Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has said that he left it too late to complete a stunning comeback after losing his world middleweight title to Sergio Martinez.
Chavez Jr. had his oppoent on the canvas in the final round but could not knock Martinez out as the Argentine veteran held on for a unanimous points victory.
He told HBO in his post-fight interview: "I started too late. I had him hurt, but I couldn't finish him off.
"I think a rematch is justified. I hurt him like no else before."
The defeat at the hands of Martinez was the first of Chavez Jr.'s career as the Mexican prodigy, trained by Freddie Roach, slipped to a record of 46-1-1.