Reading boxer Eric Martinez sets sights on winning amateur national championship

May 6—Eric Martinez, an amateur boxer fighting out of Star City Boxing in Reading, is on his way to a professional career.

The 19-year-old Reading High graduate is a four-time champion with USA Boxing and most recently won the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves State Championship on April 27 at 132 pounds by defeating Desimone Salvatore from Erie.

The victory was Martinez' tenth title with the Golden Gloves of America, a premier amateur boxing organization, and with the win, Martinez became the first Pennsylvanian to win consecutive championships at different weight classes.

In 2023, Martinez defeated Danny Bodish at 125 pounds.

With another state title in hand, Martinez advances to the National Golden Gloves Championships May 12-18 in Detroit, Michigan, where he hopes to end his amateur career with a national championship.

"This one should be my biggest one (fight)," Martinez said. "If I win this one, it will definitely help open a lot of promoters' eyes to become a professional because that's the biggest goal of mine.

"All the greats have won this one: Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather, a lot of them have this (a National Golden Gloves championship) on their resume. I want this one before I turn pro, so I'm super excited. I'm gonna make sure that I go out of the amateurs with a bang and if this is the one that I leave with, I'm gonna try my hardest."

Having boxed for a large part of his life, Martinez' success has come from hard work and dedication. Prior to winning the Pennsylvania state championship, Martinez, a southpaw, trained in Colorado Springs, Colorado with professional boxer Troy Nash to improve his conditioning.

Training altitude helped Martinez' endurance.

"One day I was just chilling and a friend of mine that I fought with and grew up with (Troy Nash) called me up because he was fighting a southpaw so they invited me to train," Martinez said. "In their words they wanted the best southpaw in the US to come and give them some work.

"So we went out there for two weeks and got at least 30 rounds of sparring in. We did strength conditioning. We ran in the mountains while it was snowing. I think that helped me prepare a lot.

"The first day I got out there, I definitely felt the altitude; like I felt like I was gonna die the first day. I couldn't breathe. But as the days went on, it started getting easier and I just became more used to the altitude so, now that I got back here, I feel like I don't get tired (as easily)."

Martinez' workouts at home are also strenuous as he visits Star City multiple times a day every day during the week. Fully committed to honing his craft, Martinez said he is aware that talent alone is not enough to advance in the world of professional boxing.

"As you start getting older and as you start stepping up in competition, talent is not the only thing that can really help you when you're fighting," Martinez said. "So I just really started training harder. I started coming in twice a day, coming in the morning. coming in later, running more; just being more disciplined and staying consistent in the gym.

"Even if I don't have a fight coming up, I try to stay working. And if I'm not training, I'm trying to help the people around me."

A full-time regiment stemming from a strong work ethic is seemingly built into the core of his personality according to his coaches. In addition to Alex Betances, who operates Star City Boxing, Martinez is coached by Lindsay Bates, Julian Cruz and Jose Espada.

"The best words to describe Eric are 'staying power,'" Bates said. "You see guys come and go or you see kids who want to be 'it', but their hearts are not really in it. That's what separates him."

Martinez has been boxing since he was eight years old and has fought in 116 fights, according to Bates. Martinez possesses a high boxing IQ with a style that is more akin to tactical boxer rather than a heavy puncher.

"His ring IQ (separates him) and he's pretty talented too," Cruz said. "He's pretty knowledgeable inside the ring, and I think that he makes the adaptations right on the spot. When something comes across that's bothering him he'll make the adjustment."

"He's just a real slick boxer," Espada said. "He has good footwork. A lot of people are telling me he's one of the best boxers in the country because nobody has the smarts like him and footwork like him. He's been working on that since he's a little kid."

For Espada, who has been coaching Martinez since he began boxing, a national championship before turning pro would be the culmination of years of growth.

"It would be my pride and joy to see him going from a little kid to winning that (National Golden Gloves)," Espada said. "And then to see him go to the professional ranks would be the best thing for us."

"It's more of like a team thing and we all decide when it's time (to go pro)," Martinez said. "The pros is a totally different game, there's a lot of great fighters, no headgear and a lot of different things. I've just been taking my time and hopefully if I win this one with ease, I'll know I'm ready."

In 2022, Martinez' victory against Dennis Thompson of Philadelphia was the headline event at the 'Peace and Gloves' block party hosted by Star City that consisted of 15 amateur matches, as well as musical performances and a car show at Fifth and Penn Streets.

Having been one of the faces of amateur boxing in the local area, Martinez has used his platform at Star City to help advance the youth around the city as both a mentor and inspiration for young athletes.

"We have a kids class (at Star City) on Tuesdays and Thursdays and me, Max (Baez), coach Bates, coach Julian, coach Alex, we all help the kids," Martinez said. "I spar with some of the guys around here just to help each other as they also help me stay sharp. It's really like a family thing and I couldn't do it without anybody in this gym."

For Betances, Martinez' career is a positive symbol for the city of Reading.

"We're ready to represent Reading to the fullest; he's an ambassador," Betances said. "One of the things that I respect the most about Eric is he's as classy as they come. He wins with class and he loses with class. He respects the ring, he respects his opponent and he respects the other team. He's very humble and he's been like that since day one.

"That's one of the things I like the most about him because over here, it's not just boxing, it's life. He's a fine young man because he comes from a good family and he was raised right, and we're just here to compliment that."

Come tournament time, Martinez hopes to show the world that Reading is a city full of talent.

"I want to thank my family, my mom, my brothers and the whole city of Reading for always pushing me," Martinez said. "I feel like Reading has a lot of talent and, we're a lot divided, and I feel like we should come together more. There's a lot of talent and I'm just so happy to be a part of this city."