It’s easy for young athletes to become conceited and arrogant, especially with as much success as Reading’s Eric Martinez has had in his amateur boxing career.
But the 20-year-old boxer is the complete opposite, thanks to the way he was raised and the people he surrounds himself with.
“In boxing, they come, and they go,” Martinez said. “One day you could be at the highest, and the next day at the lowest. I stay humble because you never know what’s going to happen. That’s something my mom always instilled in me, to stay humble and let the work speak for itself.”
Martinez, a longtime member of Star City Boxing on Centre Avenue in Reading, has stayed humble throughout his 14-year amateur boxing career, never getting too high or too low.
He holds a record of 100–21, including 21 knockouts, but those accomplishments will soon take a backseat as Martinez takes the next step in his career, making his professional debut on April 3 in Allentown.
“It’s a mix of everything. It’s excitement, anxious, and nervous, but I think I’m more excited than anything right now,” Martinez said a couple of months out from his fight. “I’m just embracing the moment. Since it’s my first fight, it’s something new to me. I’m just excited. My team’s been on my side the whole time.”
Martinez has a strong support system at Star City, a team he considers family.
“It’s more than boxing, this is family,” Martinez said. “I was just talking to my mom about that, too. I see them every day, so they’re basically family. We all push each other. Max (Baez) and I have been training together since we were little kids. Everybody just comes in here and tries to make each other better. Nobody has an ego. Nobody feels like they’re higher than anybody else. We all just push each other to be the best we could be.”
Owner Alex Betances and coach Lindsay Bates have created that kind of environment at Star City, hoping all their young boxers can adopt a bit of Martinez’s mindset and attitude, not just in boxing, but in life in general.
“Man, I’m super proud. He’s a good kid and has an amazing mother and family,” Bates said of Martinez. “It literally starts with his mom, she’s very polite, respectful, and humble. He could be very arrogant, because he has it like that. But he’s humble, well-spoken, and a team player.”
Martinez’s mother, Erica Ocasio, echoed the same sentiment as she prepares to watch her son turn pro.
“I’m super proud of him because he really pushes himself,” Ocasio said. “Sometimes he amazes me, because there were times he was tired of it, but his love of boxing and his discipline kept him going. That’s when I realized, ‘There’s nothing I could do to make him turn back,’ and all I could do was support him.”
Martinez’s uncle and coach, Jose Espada, added, “He comes from a boxing family, but no one has reached the amateur ranks the way he did. He has the talent, work ethic, and a great team behind him to become a world champion.”
Martinez has envisioned this moment for a long time, and now the realization of that dream is finally beginning.
His training regimen has intensified over the past month as the fight came together. Currently, he’s doing two-a-day sessions in the gym, with Tuesdays and Thursdays dedicated specifically to strength and conditioning.
While the grind for Martinez and his team at Star City has slowly picked up ahead of his big debut, he still does not know who he’ll be facing in the ring in Allentown.
However, Martinez and Coach Bates aren’t worried, as he’ll be ready to go regardless of who stands in the opposite corner.
“That’s something the amateurs kind of built me for. Going to national tournaments, you don’t really know who’s going to be in front of you,” Martinez said. “The amateur experience definitely helped me prepare for this moment, so whoever it is, we’ll be ready.”
Martinez, a state and national champion at the amateur level, is ready for what’s ahead, with hopes of a long and successful professional career.
“His IQ is very high, because anytime you have 100 wins and 20 losses, you’ve seen a lot of different styles, and that’s what Eric’s good at: he adjusts,” Bates said. “No matter who the opponent is, we have to be in this gym. Rain, sleet, or snow, the mindset is that you’re in the trenches.”