Perez Defends Bantamweight Title Tonight

Raul Perez of Tijuana defends his World Boxing Council bantamweight championship for the fifth time tonight when he meets Gerardo Martinez of San Jose at the Forum.

Perez (45-1), the second-tallest bantamweight champion in history at 5 feet 11 inches, will have a six-inch height advantage over Martinez (23-4).

Tonight’s appearance will be the third at the Forum since October for Perez. He hopes a victory will earn him a Forum match with Paul Banke, the Quail Valley fighter who two weeks ago won the WBC super-bantamweight title at the Forum.

Perez won the title in October, 1988, with a decision over Miguel Lora of Colombia. His last two defenses have been at the Forum, easy decisions over Diego Avila and Gaby Canizales.