Last night's duel at bantamweight between the two Chiricanas
(Chiriquí being, we learn, an isthmus in the West of Panama) – the
media-friendly Juseth Araúz, who was making her debut and "whose
beauty" (according to Todosports) "was the subject of much
comment at the weigh-in", and the younger Chantal (a.k.a. Chantall,
Shantel, Shantell…) Martínez, who "passed unnoticed" – was a
bitterly fought affair.
Araúz, who has the same trainer as Ricardo Mayorga and whose
movement, weight of punch and agility had impressed observers at the
public training session in the build-up to the fight, came
well-prepared and full of confidence – ("I don't know Chantal," she
told La Estrella. "Only that, however good she is, I'm
better") – whereas her opponent had the ghost of back-to-back
defeats (the more recent, by first round KO) against Carolina
Alvarez to exorcise; but if there were any heads spinning through
360° (to the strains of Tubular Bells) in the ATLAPA
Convention Centre on Sunday evening, Chantal Martínez made quite
sure none of them were hers, as she put earlier setbacks
behind her and rained cats and dogs on Araúz's parade.
According to Egbert Lewis of PA-Digital, "from the first
round onwards, Chantal Martínez controlled the fight, hitting Juseth
Araúz as and when she wanted, to win by unanimous decision"; and
whilst the debutante by no means disgraced herself, and her admirers
at Todosports, who originally announced her as the victrix,
were at pains to point out that Araúz had by no means been
whitewashed and that the decision was "unanimous but close",
Martínez demonstrated beyond argument that promoter José Rogelio
Espiño was right when he told journalists at the weigh-in that
before clamouring for a "dream match" between Araúz and the no less
glamorous Ogleidis Suárez, who fought (and destroyed) a Colombian on
the same bill, they should wait and see how this one turned out;
because after this performance, the Chiricana Panamanians
will be clamouring to pitch into the ring with the Venezuelan beauty
will be not Araúz but herself.
And it should be pointed out, too, in the interests of fairness –
and this is taking nothing away from Juseth Araúz – that Chantal
Martínez, whether she "passed unnoticed" at the weigh-in or not, was
every bit as cute as her fellow isthmian when the fight
started; and a hell of a lot cuter at the end…
[Sources:
Panamá América, La Estrella de Panamá, Crítica en
Línea, Todosports, Panamá Deportivo, El Siglo]
[Photos
of both fights by "Highlander"
at Delante.com. Scroll down. Fight #1: Juseth in pale blue. Fight
#2: Julio in red.]
Photo Gallery -
dealante.com
If the page won't load try:-
http://dealante.com/nodo.php?nodoid=14853)
Photo by Miguel Cavalli
for EPASA
