Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather JR or Miguel Cotto: The Options of Sergio Martinez
By Gina L. Caliboso
Before the fight began, HBO Commentator Max Kellerman stated that the winner of the Sergio Martinez – Paul Williams II bout should be “universally considered as the best pound for pound fighter, NOT named Mayweather or Pacquiao.”
I loved this insight by Kellerman and he called it.
For all of you that didn’t see the match, Martinez convincingly KO’d Williams in the 2nd round. Even more importantly, Martinez came into the fight calling the fight will be won by KO. And with absolute determination and skill, Martinez showed he is in the middleweight mix and will be defending his title against anyone willing to take him on.
Currently Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, 46-2-2, 25 KO’s ranks as the #1 middleweight in the division. He is followed by Felix Sturm, followed by Daniel Geale, and finally, Paul “Punisher” Williams.
Since 2009, Martinez has simply become the better boxer.
In February 2009, he began with a bout against former Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron and fought to a 12 round draw for the interim WBC Light Middleweight title.
In December 2009, he fought against Williams for the first time and suffered a loss over 12 rounds. At that time, Williams had been considered the most avoided man in boxing. With his height and reach, the fight could have been a precursor to the last bout between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito. Height and size and strength can easily outmatch an opponent, but Martinez showed endurance, heart, and skill can only get better in the ring. Again, I don’t think Williams necessarily won this fight either.
Judge Pierre Benoist had scored the fight at 110-119 in favor of Williams. Meanwhile, the remaining judges had split the cards fairly evenly between both Williams and Martinez (Julie Lederman, 114-114 and Lynne Carter 113-115). Martinez learned a hard lesson to make sure the decision is never left to the judges.
As Martinez entered into 2010, he showed more determination to prove he is an up and coming and constantly improving boxer. As a former soccer player and cyclist and having picked up boxing when he was 20, Martinez left no doubt as to how solidly he can brawl and connect against a fighter, even a fighter as tall and strong as Williams.
Martinez went up against Youngstown, Ohio, native Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik, 36-2, 32 KO’s, in April 2010. In this bout, Martinez took care of the rusty and somewhat beaten Pavlik with a 12 round unanimous decision. In his win over Pavlik, he had now earned the WBC and WBO Middleweight titles. Sadly, the WBO would eventually strip Martinez of his title. So, against Williams, Martinez had his first title defense for his WBC Middleweight belt.
Martinez can have his pick of fights against anyone in the middleweight division.
However, the division is looking a little top heavy. He may have to consider fighting at a catch weight, of 156, in which case, the welterweights just may decide to move up. Or, if it’s even a possibility, a couple of contending light middleweights should make a move and see if Martinez will provide them with an opportunity.
There are three fighters that would make an excellent fight for Martinez to consider within the middleweight division. Ranked at #2, German Felix Sturm has always been a strong contender. As the current WBA Middleweight titleholder, he defeated Giovanni Lorenzo in a 12 round unanimous decision.
In this bout, however, Sturm fought at a weight of 159. Martinez fought Williams at a weight of 157 pounds. Much like Pacquiao, Martinez is in such great shape that there may be a time that he can’t put on any more weight without seriously considering if whether it can affect his speed.
There is also #7 ranked Dmitry Pirog, 17-0, 14 KO’s, the current WBO Middleweight title holder. For the sake of Martinez, he should definitely consider fighting those boxers with titles. At 35, he should really consider the best offers put in front of him.
Finally, there is Julio Cesar Chavez, JR (JCC), 41-0-1, 30 KO’s and he’s reportedly been offered that he will have a shot at Puerto Rican Superstar Miguel “Angel” Cotto, 35-2, 28 KO’s.
Finally, there is one light middleweight fighter that must be mentioned and would be a great matchup for Martinez. There is Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 34-0-1, 26 KO’s.
In his last bout, Alvarez defeated Carlos Baldomir with a 6th round KO. Even as he is ranked at #13 among light middleweights, he has the potential to move into a division and possibly dominate middleweight fighters. Alvarez is set to fight in Mexico on December 4th against Lovemore N’Dou for the WBC Silver Light Middleweight title in a 12 round bout.
But, as for his immediate future, Martinez needs simply to wait and see. After his devastating KO of Williams, Kellerman asked Martinez, “Do you want to fight Mayweather or Pacquiao at a catch weight?” Martinez simply answered, “156 pounds would be fine. I want to hear the offers.”
With Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather on the radar, it should be very interesting to know the single offer that Martinez may accept.
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