On this day, nineteen years ago: Atuiz "King Arthur" Grigorjan vs. Ray "Rocky" Martínez

WBO lightweight title on the line, 15th defense of Grigorjan.

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Gazing into the past for a pugilistic fix, because, I'm not sure if you've had a look at the January boxing calender, but - woof.

Also, this wouldn't have been my first choice for the given date, as the Fight of the Day was actually Dorin vs. Balbi a few hours later in San Antonio - but it happens that I already made a thread on that one (along with its rematch) last year at @Drew101's request. Serendipitous, though, as it gives us an excuse to analyze more or less a typical prime outing from a titlist who got little attention in his own time, and exponentially less so with the passage of more.

Grigorian is often written off as something of a poster boy for the fraudulent, protected, home-body WBO champs produced in Europe from the mid nineties to early aughts, in the mold of Sven Ottke and pre-2006 Joe Calzaghe (people often forget now that prior to Lacy/Bika/Kessler/B-Hop/RJJ the man had a full dozen years under his belt and there had been talk already of retirement) but with both of them being regarded as less egregious and more accomplished cases. That's a bit of a shame, because, while there is certainly plenty to criticize about the matchmaking in his reign, he was an interesting fighter - and ranks as perhaps the most decorated Armenian professional on paper, with more consecutive & overall titles defenses than guys like Vic Darchinyan or Abraham, his fellow "King Arthur". He is also the hands-down second best fighter ever born in Uzbekistan before later relocating to Germany (the GOAT of that hyper-specific distinction of course being Ruslan Chagaev ).

His style was a very difficult one, that was only ever thwarted by an elite in Popó Freitas (of course, Popó was also by far the greatest opponent Grigorian ever fought, so there is that). Molded by Fritz Zdunek, he bore some of the signature hallmarks of that Euro legend's stable, along with his own unique idiosyncrasies. His praxis was sort of a cross between the styles of Zdunek and the Ingle school of the UK, along with some influence from his finest contemporary fellow southpaw, the raw, pre-WildCard, fly & bantam range version of Manny Pacquiao (with Grigorian exhibiting the same in-and-out bunny-hop and sometimes exclusive focus on right push-jabs and big swooping left uppercuts).

As for Martínez, he was a reliable trier but not somebody that's going to infuse anybody's legacy with legitimacy. Throughout his career the Acapulcan-Chicagoan fought plenty of decent names but was comfortably outclassed by all of them. His colorful hairdos and ring attire were likelier to have left a major impression on fans during his lengthy tenure jobbing in nationally televised bouts than his fistic prowess (and, the poor damned soul, used to be the first person associated with the name "Rocky Martínez" despite being just a high-level gatekeeper, until Puerto Rican lightweight titlist Román Martínez came along to forever co-opt it). He makes, thus, a perfect foil to see what Grigorian could do when cutting loose absent meaningful defensive resistance or serious offensive threat.

 

Atuiz Grigorjan vs. Ray Martínez, 12 rounds @ lightweight

 

Round 1

Grigorjan is extending his long right jab into Martínez's face and flitting away, first outward in a straight line and then jogging counter-clockwise en pointe, like a pugnacious ballerina. Martínez is doing his best to cut the distance, using lots of sideways leans and head-dips to slip the jab while applying pressure, but all of his attempted body shots are shunted into clinches by the champion. Grigorjan landing more on the spine of Martínez than on his legal scoring areas, on the whole, but Martínez yet to really connect period.

10-9 Grigorjan

 

Round 2

Martínez is throwing big right-handed side-winders at the chest but can't reach Grigorjan as he pivots, scampers laterally, and jabs all in one more or less fluid motion. Grigorjan a bit jerky in his movements, in predictable repetitive patterns but Martínez unable to capitalize as he simply lacks the foot speed or accuracy to make the champ pay for his immobile head and lowered hands. Martínez is swatted into a bowing position by a right hook on his temple and covers up as Grigorjan jumps in, emboldened, throwing straight combos behind the pecking southpaw jab. Martínez is now marching straight in, gloves flanking his jaws, waiting until he's nearly atop Grigorjan and then pumping out a line drive right at the head. Grigorjan is able to dodge, as ever light on his toes and mercurical, and counters with a few staccato bursts of combination punching that seem to stun Martínez, or at least the crowd thinks so.

