Sergio Martinez vs Alex Bunema

On Saturday, October 4th, 2008, at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, the WBC Interim World Super-welterweight Title bout between Sergio Martinez (43-1-1) of Quilmes, Argentina, and Alex Bunema (30-5-2) of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, took place. The fight was aired on HBO Boxing After Dark and promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, with Raul Caiz Sr. serving as the referee.

The match started with Bunema appearing sluggish, unable to throw enough punches and land effectively against the faster Martinez. Martinez's swift southpaw style confounded Bunema, who could not seem to find an effective counter. Martinez began to assert his dominance in the third round, as he unleashed a barrage of punches that sent Bunema to the canvas and continued to batter him against the ropes.

During the middle rounds, Martinez kept Bunema on the defensive with his rapid-fire punches, frequently cornering him against the ropes and delivering a relentless attack. By the seventh round, both of Bunema's eyes were visibly swollen, and he struggled to maintain any semblance of resistance against the Argentinian's onslaught.

In the eighth round, Martinez continued to punish Bunema, who was unable to offer any meaningful retaliation. The ringside doctor intervened before the ninth round could begin, declaring a stoppage and awarding the victory to Sergio Martinez by retirement at 3:00 of the eighth round.