Julio Cesar Martinez vs Artem Dalakian unification possible for August 15th

Flyweight bruiser Julio Cesar Martinez had his sights set on unification matches with (former) WBO champ Kosei Tanaka and IBF champ Moruti Mthalane, but it seems a different titlist is on the docket: WBA champ Artem Dalakian, whom the WBC claims could face “Rey” on August 15th in China.

ESPN’s Salvador Rodriguez first broke the news late last week.

Martinez (16-1, 12 KO) recently chimed in to say that he and his team are “going with everything, except fear, to make history” and that he’s begun preparations. According to ESPN Deportes, his team has not yet received an official offer.

Dalakian (20-0, 14 KO) has enjoyed a rather subdued reign since beating Brian Viloria for the vacant belt back in 2018, racking up four defenses against fighters outside of BoxRec’s top 100 at flyweight. The 32-year-old Ukrainian has fought just twice since 2018, most recently taking a unanimous decision over Colombian Puncher (tm) Josber Perez in February.

As far as further unification prospects, Giemel Magramo and Junto Nakatani are expected to fight for Tanaka’s former WBO belt in August.