By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
WBC middleweight (160 pounds) titlist Sergio Martinez is willing to drop weight if it means a shot at six-time champ Floyd Mayweather or eight-division champion, Manny Pacquiao's, WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt in a clash of southpaws, the Argentinian-born fighter said on Wednesday.
"If Manny is willing to defend his WBC super welterweight title, I would come down to 154 pounds to challenge him for it as well as allow him to challenge me for my WBC middleweight title," said the 35-year-old Martinez, who is 46-2-2, with 25 knockouts. "
"It would be the opportunity of a lifetime," said Martinez in a prepared statement. "But I'm a realist, and if he feels that he is physically too small to fight me, I certainly understand that too."
On Nov. 13, the 31-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) scored a lopsided, unanimous decision victory over ex-titlist Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) for the junior middleweight crown that was vacated by Martinez at Cowboys Stadium, earning his eighth crown over as many different weight classes, and his 13th straight win with eight knockouts during that run.
A week later in an HBO-televised clash of southpaws on Nov. 20, Martinez scored a shocking, second-round knockout over challenger Paul Williams (39-2, 27 knockouts), who was ranked No. 3 on most lists among the best fighters pound-for-pound in the sport behind Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) and Pacquiao, who is also the holder of the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) crown.
Martinez had become the WBC middleweight champion by dethroning Kelly Pavlik with April's unanimous decision.
Martinez, his promoter, Lou DiBella, and his manager, Sampson Lewkowicz, believe that a Pacquiao-Martinez fight would be a mismatch, with Lewkowicz saying that Martinez would win by knockout.
Pacquiao's promoter, Top Rank CEO, Bob Arum, disagreed, saying that he believed that Pacquaio would win.
DiBella said that he would like to see Martinez against either Pacquiao or Mayweather to decide which fighter is the sport's best, pound-for-pound.
"In my opinion, a valid argument can be made for all three, so let's just number them 1A, 1B and 1C. But I sure would like to see them prove who the best is inside the ring, and Sergio is ready to concede his weight advantage to do it," said DiBella. "Sergio is willing to fight next at 154 pounds -- defending his WBC middleweight title as well as fighting for the WBC super welterweight title."
As for Mayweather?
"Sergio is ready, willing and able. There is a lot of confidence behind his matinee looks. The fans deserve Martinez vs. Mayweather, and boxing needs it to continue its growth into the mainstream," said DiBella. "I can work with any promoter to make the best fight with Sergio. It's business – good business – and common sense."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Showing posts with label Sergio Martinez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sergio Martinez. Show all posts
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Monday, 22 November 2010
Pacquiao willing to take on Martinez, Mayweather -- ABS-CBN News
abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA, Philippines - People's Champ Manny Pacquiao is returning to a hero's welcome at the House of Representatives on Monday after winning a historic 8th boxing world title in as many divisions.
It will be the first time that Pacquiao will be feted by Congress as one of its own. The fighting congressman of Sarangani will receive the Congressional Medal of Distinction from his own peers later today.
In an interview, Pacquiao said he is excited to meet his fellow congressmen and share the joy of bringing honor to the country.
"Naghahanda na daw sila, naghanda daw ang Congress para sa akin, so excited ako," he said he said in an interview on ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda.
The Sarangani congressman said he also wants to resume his legislative duties and apply the same discipline he applies in training to his new role as congressman. He downplayed criticism that he is doing too much balancing his responsibilities as a boxer and a lawmaker.
"Kapag mahal mo ang trabaho mo, gusto mo...Some people work 3-4 hours and say, 'That's it. That's my whole day. I need to take a rest.' For me, I will train 3-4 hours and then I still have a lot of time. Ang isang araw para sa akin ay 12 hours," "
Pacquiao said paperwork has piled up in his office after he started training for his fight against the "Tijuana Tornado" Antonio Margarito. The People's Champ defeated Margarito via unanimous decision last November 13.
Pacquiao said he is backing the passage of an anti-human trafficking law as well as building a provincial hospital in Sarangani.
"We really need to wipe out human trafficking because it is so prevalent and victimizes a lot of people. I also want to put up a hospital in our province as well as livelihood programs for the people in my district. These are the projects closest to my heart," he said.
Mayweather, Mosley, Martinez
Pacquiao reiterated that he is not hanging up his boxing gloves and is good for another fight after 6 months.
Asked which boxer he would like to take on, he said he would take on anybody in the ring including World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion Sergio Martinez. The Argentinean Martinez retained his WBC middleweight belt after knocking out American Paul Williams with an impressive second-round punch on Saturday.
Pacquiao said he would most likely fight Martinez below 150 pounds.
He said he is also willing to take on Shane Mosley "since he's a good fighter and a champion."
He also said he will not hesitate to fight the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. if the latter agrees to fight him. "No problem. That would be a good fight."
He thumbed down a rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez "because no one would watch it."
He said fighting Marquez would be easy but that he is unsure if there would be enough people who would watch it on pay-per-view. He also said he wanted a guaranteed price if his promoter decides that he should fight Marquez.
"OK naman ako kapag Marquez. Usually kasi involve ako sa promotion and also the Top Rank, kung gusto nila ng Marquez, mas madali. Madali lang sa akin yun, mas madaling laban kaya lang sila ang magpo-promote. Solohin nila ang promotion bigyan nila kami ng guaranteed price, walang problema, kung malugi man, walang problema," he said.
Pacquiao said he continues to improve in the ring and could easily do 1-2 fights before he retires.
Asked if he wants an "easy or hard fight" next time, he said: "It depends. Depends if it's going to be an easy fight. Sometimes it's a hard fight. Maybe there are no more easy fights."
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
MANILA, Philippines - People's Champ Manny Pacquiao is returning to a hero's welcome at the House of Representatives on Monday after winning a historic 8th boxing world title in as many divisions.
It will be the first time that Pacquiao will be feted by Congress as one of its own. The fighting congressman of Sarangani will receive the Congressional Medal of Distinction from his own peers later today.
In an interview, Pacquiao said he is excited to meet his fellow congressmen and share the joy of bringing honor to the country.
"Naghahanda na daw sila, naghanda daw ang Congress para sa akin, so excited ako," he said he said in an interview on ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda.
The Sarangani congressman said he also wants to resume his legislative duties and apply the same discipline he applies in training to his new role as congressman. He downplayed criticism that he is doing too much balancing his responsibilities as a boxer and a lawmaker.
"Kapag mahal mo ang trabaho mo, gusto mo...Some people work 3-4 hours and say, 'That's it. That's my whole day. I need to take a rest.' For me, I will train 3-4 hours and then I still have a lot of time. Ang isang araw para sa akin ay 12 hours," "
Pacquiao said paperwork has piled up in his office after he started training for his fight against the "Tijuana Tornado" Antonio Margarito. The People's Champ defeated Margarito via unanimous decision last November 13.
Pacquiao said he is backing the passage of an anti-human trafficking law as well as building a provincial hospital in Sarangani.
"We really need to wipe out human trafficking because it is so prevalent and victimizes a lot of people. I also want to put up a hospital in our province as well as livelihood programs for the people in my district. These are the projects closest to my heart," he said.
Mayweather, Mosley, Martinez
Pacquiao reiterated that he is not hanging up his boxing gloves and is good for another fight after 6 months.
Asked which boxer he would like to take on, he said he would take on anybody in the ring including World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion Sergio Martinez. The Argentinean Martinez retained his WBC middleweight belt after knocking out American Paul Williams with an impressive second-round punch on Saturday.
Pacquiao said he would most likely fight Martinez below 150 pounds.
He said he is also willing to take on Shane Mosley "since he's a good fighter and a champion."
He also said he will not hesitate to fight the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. if the latter agrees to fight him. "No problem. That would be a good fight."
