“He hid behind the confrontation between Jake and Joshua”, — write: sport.ua
Martin almost defeated Teofimo. How did the Ukrainian get into the fight against him? Sandor Martin is the loudest name in Yanis Kurylenko’s record. It looks like a huge leap forward and upward considering that before that he only boxed in Ukraine and wasn’t a big star here.
The loudest show in which Kurylenko took part was a match against Andrii Boryshpolets, with whom they met in the summer of 2025 in the Kyiv Sports Palace. The fight ended with a decision of the judges in favor of Kurylenko. It was pretty close, but Yanis pulled out of the fight with a leg injury he sustained during the fight and became the Ukrainian professional champion, as well as winning the WBC Ukraine belt in his division.
This still could not lead the boxer to a match against such a well-known fighter, a contender for the championship title, as Sandor Martin. Here it is worth adding the work of Kurylenko’s promoter. Still, agreeing on dozens of details and going to Spain to box now is not an easy task. How to convince the other side that a possible confrontation would be both interesting and fairly safe, if that’s what they needed.
However, this factor is not the main one. Here is a complex of factors, including Martin’s need to return. This duel was the first for him since the defeat that occurred in the summer in a fight against Alberto Puelho. Before that, Sandor had a streak of three consecutive victories that stretched back to 2022. And then he was inferior to Teofimo Lopez.
That duel seemed very close. Both boxers had their positive moments, Martin even knocked down his opponent at the start of the meeting. And Teofimo won only by a split decision of the judges.
Kurylenko had a difficult task. Should have won, boxing in Spain against a Spaniard. Moreover, the opponent is extremely experienced, and the whole arena is for him. Yanis was presented simply, Sandor as a local star.
The format was not simple either. Yanis had to wait for the end of a long tournament, which also included fights with K-1. And then work 8 rounds. On the one hand, maybe the number of rounds is for the better. Still, you can give it your all and try to win the battle. On the other hand, you may not have time to do what you planned.
It is safe to say that Kurylenko gave Martin a much more difficult fight than Lopez, who defeated him. Yanis constantly attacked his opponent, did not let him rest. He pressed, forced a lot of defense and fighting in clinches.
This was also one of the reasons for choosing Kurylenko. He is an attacking style boxer, and with Martin’s counter-attacking boxing, this is the best opponent. Still, not Lopez, who also gravitates to work from the opponent.
However, Kurylenko was able to give just the right density for the fight. It was not easy for Sandor to stop his opponent. He hit accentedly, but several times less than Yanis. He also hit quite well, but never once did he shake the Ukrainian. The same Boryshpolets created a lot of problems for the boxer from Kharkiv at the beginning of the meeting, and more so for Martin.
It was obvious that the judge could have a one-sided view of events. That’s how it was when the referee deducted a point from Kurylenko for violating the rules. However, he did not shoot anything and did not react to Martin’s actions. It’s bad, but that’s what you always expect from these kinds of matches.
What can definitely be noted for Yanis is his zeal. He did not let Martin rest at all. Therefore, it was necessary to box, work, and not just light up against a little-known opponent in front of the home audience. Kurylenko attacked a lot. He reported a lot. However, he did not have a blow to hit the Spaniard. Not that anyone expected it to be different: Martin has never been knocked out in his career. However, I would still like to see a more focused work from a Ukrainian.
The fight was decent. Kurylenko did what he could, Martin had to work out the match, and not return gracefully after the defeat. No knockout or dominance happened. Very rich and close. To be honest, the victory could have been given to Kurylenko, because he was number one, he hit, he pressed. The opponent hit more cleanly, but very little.
However, the judges decided differently: they awarded the victory to Sandor Martin by unanimous decision. Notes were not announced. Why? It is unclear.
What now? Martin will return and claim the belts. Maybe not now, but in a few battles. He is 32 years old, and there is enough time. And he did not show any problems with physical training in this fight. Will he become a champion? It is doubtful, but if the opponent will be quite convenient, then maybe. However, the judges will do everything so that he does not win in Spain. Meetings with Lopez and Puelho confirm this. Both times it was close, and both times – defeats.
For Kurylenko, this is a breakthrough. But, unfortunately, this was not seen by a large audience. Because the fight was in Spain, where there is no strong fan base. And at an inconvenient time for everyone: both for the USA and for Ukraine. And in most of Europe it was simply not watched, because the names are little known. At least the name Janis.
However, the promoters of the Ukrainian can already work with such boxing against such an opponent. Since they led him to Martin, they can lead him further. The title of champion is unlikely. However, boxing at a louder level would be interesting.