Julio Cesar Martinez vs Jay Harris Odds & Picks

• Martinez vs Harris goes Saturday, February 29th at 9:00 pm EST
• Can Martinez make the first defense of his title or will Harris unseat the newly minted champ?
• Check out the odds, the sweet science breakdown, and my prediction below
  

  ---

Martinez vs Harris will vie for the WBC world flyweight championship on February 29. Martinez has gone unbeaten across his last 15 fights and the champ has a streak of nine knockouts across his last nine straight wins. The challenger is the commonwealth and EBU champion, stepping up for his first crack at a world title. This prize fight goes down at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The #7 contender at 112 lbs looks to become #1 but he’ll have to defeat someone who hasn’t lost since his October 2015 debut fight (loss via split decision)

Martinez vs Harris Odds

Odds taken Feb. 24th

Another weekend, another high-level WBC title fight. In Harris’ last outing he captured the IBF intercontinental flyweight title. A KO victory in the fourth round over Paddy Barnes. Martinez’s last fight saw him secure that vacant WBC world title by securing a TKO in the ninth round over Cristofer Rosales.

Martinez has been training at the world-renowned Big Bear. This high elevation area in California is often frequented by prizefighters. Individuals looking to take their conditioning to the next level. The thought of a pugilist like Martinez having ramped up cardio has to be a scary thought or the rest of the division.

Mexico vs UK for the World Championship

Martinez has an 80 percent knockout rate over his career. Harris is a technically efficient fighter with Martinez describing the stylistic approach as “complicated”. This illustrates that the reigning titlist knows what he’s in for with the challenger and both are preparing diligently. On-paper the two have styles that can gel well together for a pleasing fight. Though Harris has obvious defensive savvy, he has an intense style that often sees him coming forward. Both men press the action in their own sort of way.

👑⚡️

After an electric performance to claim his WBC World Flyweight crown at the end of last year, 'El Rey' Julio Cesar Martinez returns on Feb 29's monster card! 🔥 #MartinezHarris #GarciaVargas pic.twitter.com/MIRlaEuuhl

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) February 18, 2020

The champ also has a good read on that slick, European boxing style that Harris brings to the table. Prior adversaries such as Charlie Edwards and Andrew Selby have a similar stylistic approach to Harris. Also, Harris doesn’t really have huge punching power. Even though he does have stoppages on his record and a KO rate of over 50 percent, he doesn’t necessarily have that sting in his shots that will ward off Martinez. The champion has been known to march opponents down, batter them with power shots, and do it with a high volume approach simultaneously.

Martinez vs Harris Tale of the Tape

Martinez’s resume just looks a little different than Harris’. While the challenger has impressed in the challenges put before him up until this point, Martinez has a more proven track record at the world title level. Though Harris has never been beaten, Martinez does have a bit of experience handling people their first defeats. In his last victory, Martinez became the first person to stop Cristofer Rosales inside the distance.  I think Martinez will put the first blemish on Harris’ pro record and will do it via (T)KO inside of nine rounds.

Pick: Julio Cesar Martinez (-2000)