Sergio Martinez: Why Manny Pacquiao & Floyd Mayweather JR Avoid Him
By Eugene Green
A Prodigy, a Miracle, a Wonder. On top of that, a cyclist and a model.
The Argentine Sergio Martinez came into the sport as a late bloomer, pushing all the way through the top with his raw talent. It was only a matter of time until the fireworks junkies were irreversibly subdued by all the exclamation points he fired off with the speed of light in every direction, like burst of shrapnel. The respect and recognition we felt for his grit in the first bout with Paul Williams, rose to a crescendo of awe and admiration as he achieved the unthinkable in the rematch. Fighter of the Year, Knockout Artist of the Year, above all, a man who never shirks a challenge – that is Sergio.
Gelled hair and a coach in Prada sunglasses are certainly the donned eccentricities of modern age, but very few will object that Martinez is a true throwback to the olden days. I am talking about those days when you fought the guy until you beat him, or he killed you, no ifs, ands or buts. If you lost or did not win convincingly, you rolled up your sleeves and put your head on the chopping block again. Those were the days when the promoters could not afford to fart around in overinflated self-importance, but just did what made sense, and it always aligned with what the fans wanted. Much credit goes to Lou DiBella, (and his group, DiBella Entertainment) that seems to get that very simple principle, evading most modern-day promoters.
So where does that leave him?
His recent destructions of the feared Punisher, the Ghost and the Razor emphasize his willingness to go against the toughest in the game and win against them decisively. That is the likely reason the two superstars of the sport, Manny and Floyd, wouldn’t want to touch him with a ten-foot pole, even if he came down in weight. Face it: Pretty Boy Floyd is no longer the hungry youngin who fought ten times in 1997. He’s the lazy maestro, who comes out to paint a masterpiece once a year, if that. And Manny Pacquiao…let us just say that Freddie Roach is a protective mother hen, when it comes to his chickens.
At this point, Congressman Pacquiao is the kind of an attraction that will draw a full stadium regardless of who is in front of him, so why risk an “L”? It is hard to argue that the past six fights (after the second bout with Juan Manuel Marquez) have been miraculous for his legacy. Sure, he is fighting quality opposition, just not the best out there. There is no doubt in my mind he will not square up against Maravilla. Too much risk and no reward.
Is that really the end of the world for Maravilla, if he does not face these two? I don’t think so. On the contrary, if he does meet them, it will not prove anything. If they meet him at a catch weight and he destroys them, there will always be the excuse that they had to overextend themselves by gaining all that weight, and fought outside of their element. If, on the other hand, Maravilla loses it might have more to do with the draining in making the weight, and the resulting lethargy than the opponent’s actions in the ring. Either way, the size difference is too drastic for either party to perform at the peak of their ability (at least, that is the official party line here). But that does not matter.
Maravilla and his Management have been after bigger and better things. They in the business of restoring the sport of boxing, one fight at a time. Personally, I hate to watch those after-match interviews, in which the boxer, when asked about whom he wants to fight next, replies “Whoever my management puts in front of me”. Come on, son! What are you, a robot? Don’t you have aspirations? Tell us what’s on your mind!
We know what your management wants to do: it wants to milk you for you are worth and that means, easy fights keep the winning streak going. The fighters, who achieved a certain level of stardom, are happy to take the easy fights, retaining their titles and earning money in the process. Not Sergio, though.
The effect his fights have on the media, on the fans, and on other fighters cannot be understated. Prior to Maravilla showing up on the scene, we really had no honest yardstick to measure the quality of match makings. His blatant disregard for danger in facing the most dangerous fighters in the world puts the recent bout choices of some superstars in a drastically different light.
Example: Manny books a fight with Shane Mosely.
If it were not for the Maravilla’s example, which is still fresh in our minds, the natural reaction would have been: Great! We’ll see Pacquiao fight again! Mosley’s thirty eight, but he is pretty good, should be a decent fight. Now, however, the overbearing quality of the Martinez opposition is forcing the fans to think: “Manny’s Management and Trainer could have found him a better opponent. He is better than that. Why isn’t he challenging himself, the way Martinez does?”
So, to the question of where does Mr. Martinez go from here, I answer: on to the Pirogs and Sturms. On to the Brave New World! This is the only way to bring the glory and excitement back to the sport that has so much to offer, and yet is plagued by greedy promoters, safety-first cruising paper champs, and the crooked judges. Put the pedal to the metal, Mr. Cyclist, and wheel us on, into the new era of old, ‘cuz we have forgotten what the ride feels like…