He thumbed down a rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez "because no one would watch it."
He said fighting Marquez would be easy but that he is unsure if there would be enough people who would watch it on pay-per-view. He also said he wanted a guaranteed price if his promoter decides that he should fight Marquez.
"OK naman ako kapag Marquez. Usually kasi involve ako sa promotion and also the Top Rank, kung gusto nila ng Marquez, mas madali. Madali lang sa akin yun, mas madaling laban kaya lang sila ang magpo-promote. Solohin nila ang promotion bigyan nila kami ng guaranteed price, walang problema, kung malugi man, walang problema," he said.
Pacquiao said he continues to improve in the ring and could easily do 1-2 fights before he retires.
Asked if he wants an "easy or hard fight" next time, he said: "It depends. Depends if it's going to be an easy fight. Sometimes it's a hard fight. Maybe there are no more easy fights."
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Martinez Delivers Crushing Knockout of Williams -- ABC News
By DAVE SKRETTA, The Associated Press
Sergio Martinez landed a devastating left hook early in the second round Saturday night, knocking out feared puncher Paul Williams and retaining his middleweight title in emphatic fashion at Boardwalk Hall.
Williams was looking to land his own hook and instead walked right into the punch, which landed flush on the chin and sent the challenger face-down onto the canvas. Martinez immediately ran across the ring to celebrate while doctors rushed into the ring to tend to Williams.
It took several minutes before he finally got to his feet.
By that point, ring announcer Michael Buffer was announcing the end at 1:10 of the second round, and Martinez was wearing an actual plastic crown — perhaps a fitting way for the native of Argentina to show his newfound dominance on the 160-pound division.
The fight was a rematch of one of last year's exceptional bouts, when Martinez and Williams traded knockdowns in the first round before trading blows for 11 more. Williams ultimately won the fight in a close and somewhat controversial majority decision, and Martinez had been saying all along that he planned to make sure this one didn't end up in the judges' hands.
He sure accomplished that.
While the fight was considered by many fans to be a legitimate candidate for Fight of the Year, the man nicknamed "Maravilla" instead may have delivered the knockout of the year.
The only real drama in this one came before the fighters made their way to the ring, when Martinez promoter Lou DiBella was furious that his guy as the champion was forced to work out of the blue corner. That side of the ring had not delivered a winner all night.
Despite their first fight becoming an instant classic, the rematch took plenty of time and patience to put together. Martinez upped the ante by claiming the middleweight title from Kelly Pavlik, while Williams held out hope of landing a big payday at welterweight against the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Shane Mosley.
When it become apparent that those fights would never happen, promoter Dan Goossen agreed to the rematch with Martinez, getting his fighter back in the spotlight on an HBO telecast.
No wonder he was reluctant to make the rematch.
While neither Martinez nor Williams is fond of the other, there was more acrimony than usual in the lead-up to this one because Williams insisted on a catch weight of 158 pounds — two under the middleweight limit — since he'd been training to fight at 147 pounds. Martinez countered by saying he'd be "ashamed" to ask for a catch weight if he was challenging for a world title.
The two pounds sure didn't seem to make much difference.
Martinez looked faster and smoother than Williams, and landed several crisp punches in the opening round, including a flurry on the ropes that gave him the round. Then he came out the next round and almost seemed to bait Williams into throwing a punch wide.
When it came, Martinez was ready, and the end happened without the referee bothering to count.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: abcnews.go.com
Sergio Martinez landed a devastating left hook early in the second round Saturday night, knocking out feared puncher Paul Williams and retaining his middleweight title in emphatic fashion at Boardwalk Hall.
Williams was looking to land his own hook and instead walked right into the punch, which landed flush on the chin and sent the challenger face-down onto the canvas. Martinez immediately ran across the ring to celebrate while doctors rushed into the ring to tend to Williams.
It took several minutes before he finally got to his feet.The fight was a rematch of one of last year's exceptional bouts, when Martinez and Williams traded knockdowns in the first round before trading blows for 11 more. Williams ultimately won the fight in a close and somewhat controversial majority decision, and Martinez had been saying all along that he planned to make sure this one didn't end up in the judges' hands.
He sure accomplished that.
While the fight was considered by many fans to be a legitimate candidate for Fight of the Year, the man nicknamed "Maravilla" instead may have delivered the knockout of the year.
The only real drama in this one came before the fighters made their way to the ring, when Martinez promoter Lou DiBella was furious that his guy as the champion was forced to work out of the blue corner. That side of the ring had not delivered a winner all night.
Despite their first fight becoming an instant classic, the rematch took plenty of time and patience to put together. Martinez upped the ante by claiming the middleweight title from Kelly Pavlik, while Williams held out hope of landing a big payday at welterweight against the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Shane Mosley.
When it become apparent that those fights would never happen, promoter Dan Goossen agreed to the rematch with Martinez, getting his fighter back in the spotlight on an HBO telecast.
No wonder he was reluctant to make the rematch.
While neither Martinez nor Williams is fond of the other, there was more acrimony than usual in the lead-up to this one because Williams insisted on a catch weight of 158 pounds — two under the middleweight limit — since he'd been training to fight at 147 pounds. Martinez countered by saying he'd be "ashamed" to ask for a catch weight if he was challenging for a world title.
The two pounds sure didn't seem to make much difference.
Martinez looked faster and smoother than Williams, and landed several crisp punches in the opening round, including a flurry on the ropes that gave him the round. Then he came out the next round and almost seemed to bait Williams into throwing a punch wide.
When it came, Martinez was ready, and the end happened without the referee bothering to count.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source: abcnews.go.com
Martinez Promised Kayo, And Delivered: Williams Counted Out In 2nd Rd -- The Sweet Science
By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science
He'd been telling all who would listen the last few months that he'd render Long Tall Paul Williams horizontal in their rematch. Most of the time, one need not take such a promise seriously. It's often bluster, a salvo of psychological warfare. But damned if Sergio Martinez didn't deliver on Saturday night, in his Atlantic City rematch with Williams. An overhand left, delivered as Williams was tossing his own left hand, sent Williams to the floor, his marbles scattered on the mat.
The ref counted, but it was clear that Williams, who went splat on the canvas, face first, would need at least 30 seconds, or more, to stand up.
The KO, which will get the TSS vote for knockout of the year, takes Martinez, or should take Martinez, to the head of the line in the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes.
The Argentine, who many thought deserved the nod in the first tussle a year ago, goes to 46-2, with 25 KOs. He exulted, as the ringside docs took a hard look at Williams, who happily stood up, with clear eyes after a short spell.
The end came at 1:10 of the second. Martinez retains the WBC middleweight title, though the record will show that the fight was fought at a catchweight of 158 pounds. Williams drops to 39-2, and this is the first time he has been stopped.
Max Kellerman asked what comes next. He said Martinez is No. 3 pound for pound. The fighter said he wants to hear offers, and will see what comes his way. He stated that he wants to rest, and then hugged Williams. How about Mayweather or Pacquiao, at a catchweight? "We have to hear offers. 156 would be fine, but I have to hear offers," he said.
Williams said, "I just got caught with a punch." He said this one really worked, because he didn't see it coming.
Come back for George Kimball's ringside report.
Source: thesweetscience.com
He'd been telling all who would listen the last few months that he'd render Long Tall Paul Williams horizontal in their rematch. Most of the time, one need not take such a promise seriously. It's often bluster, a salvo of psychological warfare. But damned if Sergio Martinez didn't deliver on Saturday night, in his Atlantic City rematch with Williams. An overhand left, delivered as Williams was tossing his own left hand, sent Williams to the floor, his marbles scattered on the mat.
