By James Blears

In England when you get knighted by the Queen, you have to go down on one knee and Her Majesty taps you on both shoulders with a razor sharp sword, declaring: “Arise Sir…..”

In his quest to become Monarch of the WBC flyweight division and in the heat of battle, Julio Cesar “Rey” Martinez accidently delivered a rib tickler to Champion Charlie Edwards, when Charles had dropped to one knee, following an torrent barrage of blows.  Initially declared the winner, he wasn`t crowned,  because of the WBC`s instant replay system, with the fight being declared a no contest. The WBC which has ruled that the blow was accidental and has declared a direct rematch.

At the weekly Martes a Café Ceremony, which was at the Chamber of Deputies, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said: “The fight has to be done again and I feel for Julio Cesar and for Charlie as well, because Charlie Edwards is a warrior who represents the best of the WBC inside and outside of the ring.

“We have a great relationship with him and his family. Julio Cesar was so fantastic that night at the O2 Arena in London. He was ready to become Champion, but there`s nothing more sacred than justice, so I feel strongly and I`m convinced that we did the right thing. Julio Cesar Martinez has taken it with pride and honor, Charlie Edwards has done so as well, and now it`s just a matter of waiting for the direct rematch and seeing what happens in the ring.”

Julio Cesar who was accompanied by his young daughter and son received a standing ovation from an array of Mexico`s greatest champions who attended the event, sincerely thanking them for their support and generosity.

He said: “Disappointed, but I fought the very best I could to the heights of my capacity, I had more than him on the night and I`ll be back with everything I`ve got, possibly at the end of October or in November on a card led by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Las Vegas. Prior to that I`ll go back for more altitude training at the Otomi Center, in the mountains above Toluca!”