He’s fought 112 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015 and has little power with a current knockout ratio of just 38 per cent. Edwards does make up for it though in skills, heart and hustle. Before turning pro he enjoyed a fine amateur career and won a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2011 in Ankara, Turkey.
Since turning pro he’s also captured the English and WBC International Silver Flyweight Titles as well as the British and WBA Continental Super Flyweight crowns. Edwards stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with an unlisted reach. His lone loss as a pro came at the hands of John Riel Casimero in September of 2016 when he was stopped in the 10th round in a shot at the IBF World Flyweight Title. Edwards hasn’t exactly faced the cream of the crop in his division as his best wins have been against the likes of Rosales, Moreno, Anthony Nelson, Iain Butcher, Luke Wilton and Louis Norman.
As for Martinez, he’s 24 years old, comes from Mexico City and carries a record of 14-1 with 11 Kos to his name. He’s got quite a bit of power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 73 per cent and has posted eight straight stoppages. Unfortunately there’s no height and reach listed for Martinez so we can’t compare him size-wise to the champion. He turned pro in 2015 and has boxed just 54 rounds since then. His lone defeat was a four-round split decision to Joaquin Cruz in his pro debut.
Martinez avenged the defeat with an eight-round majority decision the next year. He’s also beaten the likes of former world champion Edgar Sosa as well as Martin Tecuapetla, Victor Ruiz and Juan Lopez Martinez. He’s fought some good boxers along the way, possibly even tougher foes than Edwards has faced, and he’s done quite well against them up to now so I wouldn’t really say he’s stepping up in class against Edwards.
Prediction…
Edwards is a bit underrated but this should be a good test for him. I give Martinez the edge in power and youth and he also appears to have a better chin. Martinez has never fought outside of Mexico yet but if he can handle the pressure I think he has the tools to take Edwards’ title on Saturday.
I’ll go with the underdog Martinez in an upset.
Play: Martinez +261 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Charlie Edwards betting • Julio Cesar Martinez betting