The ref counted, but it was clear that Williams, who went splat on the canvas, face first, would need at least 30 seconds, or more, to stand up.The KO, which will get the TSS vote for knockout of the year, takes Martinez, or should take Martinez, to the head of the line in the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes.
The Argentine, who many thought deserved the nod in the first tussle a year ago, goes to 46-2, with 25 KOs. He exulted, as the ringside docs took a hard look at Williams, who happily stood up, with clear eyes after a short spell.
The end came at 1:10 of the second. Martinez retains the WBC middleweight title, though the record will show that the fight was fought at a catchweight of 158 pounds. Williams drops to 39-2, and this is the first time he has been stopped.
Max Kellerman asked what comes next. He said Martinez is No. 3 pound for pound. The fighter said he wants to hear offers, and will see what comes his way. He stated that he wants to rest, and then hugged Williams. How about Mayweather or Pacquiao, at a catchweight? "We have to hear offers. 156 would be fine, but I have to hear offers," he said.
Williams said, "I just got caught with a punch." He said this one really worked, because he didn't see it coming.
Come back for George Kimball's ringside report.
Source: thesweetscience.com
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Kelly Pavlik says big-name fighters on undercard ‘could be a trend’ -- Las Vegas Sun
By Brett Okamoto, Las Vegas Sun
Kelly Pavlik had his streak of three successful middleweight title defenses broken in April with a unanimous-decision loss to Sergio Martinez.
On Nov. 13, he'll see another streak erased.
For the first time since 2007, Pavlik (36-2) will be featured as a non-headliner when he takes on Bryan Vera (17-5, 11 KO) on the undercard of an event promoted by Top Rank at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
A fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito will headline the event.
"This could be the trend," said Pavlik, who has fought his last seven fights as a headliner. "(Nov. 13) is going to be a great card. Some of the top name fighters (in this sport) aren't fighting the other top names. But when you pack a card like this, it's a great thing for boxing.
"It could be something that gets us going again."
Professional boxing as a whole appears to be focused on building more compelling undercards than it typically has in the past.
The star power and talent Pavlik will bring to the Nov. 13 undercard certainly will trump the previous Top Rank event held at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in March.
At that event, which was headlined by Pacquiao and Josh Clottey, the co-main event featured a WBC title fight between David Diaz and Humberto Soto. It proved to be a less-than-compelling fight, ending in an easy decision win for Soto over an opponent who has fought just twice in the last 27 months.
Although Pavlik admitted he'd like to see himself back as a headliner after he reclaims a world title, the opportunity to fight on the same card as Pacquiao in a $1.2 billion facility is not one he's disappointed with.
"For me, I still think it's great exposure as a co-main event," Pavlik said. "There's still going to be 60-to-70,000 in the stands and it's on the pay-per-view. It's going to be a hell of a card. I've got no complaints."
Top Rank isn't the only promotion looking to bolster its undercards.
During the buildup for its July 31 event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer referred to the undercard, which featured six fighters with a combined record of 155-12-3, as 'sensational.'
It also featured the previously undefeated Daniel Jacobs (20-1), who was fighting in his first world-title fight.
According to Pavlik, the trend of placing some of the sport's most talented fighters on the undercard will lead to better overall events and more interest from the casual fan.
However, it also will require a change in the way many big-name professional boxers have been trained to think — that fighting on the undercard is an insult.
"It's all on the individual," Pavlik said. "You get a lot of guys who have too much pride and they end up hurting themselves. Fighting on the co-main event doesn't mean you're being put down or being degraded. It's just something you have to do."
Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting
Source: lasvegassun.com
Kelly Pavlik had his streak of three successful middleweight title defenses broken in April with a unanimous-decision loss to Sergio Martinez.
On Nov. 13, he'll see another streak erased.
For the first time since 2007, Pavlik (36-2) will be featured as a non-headliner when he takes on Bryan Vera (17-5, 11 KO) on the undercard of an event promoted by Top Rank at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
A fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito will headline the event.Despite the fact Pavlik has become used to fighting last, the 28-year-old former world champion said that big-name fighters, such as himself, might want to start getting used to the idea of occasionally serving as a co-main event.
"This could be the trend," said Pavlik, who has fought his last seven fights as a headliner. "(Nov. 13) is going to be a great card. Some of the top name fighters (in this sport) aren't fighting the other top names. But when you pack a card like this, it's a great thing for boxing.
"It could be something that gets us going again."
Professional boxing as a whole appears to be focused on building more compelling undercards than it typically has in the past.
The star power and talent Pavlik will bring to the Nov. 13 undercard certainly will trump the previous Top Rank event held at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in March.
At that event, which was headlined by Pacquiao and Josh Clottey, the co-main event featured a WBC title fight between David Diaz and Humberto Soto. It proved to be a less-than-compelling fight, ending in an easy decision win for Soto over an opponent who has fought just twice in the last 27 months.
Although Pavlik admitted he'd like to see himself back as a headliner after he reclaims a world title, the opportunity to fight on the same card as Pacquiao in a $1.2 billion facility is not one he's disappointed with.
"For me, I still think it's great exposure as a co-main event," Pavlik said. "There's still going to be 60-to-70,000 in the stands and it's on the pay-per-view. It's going to be a hell of a card. I've got no complaints."
Top Rank isn't the only promotion looking to bolster its undercards.
During the buildup for its July 31 event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer referred to the undercard, which featured six fighters with a combined record of 155-12-3, as 'sensational.'
It also featured the previously undefeated Daniel Jacobs (20-1), who was fighting in his first world-title fight.
According to Pavlik, the trend of placing some of the sport's most talented fighters on the undercard will lead to better overall events and more interest from the casual fan.
However, it also will require a change in the way many big-name professional boxers have been trained to think — that fighting on the undercard is an insult.
"It's all on the individual," Pavlik said. "You get a lot of guys who have too much pride and they end up hurting themselves. Fighting on the co-main event doesn't mean you're being put down or being degraded. It's just something you have to do."
Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting
Source: lasvegassun.com
Friday, 9 July 2010
Sergio Martinez Favors Paul Williams Rematch -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams are two of boxing's most feared fighters, so much so, that in the aftermath of their December, HBO
-televised, non-title, middleweight (160 pounds) clash of southpaws -- during which both fighters were floored in the first round -- each has fought only once.
Otherwise, they have not been able to find willing opponents.
So now, it appears that HBO president of sport, Ross Greenburg, is pushing for a rematch of their battle, won by Williams (39-1, 27 knockouts) via disputed majority decision. According to a report by Boxingscene.com's Rick Reeno, the target date is Oct. 2.
"I have a lot of respect for Paul Williams. He is a great champion," Martinez's manager, Sampson Lewkowicz, told Boxingscene.com. "I believe he wants the rematch with Martinez."
In the months since their first meeting, the stock of Martinez has only grown.
The 35-year-old, Argentinian-born fighter dethroned WBC and WBO king, Kelly Pavlik, in April, his 12-round, unanimous decision raising his mark to 45-2-2, with 24 knockouts. Martinez has since been stripped of the WBO middleweight crown, as well as the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) title.
Williams, meanwhile, is coming off of May's disappointing, four-round junior middleweight technical decision victory over former two-time world champion Kermit Cintron.
And one of the sticking points that delays a potential rematch with Martinez is the fact that Williams is pushing for a return to the welterweight (147 pounds) class, where he won two of the three world titles he has held.
"Williams' his promoter [Dan Goossen] is chasing a fantasy fight with Manny Pacquiao, which will never happen. Williams is too tall. Pacquiao wouldn't fight Yuri Foreman because he said Foreman was too tall, and Williams makes Foreman look small. The same goes for Floyd Mayweather Jr. He doesn't have to fight someone like Paul Williams. He can fight anyone and make just as much money," Lewkowicz, told Boxingscene.com.
