When the preliminary fights to set the stage for the initial tournament to determine the LSUBF’s first Jr. Middleweight champion were complete, the division was the only one to have THREE undefeated fighters: Sergio Martinez, Kassim Ouma and Winky Wright. Alejandro Garcia would get the fourth slot.

Martinez would fight Garcia in one semifinal while Ouma and Wright would square off in the other.

Garcia would shock many when, in an action-packed battle, Garcia would knock Martinez out with seconds left in the fifth round to earn his place in the final.

Wright would put together an absolute virtuoso performance against Ouma on his way to a dominant unanimous decision victory, 117-110, 117-110, 116-111 and face Garcia for the title.

Wright dominated the early parts of the early rounds and Garcia would respond later in the round over the first several. But gradually, Wright’s accuracy and movement made Garcia’s comebacks less powerful, and Wright would put a worn down Garcia down twice, the second time for good, in the ninth to become the first LSUBF Jr. Middleweight champion.

Wright would stake claim to being the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world over the next two years, successfully defending against Joachim Alcine (KO9), Martinez (KO3), Ouma (KO11), Jair Da Silva (TKO7), Travis Simms (UD15) and Sergio Mora (UD15).

But the following January, Garcia would get a rematch, and chaos would ensue. With Wright leading 87-83, 87-83, 88-82, and with Garcia’s left eye badly swollen, the fight is stopped for a gash over Wright’s eye after he weather’s a pair of blistering shots from Garcia and paws at the cut, though Wright never went down. Garcia would get the TKO victory to hand an irate Wright his first defeat and hand Garcia the title.

Garcia would make a successful unanimous decision defense against Ouma and then fight Martinez, with Wright a mandatory over the next several months. But Garcia would never get to the Wright rematch, as Martinez would defeat him by majority decision to take the title.

Because Garcia lost the belt before Wright got his rematch, Martinez had the option of giving Garcia a rematch or defending against Wright and leaving Garcia out in the cold. Martinez chose Garcia, whom he would stop by TKO in the 10th round to retain the title and meet his rematch requirement, leaving Wright to wait.

Wright has been surpassed as the #1 contender by upstart Nino Benvenuti. Martinez must defend against the #1 contender sometime over the next 10 months, so it will be interesting to see the paths Benvenuti and Wright take to lock up that #1 spot and how Martinez plans his course to defend.