Sergio Martinez vs Adrian Stone

On Thursday, 9th October 2003, Sergio Martinez defended his IBO World Super-welterweight title against Adrian Stone at the Whitchurch Sports Centre in Bristol, England. The match, promoted by Matchroom Boxing, featured referee Paul Thomas overseeing the action. Martinez, hailing from Quilmes, Argentina, entered the bout with a record of 29-1-1 and weighed in at 153¼ lbs. Stone, a Bristol native, had a record of 33-4-2 and tipped the scales at 152½ lbs.

Martinez had captured the title four months earlier in Manchester, defeating Richard "The Secret" Williams by unanimous decision. In contrast, Stone had first won the vacant IBO World Super-welterweight Title in April 2000 against Olympic gold medalist Michael Carruth at the iconic York Hall in Bethnal Green, London. He successfully defended the title three times before moving down to the welterweight division to challenge WBC champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley in July 2001, ultimately losing in three rounds.

The bout between Martinez and Stone was a hard-fought contest. Martinez displayed his power and skill throughout the match, putting Stone down multiple times. However, Stone demonstrated resilience, recovering from each knockdown and continuing to fight back.

As the match progressed into the later rounds, both fighters were visibly tired, but Martinez's power and determination proved to be the deciding factors. In the 12th round, Martinez landed a devastating knockout blow, ending the match at 1:50 of the final round.