"The fight with Martinez was very close and could have went either way," said Lewkowicz. "I guarantee the rematch will be just as exciting and if not the fight of the year, the rematch will be the first runner-up for fight of the year at worst."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams are two of boxing's most feared fighters, so much so, that in the aftermath of their December, HBO
-televised, non-title, middleweight (160 pounds) clash of southpaws -- during which both fighters were floored in the first round -- each has fought only once.Otherwise, they have not been able to find willing opponents.
So now, it appears that HBO president of sport, Ross Greenburg, is pushing for a rematch of their battle, won by Williams (39-1, 27 knockouts) via disputed majority decision. According to a report by Boxingscene.com's Rick Reeno, the target date is Oct. 2."I have a lot of respect for Paul Williams. He is a great champion," Martinez's manager, Sampson Lewkowicz, told Boxingscene.com. "I believe he wants the rematch with Martinez."
In the months since their first meeting, the stock of Martinez has only grown.
The 35-year-old, Argentinian-born fighter dethroned WBC and WBO king, Kelly Pavlik, in April, his 12-round, unanimous decision raising his mark to 45-2-2, with 24 knockouts. Martinez has since been stripped of the WBO middleweight crown, as well as the WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) title.
Williams, meanwhile, is coming off of May's disappointing, four-round junior middleweight technical decision victory over former two-time world champion Kermit Cintron.
And one of the sticking points that delays a potential rematch with Martinez is the fact that Williams is pushing for a return to the welterweight (147 pounds) class, where he won two of the three world titles he has held.
"Williams' his promoter [Dan Goossen] is chasing a fantasy fight with Manny Pacquiao, which will never happen. Williams is too tall. Pacquiao wouldn't fight Yuri Foreman because he said Foreman was too tall, and Williams makes Foreman look small. The same goes for Floyd Mayweather Jr. He doesn't have to fight someone like Paul Williams. He can fight anyone and make just as much money," Lewkowicz, told Boxingscene.com.
"The fight with Martinez was very close and could have went either way," said Lewkowicz. "I guarantee the rematch will be just as exciting and if not the fight of the year, the rematch will be the first runner-up for fight of the year at worst."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
WBO strips Martinez of title -- ESPN
By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com
Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez was feted in a ceremony at the WBO's Puerto Rican headquarters on May 11, when he was presented with his new title belt. Those good feelings did not last long.
Martinez, who took apart Kelly Pavlik to win a unanimous decision and the lineal championship on April 17, has been stripped of his WBO version of the 160-pound title.
In a letter Saturday to Martinez and his handlers, WBO president Francisco "Paco" Valcárcel informed him of the sanctioning organization's decision.
"I learned a while ago that these organizations don't give you a belt," Martinez said. "They loan it to you. When they elect to take it back, they take it back. I thank them for the opportunity to win it and to hold it, but there is nothing I can do about it if they want to take it back. They can match whoever they want below me [for the vacant belt], but in my view, that winner can't truly call himself a champion."
Lou DiBella, Martinez's outspoken promoter, wasn't as diplomatic as his fighter about the decision.
"My attitude is f--- 'em. F--- 'em. He is the people's champion at 160 pounds," DiBella said. "He is the lineal and only legitimate champion."
Martinez still holds the Ring magazine middleweight title and WBC belt at middleweight, as well as the WBC's version of the 154-pound junior middleweight title. He has not yet determined in which weight class he will fight.
However, the WBO said it would no longer wait for him to decide and cited its rule governing the situation: "A WBO champion who wins a non-WBO championship in a weight class that is different than the weight class in which he holds his WBO championship must decide within 10 days of the non-WBO championship which title in which weight class he will retain. No WBO champion may hold a non-WBO championship in a weight class that is different from the weight class of his WBO championship."
"We have so many bad decisions in the ring and now we have another bad one outside the ring," said Sampson Lewkowicz, Martinez's adviser. "I understand they have bylaws, but there must be an exception for an exceptional champion like Sergio 'Maravilla' Martinez."
The rule in section 15 of the WBO's bylaws is one for which there has typically been an exception made when a fighter asks for one in order to allow more time to decide which title he will keep.
"What's troubling is that they have a rule that gives them the right to make an exception, but here, for whatever reason, they elected to strip Sergio even though there is no contender who has been sitting there waiting and waiting for his chance," DiBella said. "A lot of the guys in their top 10 aren't even available to fight for the title. I don't know what their rush was.
"Look at their ratings and try to rationalize their behavior. All you can do is conclude that this is another ratings organization who doesn't give a s--- about boxing and shoots itself in the foot."
Lewkowicz said the WBC has not forced the issue yet. He added that Martinez's decision about which weight class title to keep will depend on his next opponent and HBO, which has backed Martinez's recent fights, although the network has not made his next fight a priority.
Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs), who is from Argentina and lives in California, has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the event that he does not fight Manny Pacquiao.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez was feted in a ceremony at the WBO's Puerto Rican headquarters on May 11, when he was presented with his new title belt. Those good feelings did not last long.
Martinez, who took apart Kelly Pavlik to win a unanimous decision and the lineal championship on April 17, has been stripped of his WBO version of the 160-pound title.
In a letter Saturday to Martinez and his handlers, WBO president Francisco "Paco" Valcárcel informed him of the sanctioning organization's decision.
"I learned a while ago that these organizations don't give you a belt," Martinez said. "They loan it to you. When they elect to take it back, they take it back. I thank them for the opportunity to win it and to hold it, but there is nothing I can do about it if they want to take it back. They can match whoever they want below me [for the vacant belt], but in my view, that winner can't truly call himself a champion."
Lou DiBella, Martinez's outspoken promoter, wasn't as diplomatic as his fighter about the decision."My attitude is f--- 'em. F--- 'em. He is the people's champion at 160 pounds," DiBella said. "He is the lineal and only legitimate champion."
Martinez still holds the Ring magazine middleweight title and WBC belt at middleweight, as well as the WBC's version of the 154-pound junior middleweight title. He has not yet determined in which weight class he will fight.
However, the WBO said it would no longer wait for him to decide and cited its rule governing the situation: "A WBO champion who wins a non-WBO championship in a weight class that is different than the weight class in which he holds his WBO championship must decide within 10 days of the non-WBO championship which title in which weight class he will retain. No WBO champion may hold a non-WBO championship in a weight class that is different from the weight class of his WBO championship."
"We have so many bad decisions in the ring and now we have another bad one outside the ring," said Sampson Lewkowicz, Martinez's adviser. "I understand they have bylaws, but there must be an exception for an exceptional champion like Sergio 'Maravilla' Martinez."
The rule in section 15 of the WBO's bylaws is one for which there has typically been an exception made when a fighter asks for one in order to allow more time to decide which title he will keep.
"What's troubling is that they have a rule that gives them the right to make an exception, but here, for whatever reason, they elected to strip Sergio even though there is no contender who has been sitting there waiting and waiting for his chance," DiBella said. "A lot of the guys in their top 10 aren't even available to fight for the title. I don't know what their rush was.
"Look at their ratings and try to rationalize their behavior. All you can do is conclude that this is another ratings organization who doesn't give a s--- about boxing and shoots itself in the foot."
Lewkowicz said the WBC has not forced the issue yet. He added that Martinez's decision about which weight class title to keep will depend on his next opponent and HBO, which has backed Martinez's recent fights, although the network has not made his next fight a priority.
Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs), who is from Argentina and lives in California, has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the event that he does not fight Manny Pacquiao.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Saturday, 8 May 2010
If Mayweather-Pacquiao Doesn't Happen Next, A Fight With Middleweight Champ Sergio Martinez Would Be A Brave Move For "Money" -- Eastside Boxing
By James Slater, Eastside Boxing
"It's possible," Floyd "Money" Mayweather
said at the Shane Mosley post-fight press conference when asked if he would fight middleweight king Sergio Martinez.
