Robson Conceicao vs. Xavier Martinez January 29 in Oklahoma

On January 29th, junior lightweight contender Robson Conceicao will face undefeated Xavier Martinez in a 10-round bout at the Hard Rock Hotel Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The main event bout will be live on ESPN.

It is a great matchup of an undefeated, up and coming contender vs. an experienced, former world title challenger. The winner could be looking at a WBC world title shot.

Conceicao, 33, gave undefeated 130-pound champion Oscar Valdez all he could handle in his last fight. Martinez, almost a decade younger at 24, comes into the fight off wins over world title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos and former world champion Claudio Marrero.

Brazil’s Conceicao (16-1, 8 KO’s), a former Olympic lightweight gold medalist, turned pro in 2016 and ran up a perfect 16-0 record over the next 5 years that earned him a shot at Valdez. While going tooth and nail with Valdez, he came up short on the scorecards via unanimous decision. He is hoping a good showing, that results in a win, will earn him another title shot.

Xavier Martizez (17-0, 11 KO’s) turned pro in 2015 and has a perfect record in 17 trips to the plate. While he does have age on his side, he will be in very tough with the experienced Conceicao. Robson, at age 33, might feel he is in a more desperate situation to make sure he doesn’t get derailed by a loss in pursuit of another title shot.

In a recent interview, Martinez, who is managed by Rick Mirigian, who also handles junior welterweight star Jose Ramirez, made it clear that he is indeed excited to be taking his act to ESPN and wants to show the 130-pound division what he’s got.

“It was a dream to get a multi-year promotional deal with Top Rank and a shot to be the main event on ESPN,” said Martinez. “This is my chance to show the world I’m one of the best in the 130-pound division and work towards my goal of becoming a world champion.”

While Martinez is indeed motivated to earn a title shot, Conceicao is looking to get his 2nd shot - these are two very motivated fighters.  

Legendary cut man and trainer Miguel Diaz, who is in camp with Conceicao, expressed in a recent interview that his fighter is in great shape and ready to perform, but knows Martinez is no easy task.

“Robson has worked very hard and is in great shape. He is very motivated and is looking forward to getting in the ring”, he said. “But, Martinez is a very good fighter, this is no easy fight. This is a very tough matchup for both fighters, this is a great fight," he said.