By: Sean Crose
Give Brandon Martinez this – he’s got heart. After being dropped three times by Jacob Solis in the first round of their scheduled four round middleweight throwdown in Atlantic City on Saturday, Martinez was still able to survive the chapter. Not that it ended up mattering all that much, for a blistering one-two put the man down and out in the second, as the referee wisely decided to step in and stop the affair. Suffice to say, Solis record improved to 4-0 while Martinez’ record slipped to 1-4.
Next up, the 13-0 Avious Griffin squared off against the 8-3 Lesther Espino. Their welterweight battle was scheduled for eight rounds or less. Griffin had a great first round, tagging his opponent throughout the three minutes of action. With that in mind, Espino rocked Griffin twice early in the second. Although he was clearly hurt, Griffin was able to get back into the fight later in the round. The fighters each landed hard in the third. It was a closer fight that many had likely expected.
Griffin was able to take charge again in the fourth. Then he was able to end the entire affair in the fifth. Sending Espino to the mat, Griffin waited patiently to finish off his foe. And he did just that after Espino got back to his feet. After a few more seconds of action, the referee wisely stepped in and stopped the fight.