"Absolutely I would fight [Kelly] Pavlik first, and then, Mayweather second," Martinez said to FanHouse this week..
Martinez, who must first honour his commitment to give Kelly Pavlik a rematch (as stipulated in the contract that was signed before the fight that saw the tough Argentine take "The Ghost's" title in a great battle), but after that he is free to fight who he wants - and the southpaw has made it clear he'd fancy some "Money."
Floyd received much credit for "stepping out of his comfort zone" and accepting a fight with the dangerous and physically strong Shane Mosley, and he would receive an absolute ton of credit if he took a fight with Martinez - either at 154-pounds in a non-title affair (Floyd has won enough belts already, and as he said, any new titles would only "gather dust") or, even more so, up at a full 160-pounds. But as calculating and as smart as he remains despite having shown some serious cojones both in accepting to fight and then in the actual fighting of "Sugar," Mayweather would perhaps see a fight with even as small a middleweight as Martinez as too big a risk.
Also, though Martinez may be more of a 154-pounder than a fully-fledged middleweight (although as he showed against Pavlik, Martinez is more than capable of cutting it at 160), he is also a southpaw. Would the 33-year-old great want to get it on with a lefty? There really would be a lot for Mayweather to think about with regards to the taking or the not taking of this fight. The hitting power of Martinez, for a big example. Would Mayweather, if he were cracked by Martinez the way Shane Mosley cracked him, be able to survive? Of course, it's more than possible that "Money" would bulk up to around 155 or so, and put on yet another master class - one that would leave Martinez looking and feeling foolish. After all, it's unlikely Mayweather would lose too much, if any speed up at 155.
There is a lot for both men to like about this fight. Martinez would likely get the biggest payday of his whole career, and Mayweather would get the chance to make even more history ( at the very least, even if the middleweight title were not on the line, a win would earn Floyd some serious respect). Sure, we still want to see Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao a lot more than we do Mayweather Vs. Martinez, but, as was the case last Saturday, we would get a damn fine consolation prize if Mayweather took this big risk of a fight in the meantime.
And what would Manny Pacquiao think about it?
Source: eastsideboxing.com
"It's possible," Floyd "Money" Mayweather
said at the Shane Mosley post-fight press conference when asked if he would fight middleweight king Sergio Martinez."Absolutely I would fight [Kelly] Pavlik first, and then, Mayweather second," Martinez said to FanHouse this week..
The fight we all want to see remains the same as it has been for the last year or so now; Mayweather-Pacquiao. However, if the fight that couldn't be made in March of this year once again succumbs to severe problems in getting itself signed, the two men will have to go, once again, in separate directions (at least until late this year or early next, when maybe, just maybe, they will have reached a compromise). And Mayweather stepping into the direct path of 35-year-old middleweight champion of the world Sergio Gabriel Martinez sure would force fans to sit up and take notice - maybe even forget all about Manny Pacquiao; for a while at least.
Martinez, who must first honour his commitment to give Kelly Pavlik a rematch (as stipulated in the contract that was signed before the fight that saw the tough Argentine take "The Ghost's" title in a great battle), but after that he is free to fight who he wants - and the southpaw has made it clear he'd fancy some "Money."Floyd received much credit for "stepping out of his comfort zone" and accepting a fight with the dangerous and physically strong Shane Mosley, and he would receive an absolute ton of credit if he took a fight with Martinez - either at 154-pounds in a non-title affair (Floyd has won enough belts already, and as he said, any new titles would only "gather dust") or, even more so, up at a full 160-pounds. But as calculating and as smart as he remains despite having shown some serious cojones both in accepting to fight and then in the actual fighting of "Sugar," Mayweather would perhaps see a fight with even as small a middleweight as Martinez as too big a risk.
Also, though Martinez may be more of a 154-pounder than a fully-fledged middleweight (although as he showed against Pavlik, Martinez is more than capable of cutting it at 160), he is also a southpaw. Would the 33-year-old great want to get it on with a lefty? There really would be a lot for Mayweather to think about with regards to the taking or the not taking of this fight. The hitting power of Martinez, for a big example. Would Mayweather, if he were cracked by Martinez the way Shane Mosley cracked him, be able to survive? Of course, it's more than possible that "Money" would bulk up to around 155 or so, and put on yet another master class - one that would leave Martinez looking and feeling foolish. After all, it's unlikely Mayweather would lose too much, if any speed up at 155.
There is a lot for both men to like about this fight. Martinez would likely get the biggest payday of his whole career, and Mayweather would get the chance to make even more history ( at the very least, even if the middleweight title were not on the line, a win would earn Floyd some serious respect). Sure, we still want to see Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao a lot more than we do Mayweather Vs. Martinez, but, as was the case last Saturday, we would get a damn fine consolation prize if Mayweather took this big risk of a fight in the meantime.
And what would Manny Pacquiao think about it?
Source: eastsideboxing.com
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Floyd Mayweather may snub Pacquiao to fight Martinez -- BBC Sport
BBC SportFloyd Mayweather has said he could be tempted to step up to light-middleweight to fight Sergio Martinez instead of taking on Manny Pacquiao.
A proposed fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao scheduled for 13 March fell through, since when both fighters have added further wins to their records.
And after beating Shane Mosley on Saturday, Mayweather said fighting Martinez could now be an option.
"I thought about it. Right now, I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.
Martinez's manager, Lou DiBella, told the BBC he doubted that a super-fight between American Mayweather and Filipino Pacquiao would occur, with the boxers unable to agree on the drug-testing programme or financial split.
DiBella argued that it made more sense for Mayweather to fight Martinez, who recently defeated Kelly Pavlik for the WBC and WBO middleweight titles but is a career light-middleweight.
However, Mayweather, who is now unbeaten in 41 fights, said that a fight with Pacquiao could still occur if an agreement could be met on random drug-testing.After the fight with Mosley, Mayweather said: "If Manny takes the [blood] test, we can make the fight happen."
Pacquiao is preoccupied with a different fight altogether - he is campaigning to be elected to the senate in his homeland of the Philippines.
The election is on 10 May and the 31-year-old is unlikely to make any announcement about his fighting future before that contest is over.
Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said: "I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. What I'm concerned about right now is Manny winning the election. If the fight doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. We're not going to be dictated to."
One option for Pacquiao would be a fight with WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto, who pulled out of a fight with Mosley in January after the earthquake which devastated his parents' homeland of Haiti.
Berto, a big puncher, stopped Carlos Quintana last month to retain his title, and he relishes a fight with Pacquiao.
Berto said recently: "He lacks defence. He's easy to hit, but he sets a pace that's a little too much for his opponents and he's incredibly strong, also, so he always tends to outwork and outpunch his opponents."
The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is the one the fans want to see and could be the most lucrative fight in history, with each fighter potentially picking up purses of $25m.
But DiBella said: "If both fighters are demanding 50% of each other then it makes more sense for both of them to take a fight with someone where you can get 80 or 85%.
"Mayweather-Pacquiao is clearly the most enormous fight out there but it wouldn't surprise me if they don't go in another direction."
DiBella said he anticipated Arum would seek to put Pacquiao in with another Arum-promoted fighter, either Antonio Margarito or Yuri Foreman, assuming they win their upcoming fights.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Kelly Pavlik and the Hard Road of Boxing -- SecondsOut
By Thomas Hauser, SecondsOut.com
Most professional fighters have struggled with demons. That’s one of the things that impelled them to become fighters. They’re faced with the constant reality of being punched by men trained in the art of hurting. And if a fighter becomes The Man, it seems as though everyone wants a piece of him.
