Ifugao pride Carl Jammes Martin started tentatively in his first fight in a higher weight division but proved that he is the real thing as he dominated a much older Joe Tejones and ended the affair in the fifth of their 10 round super bantamweight fight in the undercard of the World Boxing Association minimumweight title fight of Robert Paradero Victorio at the Binan Football Stadium in Binan, Laguna Saturday.

In what could be yet the toughest fight for the Wonder Boy, Martin looked sharp as he dominated the Valencia City before registering a knockout in the fifth round with one shot in the body.

The end came at the 1:48 of the fifth for Tejones as he hit the canvas, an end to a sided fight where the Ifugao native was clearly the dominant fighter of the two.

It was a right hand that hit Tejones in the midsection sending him down and on his back writhing in pain.

“Virtually a human punching bag,” Highland Boxing Promotion head Brico Santig in describing what the Lagawe, Ifugao native did to the ever dangerous Tejones.

It was on the third round that Martin found his stride as he peppered Tejones with punches that found no answer.

The win saw Martin improve to 17-0, 15 which through stoppage, even as Tejones earned his eighth defeat in 21 outings.

It was also the first fight of Martin in the higher weight category, particularly the super bantamweight division. He came in at 122 pounds, two pounds lighter than his opponent.

“Mahirap nang ma-maintain ang weight ko, kaya akyat ako (It is now difficult to maintain my weight, so I have to move up),” the 21-year old Martin said last month still unsure where or when he will fight yet due to the Covid-19.

He was also a late addition as after the WBA fight, dubbed Elorde Night of Champion, was postponed for the third time last January 30 due to the pandemic.

The fight was supposed to be even staged here as part of the month long celebration as planned by Santig. But then the city and the rest of the region was elevated to general community quarantine from modified GCQ as Covid-19 cases continue to rise and fear of the UK variant of the disease.

The title fight between the unbeaten Robert Paradero (18-0) and Victorio Saludar (20-4) was postponed three times due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). It was first slated in September, then moved to December 5 and last January 30. It was finally moved to Saturday with the Mindanao based Saludar needing to be quarantined for 14 days to be able to fight.

The 24-year old pride of Valencia City, Bukidnon last fought on April 5 2019 where he knocked out Jonathan Almacen.

He won the World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific Youth minimum title in April 4, 2018 by scoring a unanimous decision over Royder Lloyd Brobon.

Saludar, 30, meanwhile, is a former World Boxing Organization minimum champion who won the belt when he scored a unanimous decision on Ryuya Yamanaka in July 13, 2018.