Kiko Martinez, Sandor Martin, Javier Castillejo: Who is Spain's greatest ever boxer?

Big upsets and title wins for fighters from the European country have led to a hot period for them in boxing, and Matchroom Boxing will bring two more cards to Spain this spring, in Barcelona and Bilbao.

So, this begs the question: who are the all-time great names of Spanish boxing, and where do today's heroes such as Kiko Martinez and Sandor Martin rank among them?

Ahead of Kiko's world title defence this weekend against Josh Warrington, DAZN has taken a look at number of Spanish fighters who've enjoyed success on boxing's biggest stage.

1. Kiko Martinez 

A hero of Spanish boxing, Kiko Martinez’ near two-decade career has been an illustrious one filled with many ups and downs. Since stopping Benard Dunne in 2007, Martinez has reached the top of the sport more than once with various world title reigns. Despite defeats to the likes of Carl Frampton, Leo Santa Cruz and Gary Russell Jr, Martinez still pushed on and became world champion for a second time in 2021 when knocking out Kid Galahad in emphatic fashion. 

You can watch Martinez vs. Warrington 2 live on DAZN worldwide (except Australia and New Zealand) this Saturday night. Click here for info on how to subscribe.

2. Javier Castillejo 

An outstanding fighter throughout the late 1990s and into the following decade, Javier Castillejo is best known for two high profile losses in America against Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas. Despite those setbacks, the Madrid fighter was competent at world level with a solid world title run at 154lbs before beating Felix Sturm for world honours at middleweight. 

3. Pedro Carrasco 

Pedro Carrasco needs no introduction to the Spanish public. A veteran with over a century of fights, Carraso’s rivalry with Mande Ramos for the WBC light-middleweight title saw him clash with the American three times in 1971 and the following year. The brilliant trilogy took its toll on Carrasco as he fought only two more times. Carrasco died of a heart attack at the age of 57 in 2001. 

4. Gabriel Campillo 

He spent the latter days of his career suffering emphatic losses to the likes of Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev but Gabriel Campillo was a solid world champion at the peak of his powers. Building his profile at local level, Campillo travelled to Argentina in 2009 to beat Hugo Garay on points to become world champion. He would make one successful defence against Beibut Shumanov before losing to the Kazakhstani fighter in an immediate rematch. 

5.Sandor Martin 

It appeared for large portions of Sandor Martin’s career would see him remain at continental level as a respected European operator. That all changed in 2021. Travelling to California, Martin was a huge underdog against the four-weight world champion, Mikey Garcia. Martin produced a stunning display to defeat Garcia, registering the biggest result in Spanish boxing history in the process. 

You can watch Sandor Martin's next fight live on DAZN when he takes on Jose Felix in Barcelona on Friday, April 1. For subscription info, click here.