Kelly Pavlik has been a fighter through much of his childhood and all of his adult life. No matter how many challenges he confronts in and out of the ring, there’s always another dragon to slay on fight night.
Pavlik moved into the spotlight three years ago when he knocked out Edison Miranda in seven rounds. On September 29, 2007, he duplicated that feat against Jermain Taylor to become middleweight champion of the world. A victorious rematch against Taylor and third-round demolition of mandatory challenger Gary Lockett followed.
Pavlik was the pride of Youngstown, Ohio. There was talk of his being the successor to Arturo Gatti as Atlantic City’s flagship fighter. But boxing is an insecure business. There’s no such thing as security in boxing.
On October 18, 2008, Pavlik went up in weight to fight Bernard Hopkins. If he’d won, it would have elevated him to superstar status. Instead, he suffered the first loss of his career. And even though he was still middleweight champion of the world, things weren’t quite the same.
In most sports, an athlete can lose and come all the way back within a short time frame. Boxing is different. Every loss impacts significantly on a fighter’s career.
Pavlik’s first fight after losing to Hopkins was in Youngstown against Marco Antonio Rubio on February 21, 2009. The Chevrolet Centre was sold out.
“That’s the first time I ever saw Kelly nervous before a fight,” Michael Cox (a Youngstown police officer, who’s Pavlik’s friend and one of his cornermen) said afterward. “He didn’t want to disappoint all those people and he knew that he needed to put on a dominating performance.”
Pavlik knocked Rubio out in nine rounds.
Promoter Bob Arum wanted Kelly’s next fight to be in Cleveland. But the eight-percent city tax on top of a five-percent state athletic commission tax made that impractical. Thus, Arum began planning for a June 27th date in Atlantic City against Sergio Mora.
But there was a problem. Pavlik’s promotional contract with Top Rank ran until May 31, 2010. One of the clauses provided that, if Kelly won a world championship, Top Rank would be entitled to promote his next five fights. The Pavlik camp took the position that, once those five fights were held, the contract would terminate even if that occurred before May 31, 2010. Pavlik-Mora would be Kelly’s fifth fight subsequent to winning the title.
Arum said that Team Pavlik’s interpretation of the contract was ridiculous. Moreover, he maintained that he was entitled to a seven-month contract extension (through December 31, 2010) because of time that Kelly had been unable to fight due to injury.
Pavlik-Mora fell through. Then Kelly signed a contract extension that unites him with Top Rank through May 2011. After that, Arum closed a deal for an early-October bout between Pavlik and Paul Williams, but a staph infection that began in Kelly’s left hand forced postponement of Pavlik-Williams until December 5, 2009.
Even then, Pavlik-Williams was in doubt. At a September 29th press conference announcing the new date, dead skin was flaking off Kelly’s hand. Eventually, the fight was canceled. That led to the sort of bombastic idiocy that plagues boxing; to wit, claims that Pavlik was ducking Williams. The truth was more serious than that.
In early March, while Kelly was playing basketball, the skin over a knuckle on his left hand (where he’d received a cortisone injection several months earlier) burst and began oozing pus. A doctor prescribed antibiotics, but the infection persisted, even after surgery to clean the area out. Further tests revealed the presence of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), a sometimes fatal infection that resists most antibiotics.
Pavlik was given new medication and had an allergic reaction to one of the antibiotics, which coincided with an overdue visit to a hand specialist in Cleveland.
“As he was looking at me,” Kelly later recalled, “I got the shakes and the shivers and I started swelling up. My face was turning purple. The doctor said, ‘Look, we’ll worry about the hand afterward. Go upstairs to the infectious specialist now.’”
Kelly’s temperature rose to 104.5 degrees. His heart rate was 150 beats per minute. His blood pressure was rapidly dropping.
Kelly was hospitalized for four days. After two surgeries on his left hand, he needed physical therapy to regain full use of his finger.
“The kid was injured,” Arum said afterward. “He couldn’t make a fist. It wasn’t some fear of Paul Williams. To hear morons talk like that when they have no basis for what they’re saying really makes me sad.”
But in Youngstown, Pavlik isn’t just a regular guy. If he’d left home and moved to a large urban area where he isn’t a local hero, he could enjoy relative anonymity. Loyalty to and a comfort level with Youngstown have kept him where he is. That makes him a standard bearer for the entire city and a packhorse for other people’s hopes and dreams.
The media acknowledges few boundaries and shows little respect in covering an athlete’s personal life. Nobody dissects the private lives of sports writers. Nobody writes about how many drinks a reporter had at the bar before filing his story or how many pancakes an overweight scribe ate at breakfast.
“It’s been a tough year,” Mike Pavlik said as 2009 drew to a close. “First, Kelly had his health problems. Then there was a turn in the way some of the newspapers wrote about him. There were a lot of rumors. We went day to day, not knowing what to expect. I don’t care that much about the boxing part of it. I’ve come to understand that the boxing business is a terrible business. It’s the selling of human flesh. People don’t even care about what you’ve done for them lately. It’s all about what you can do for them now. I don’t care that much about what other people say. But I care a lot about Kelly’s feelings and the young man inside.”
“It has been a hard summer and fall; for Kelly and for all of us,” Mike Cox added. “It’s very hard to watch someone you care about have to struggle and go through this craziness. The rumors and stories got completely out of control.”
“I honestly wouldn’t wish fame on anybody,” Kelly said. “There are a lot of perks that come with it. I’m well aware of that and I’m thankful for it. But there’s a lot of bad and a lot of stress that comes with fame, too.”
On December 19th, Pavlik returned to the ring and scored a fifth-round knockout over journeyman Miguel Espino in Youngstown. That raised his record to 36-and-1 with 32 knockouts.
Then Kelly made a decision to address some of the personal issues in his life.
Many fighters don’t take care of themselves the way they should. They train for eight weeks and then, between fights, let themselves go. But the work ethic of a good fighter is far more demanding than the work ethic required of most conscientious men and women. And that work ethic extends to a fighter’s lifestyle. He might fight as few as two or three times a year. But the truly great fighters are always on the job. The demands of their trade would overwhelm ordinary people.
“I realized that I’d worked too hard for too long and come too far to let it all slip away from me,” Kelly said. “I decided to do what I had to do to make things right.”
On April 17th in Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Pavlik’s journey through boxing placed him in the spotlight again; this time against Sergio Martinez.
The 35-year-old Martinez is a remarkable phenomenon. Born in Argentina, he moved to Spain and now lives in Oxnard, California. The first time he stepped into a boxing gym, he was 20 years old. Two years later, he turned pro.
Over the years, Martinez had compiled a 44-2-2 record with 24 knockouts. The blemishes on his ledger are deceiving. One of the draws came 12 years ago in Sergio’s third pro fight. The other was last year against Kermit Cintron in a bout that virtually everyone in attendance thought he won.
As for the losses, Martinez was stopped by Antonio Margarito ten years ago. And last December, he was on the short end of a majority decision after a hotly-contested encounter with Paul Williams. No less an authority than Kelly Pavlik thought that Sergio won that fight.
Pavlik-Martinez was a crossroads bout for both men and Kelly’s first big test since losing to Hopkins. Sergio was confident, ready, and strong; a superbly-conditioned athlete; fast with a solid chin, and a southpaw to boot.
“Kelly will have to be at his best to beat Martinez,” Jack Loew (Pavlik’s trainer) said. “And he will be. Ever since we signed for this fight, I’ve heard people say that Martinez is the wrong style for us. He’s too fast; he’s a left-hander. Let me tell you; Kelly hits harder than anyone Martinez has ever fought. And Kelly has never lost to a lefthander; not in the amateurs or the pros. I don’t care what Martinez does. He doesn’t have enough to beat us.”