10-9 Grigorjan

20-18 Grigorjan

 

Round 3

Good steady jabbing work by Grigorjan, never ceasing his up-and-down perambulation, invariably scoring and then pausing to bunny-hop in place while admiring his work and/or gauge Martínez's next move. The hapless challenger has no plan B, however, and just trudges into the strike zone after shaking the cobwebs, and eating more jabs. Martínez is ramping up his efforts, now, however, as the sting of his swollen nose appears to irritate him enough to galvanzine some urgency. Whoa, rare glimpse of the hampster wheel in his skull actually turning - a brief strategic gambit as Martínez performs a Dempsey shift while clomping after Grigorjan - and he remains southpaw for a solid half-minute, thrusting out his own right jabs past Grigorjans and then alternating with straight lefts, giving the appearance of an inexperienced Alpine skieer. Grigorjan raises an eyebrow at this unexpected turn of events but remains inflappable, skirting around the ring and continuing to out-land Martínez with his own jab, although maybe a few of the Mexican-Americans tickle him (or at least send a flutter of wind through his 70's porn stache).

10-9 Grigorjan

30-27 Grigorjan

 

Round 4

Martínez is staying orthodox now, and pinning his offensive hopes on using feints, perhaps reasoning that with Grigorjan's penchant for hopping a bit of misdirection could leave him momentarily vulnerable to a counter of his own counter-punches. Martínez's speed and timing, or dearth thereof, fail him in succsesfully executing this plan. Grigorjan for his part is putting forth some more spiteful hits, spearing Martínez from afar with a rainbow arcing left from a lean-away squat, and sometimes taking a half-step in to greet him with a left uppercut landing anywhere between Martínez's nips and throat.

10-9 Grigorjan

40-36 Grigorjan

 

Stats a third of the way into the scheduled distance:

Grigorjan 110 of 156, 71%
Martínez 46 of 128, 36%

I can hear the faint distant echo now of Jim Lampley having a statisticial nerd-gasm...

 

Round 5

Martínez is visibly arm-weary but continues to play the aggressor, lunging and over-extending himself with left jabs that fall well short of Grigorjan's face, or are parried aside by a shortened and trajectory-adjusted version of his own right stick. Grigorjan feeling himself now, a bit of razzle-dazzle in his footwork after scoring each jab or teardrop left up top, not quite Ali-shuffling but the idea of showboating is germinating. Martínez is jabbed into the ropes even as he winds up on a series of big desperate overhand rights. Martínez's right upper eyelid is now busted completely open and dripping into scelra. Ick.

10-9 Grigorjan

50-45 Grigorjan

 

Round 6

Martínez is rowing out his left forearm, not even jabbing with it, using the ulna like a battering ram to knock down Grigorjan's jab, but not actually taking aim with it, just throwing as much as he can at the wall and hoping it will stick. Martínez looking to find a home for a Hail Mary right hand from the outside. Grigorjan not giving him a target, flitting side to side, in and out, scoring with dart-like right jabs and lefts from every angle. Grigorjan starts to circle in closer to land more at once, but Martínez finally has a stroke of luck and makes him pay for this cockiness. Flush right uppercut bangs flat into the underside of Grigorjan's jaw, Martínez's best and most solid punch yet, but Grigorjan only blinks at it and then carries on as he was. Grigorjan mouth-breathing and initiating a reset clinch here and there, but still bossing Martínez with the jab at mid-range.

10-9 Grigorjan

60-54 Grigorjan

 

They interview a baby-faced and then-undefeated Michael Lenhard "The Phantom" Trabant at ringside. He was Germany's "it boy" and Great Hope at that moment, and would indeed capture an EBU title a few months later - but after two defenses he would fail in a world title bid and fizzle out thereafter.

 

Round 7

Martínez is bravely crab-trotting in, turning half of his body away to make himself a narrower target, putting out double left jabs and getting sliced up with counters. Grigorjan is absolutely eating him alive with the right jab and with unabated constant movement, keeps himself in position to land big left uppercuts on the body from outside with impunity, and pounce on Martínez at random and either tie him up to further sap his energy or snatch him into standing clinches with rabbit punches raining down on the ref's blindside, with short left uppercuts stuffed into mouth for good measure.

10-9 Grigorjan

70-63 Grigorjan

 

Round 8

Martínez is advancing with right jabs bouncing off his face, which is then jerked around by a sneaky right upper-hook. Grigorjan is threading in straight lefts between Martínez's gloves, finding the mark at will. Martínez hurt by a left in the gut, and Grigorjan peppers him with shots as the crowd grows incensed. Huge right hand lead up top by Martínez, widely missing, and getting him pelted with short right hooks and looping rights as Grigorjan slides his feet in rapid circles around him. The ref jumps in, despite Martínez in this moment not appearing to be in any real trouble.

TKO8!!

 

I can see why most people's main takeaway memory from this fight is the 'poor stoppage', but placed in context, I mean there was no reason for Rocky to endure another 4+ rounds of that. He lost every single minute of the contest and had less than a 0.001% chance of scoring a miracle KO.

 

Perhaps it would have been more to people's liking had it been the corner throwing in a white towel, rather than a referee-initiated anticlimax.

Shades of Calzaghe vs. Manfredo, actually.