Julio Cesar Martinez and McWilliams Arroyo are gearing up for a rematch that has been frequently postponed. The WBC flyweight title bout is scheduled for November 4, with the venue yet to be confirmed. This fight will be part of a Showtime Championship Boxing telecast, accompanying the Subriel Matias-Shohjahon Ergashev IBF junior welterweight title fight.
The promotion for this title bout is managed by Clase y Talento, led by Eddy Reynoso. Reynoso’s company secured the rights to this fight with a winning bid of $345,000 during a purse bid hearing in June. The purse will be divided, with 65% going to Martinez, the defending champion, and the remaining 35% to Arroyo.
The history between the two fighters is marked by unpredictability. Their previous bout in November 2021 ended abruptly in a No-Contest due to a head clash. This fight had already faced two cancellations before this abrupt ending. Subsequent rematch plans in 2022 were also postponed, with Martinez falling ill and Arroyo briefly announcing his retirement, only to retract the statement and later pull out due to a training injury.
Both fighters have had their share of challenges since their last face-off. Martinez secured a victory over Samuel Cardona and successfully defended his title against Ronal Batista. Meanwhile, Arroyo, an Olympic representative for Puerto Rico in 2008, had his bout with Martinez canceled in 2021 due to Martinez’s concealed hand injury.
With the rematch on the horizon, fans are hopeful that the two will finally face off without any hitches. If the bout proceeds as planned, the winner will have the liberty to choose their next opponent, potentially from the Sunny Edwards-Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez IBF/WBO flyweight title fight in December.
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