“Southpaws that move are tough,” Pavlik acknowledged. “Martinez is a dangerous fighter. But a lot of the time, he’s off-balance. He leaves himself open to get hit. And he’s not as fast as people think he is.”
Pavlik looked good in the days leading up to the fight. There was a glow about him that hadn’t been there since his first outing against Jermain Taylor almost three years ago. He’d been eating better than ever before; no red meat, very little fat. Even his voice sounded different.
“This is a huge fight for me to prove a lot of things to a lot of people,” Kelly said.
The belief was that he’d done what he had to do outside the ring to get back on track in it.
“Kelly has been very motivated and focused,” Michael Cox said. “He really dedicated himself in training camp. There was no complaining. He did everything he had to do. He knows that his star has fallen, and he’s determined to make the next part of his career even better than the first part. He’s aware that, the same way the Miranda fight set the stage for what followed, this fight will go a long way toward determining what happens in the next part of his career.”
“Kelly fought so hard for so long that it took a lot out of him,” Mike Pavlik added. “The last few months, I’ve see a burning desire in him that I hadn’t seen in a while. He wants to fight again.”
Pavlik arrived at Boardwalk Hall and entered his dressing room at 8:30 on Saturday night. The arena was the scene of his greatest triumph (seizing the championship from Jermain Taylor) and also his loss to Bernard Hopkins.
The members of Team Pavlik unpacked their bags. No one had brought Kelly’s socks. There was a call to the hotel, asking a friend to bring them over.
Light conversation between Kelly, his father, and Jack Loew followed. The Cleveland Browns and the upcoming National Football League draft were the first subject of discussion.
“I don’t think they gave [recently traded quarterback] Brady Quinn a fair chance,” Mike Pavlik offered.
“He had nothing to work with,” Loew added.
The conversation turned to Tiger Woods.
“I thought sex therapy was to teach you how to do it; not how to stop…There’s a new DVD out. Tiger Woods talks about his best 18 holes.”
HBO production coordinator Tami Cotel came into the room and asked if she could check Kelly’s weight on an HBO scale. At three o’clock the previous afternoon, each fighter had weighed-in officially at 159-1/2 pounds. Martinez now weighed 167. Kelly stepped on the scale. Since the weigh-in, he’d gained 18 pounds.
The conversation resumed. Kelly fired a series of one-liners about a Youngstown legend named Bear Cabelli, who has a reputation for being tougher than the average guy.
“Bear Cabelli is so tough that he sleeps with a pillow under his gun…Bear Cabelli is so tough that he won a stare down with the sun…Bear Cabelli is so tough that he slammed a revolving door shut…Bear Cabelli is so tough that he killed two stones with one bird…When Bear Cabelli puts milk on his Rice Krispies, he’s so scary that Snap, Crackle, and Pop shut the f**k up.”
Loew began taping his fighter’s hands. When he was done, Kelly did some light stretching exercises and shadow-boxed briefly in the center of the room.
There was a quiet moment.
“How do you feel?” Mike Pavlik asked his son.
“Good.”
At ten o’clock, Kelly put on his trunks, socks, and shoes. Top Rank photographer Chris Farina, who was in the room, memorialized the moment.
“I’m glad I’m not a fighter,” Mike said. “I don’t want anyone taking photos of me when I’m getting dressed.”
Referee David Fields came in and gave Kelly his pre-fight instructions.
At 10:22, Lucian Bute vs. Edison Miranda (HBO’s first televised fight of the evening) began. Miranda is a different fighter from what he was when he fought Pavlik. Back then, the Colombian was a feared and ferocious puncher. A disputed loss to Arthur Abraham was the only blot on his record. He has now lost five of his last 12 fights.
All eyes turned toward a television monitor in a corner of the room.
“Miranda is shot,” Jack Loew said.
“He doesn’t even fight back anymore,” Mike noted.
Round one ended. Loew began gloving Kelly up.
Kelly kept an eye on the television monitor. “Bute is a sneaky fighter,” he said. “And he’s a good body puncher.”
Miranda was knocked out in the third round.
Loew warmed Kelly up on the pads.
“Remember, back him up…Tight punches…Don’t reach with the right hand…He might come out firing to make a point. If he does, fire back…If he turns, turn with him…That’s it…Be patient. You’ll catch him.”
Then it was time for battle. “What’s meant to be will be,” Mike Pavlik said.
Every fight is a self-contained drama. Pavlik-Martinez played out in three distinct acts.
Rounds one through four saw Sergio circling elusively, darting in and out as Kelly moved forward. During those rounds, Martinez out-landed Pavlik 61-to-38 and opened a small cut on Kelly’s left eyelid. It was not unlike a matador sticking banderillas into a bull.
In round five, the tide turned. Pavlik had kept the pressure on and it started to pay dividends. Over the four middle rounds, he out-landed Martinez 75-to-57, punctuated by a right hand to the top of the head in round seven that put Sergio down. It was more of a balance shot than a hurting one. Still, it gave Kelly a 10-8 round. After eight stanzas, he was ahead by a point and had taken control of the fight.
In round nine, Martinez regained control. A straight left-hand opened a gash over Pavlik’s right eye. Sergio was all over him like a swarm of bees.
From that point on, the challenger put a beating on the champion. Kelly’s face was a gory mask with blood streaming down both cheeks. Over the final four rounds, he absorbed 112 punches while landing only 51.
This writer scored it 115-112 in favor of Martinez. The three judges turned in similar cards.
Sergio fought a magnificent fight. But several self-inflicted wounds contributed to Kelly’s defeat.
First, Pavlik didn’t use his advantage in weight as effectively as he could have. He was neglectful of Martinez’s body for long periods of time and was too passive when he got in close. He should have leaned on Sergio, pumped punches into his side, and roughed him up. Instead, he landed only 22 body blows.
Second, Kelly tired down the stretch. Part of that was due to the demands of the fight. And part of it was because, while he worked hard and lived a disciplined life in the months leading up to April 17th, Martinez had worked hard and lived a disciplined life in the years leading up to the fight. There’s a difference.
If a fighter hasn’t taken care of his body properly for several years, he can’t put everything together in three-and-a-half months. Not if he’s fighting Sergio Martinez.
There was a rematch clause in Kelly’s contract for the fight. If he chooses to exercise it, in order to beat Martinez, he has to use the conditioning that he has developed so far, this year, as a platform to build on. He can’t backslide and start over again from square one.
A better cutman would also help. For most of Kelly’s career, Miguel Diaz was in his corner. But according to a source in the Pavlik camp, Diaz demanded excessive fees for fights after Pavlik-Hopkins. That and a reported personality conflict led to Miguel being let go. There are other excellent cutmen in boxing. Sid Brumback (who was in Pavlik’s corner against Martinez) has not yet proven himself to be one of them.
Against Martinez, the cutwork in Kelly’s corner was ineffective and the flow of blood was a factor. A big one.
“I was having a hard time seeing,” Pavlik said in his dressing room after the fight.”
Kelly was sitting on the same chair he’d been on a little more than an hour earlier when Jack Loew gloved him up.
His body was streaked with blood.
Mike Pavlik stood by his son. The preceding hour had been particularly painful for Mike. He hadn’t just watched Kelly lose an athletic competition. He’d seen his son get beaten up.
Kelly bowed his head.
“Sh*t! I hate losing.”
“It’s part of the game,” Mike said. “Nobody stays champion forever.”
“A f**king punching bag. That’s what I was tonight.”
“I’m still proud of you.”
Kelly shook his head.
“For eight rounds, I fought a good fight. The last four rounds, I was a f**king punching bag. They should have put ‘Everlast’ on my forehead.”
“Not many people in history have been middleweight champion of the world,” Mike told his son. “Hold your head high.”
One at a time, family members and friends came over to Kelly, offering hugs and words of consolation. Then he rose from his chair, dressed without showering, and started for the door with Mike at his side.
“I’m going to the hospital to get sewn up,” he said. “I’ll see you guys back at the hotel.”
Thomas Hauser can be reached by e-mail at thauser@rcn.com. His most recent book (“An Unforgiving Sport”) was published by the University of Arkansas Press.
Source: secondsout.com
Most professional fighters have struggled with demons. That’s one of the things that impelled them to become fighters. They’re faced with the constant reality of being punched by men trained in the art of hurting. And if a fighter becomes The Man, it seems as though everyone wants a piece of him.
Kelly Pavlik has been a fighter through much of his childhood and all of his adult life. No matter how many challenges he confronts in and out of the ring, there’s always another dragon to slay on fight night.Pavlik moved into the spotlight three years ago when he knocked out Edison Miranda in seven rounds. On September 29, 2007, he duplicated that feat against Jermain Taylor to become middleweight champion of the world. A victorious rematch against Taylor and third-round demolition of mandatory challenger Gary Lockett followed.
Pavlik was the pride of Youngstown, Ohio. There was talk of his being the successor to Arturo Gatti as Atlantic City’s flagship fighter. But boxing is an insecure business. There’s no such thing as security in boxing.On October 18, 2008, Pavlik went up in weight to fight Bernard Hopkins. If he’d won, it would have elevated him to superstar status. Instead, he suffered the first loss of his career. And even though he was still middleweight champion of the world, things weren’t quite the same.
In most sports, an athlete can lose and come all the way back within a short time frame. Boxing is different. Every loss impacts significantly on a fighter’s career.
Pavlik’s first fight after losing to Hopkins was in Youngstown against Marco Antonio Rubio on February 21, 2009. The Chevrolet Centre was sold out.
“That’s the first time I ever saw Kelly nervous before a fight,” Michael Cox (a Youngstown police officer, who’s Pavlik’s friend and one of his cornermen) said afterward. “He didn’t want to disappoint all those people and he knew that he needed to put on a dominating performance.”
Pavlik knocked Rubio out in nine rounds.
Promoter Bob Arum wanted Kelly’s next fight to be in Cleveland. But the eight-percent city tax on top of a five-percent state athletic commission tax made that impractical. Thus, Arum began planning for a June 27th date in Atlantic City against Sergio Mora.
But there was a problem. Pavlik’s promotional contract with Top Rank ran until May 31, 2010. One of the clauses provided that, if Kelly won a world championship, Top Rank would be entitled to promote his next five fights. The Pavlik camp took the position that, once those five fights were held, the contract would terminate even if that occurred before May 31, 2010. Pavlik-Mora would be Kelly’s fifth fight subsequent to winning the title.
Arum said that Team Pavlik’s interpretation of the contract was ridiculous. Moreover, he maintained that he was entitled to a seven-month contract extension (through December 31, 2010) because of time that Kelly had been unable to fight due to injury.
Pavlik-Mora fell through. Then Kelly signed a contract extension that unites him with Top Rank through May 2011. After that, Arum closed a deal for an early-October bout between Pavlik and Paul Williams, but a staph infection that began in Kelly’s left hand forced postponement of Pavlik-Williams until December 5, 2009.
Even then, Pavlik-Williams was in doubt. At a September 29th press conference announcing the new date, dead skin was flaking off Kelly’s hand. Eventually, the fight was canceled. That led to the sort of bombastic idiocy that plagues boxing; to wit, claims that Pavlik was ducking Williams. The truth was more serious than that.
In early March, while Kelly was playing basketball, the skin over a knuckle on his left hand (where he’d received a cortisone injection several months earlier) burst and began oozing pus. A doctor prescribed antibiotics, but the infection persisted, even after surgery to clean the area out. Further tests revealed the presence of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), a sometimes fatal infection that resists most antibiotics.
Pavlik was given new medication and had an allergic reaction to one of the antibiotics, which coincided with an overdue visit to a hand specialist in Cleveland.
“As he was looking at me,” Kelly later recalled, “I got the shakes and the shivers and I started swelling up. My face was turning purple. The doctor said, ‘Look, we’ll worry about the hand afterward. Go upstairs to the infectious specialist now.’”Kelly’s temperature rose to 104.5 degrees. His heart rate was 150 beats per minute. His blood pressure was rapidly dropping.
"I’m not a medical man," Mike Pavlik (Kelly’s father) said afterward. “But he was really close to the edge that day."
Kelly was hospitalized for four days. After two surgeries on his left hand, he needed physical therapy to regain full use of his finger.
“The kid was injured,” Arum said afterward. “He couldn’t make a fist. It wasn’t some fear of Paul Williams. To hear morons talk like that when they have no basis for what they’re saying really makes me sad.”
Meanwhile, the once-adoring local media was turning on Pavlik. In today’s culture, athletes lose their privacy. Some, like Floyd Mayweather Jr., revel in that and act in a way that’s calculated to make their personal life a public spectacle. Others, like Kelly, don’t. They just want to be regular guys.
But in Youngstown, Pavlik isn’t just a regular guy. If he’d left home and moved to a large urban area where he isn’t a local hero, he could enjoy relative anonymity. Loyalty to and a comfort level with Youngstown have kept him where he is. That makes him a standard bearer for the entire city and a packhorse for other people’s hopes and dreams.
Larry Holmes (another fighter who stayed close to home) recently noted, “Fighters are human beings. Just because we’re fighters doesn’t mean that we don’t have feelings. And sometimes, people forget that.”
But in Pavlik’s case, there were reports of heavy drinking and blaring headlines in The Vindicator (Kelly’s hometown newspaper): “Pavlik Fights Off Rumors About His Personal Life,” one headline read. Among the rumors: “Pavlik was pulled over for a DUI. He was arrested for carrying a gun. He stabbed someone.”
As Kevin Iole wrote on Yahoo.com, “The rumor mill has worked overtime in Youngstown. Pavlik’s career has taken a hit. A whisper campaign has suggested that he’s hanging with the wrong crowd; that he’s on the verge of financial collapse.”
“It’s been a tough year,” Mike Pavlik said as 2009 drew to a close. “First, Kelly had his health problems. Then there was a turn in the way some of the newspapers wrote about him. There were a lot of rumors. We went day to day, not knowing what to expect. I don’t care that much about the boxing part of it. I’ve come to understand that the boxing business is a terrible business. It’s the selling of human flesh. People don’t even care about what you’ve done for them lately. It’s all about what you can do for them now. I don’t care that much about what other people say. But I care a lot about Kelly’s feelings and the young man inside.” “It has been a hard summer and fall; for Kelly and for all of us,” Mike Cox added. “It’s very hard to watch someone you care about have to struggle and go through this craziness. The rumors and stories got completely out of control.”
“I honestly wouldn’t wish fame on anybody,” Kelly said. “There are a lot of perks that come with it. I’m well aware of that and I’m thankful for it. But there’s a lot of bad and a lot of stress that comes with fame, too.”
On December 19th, Pavlik returned to the ring and scored a fifth-round knockout over journeyman Miguel Espino in Youngstown. That raised his record to 36-and-1 with 32 knockouts.
Then Kelly made a decision to address some of the personal issues in his life.
Many fighters don’t take care of themselves the way they should. They train for eight weeks and then, between fights, let themselves go. But the work ethic of a good fighter is far more demanding than the work ethic required of most conscientious men and women. And that work ethic extends to a fighter’s lifestyle. He might fight as few as two or three times a year. But the truly great fighters are always on the job. The demands of their trade would overwhelm ordinary people.
“I realized that I’d worked too hard for too long and come too far to let it all slip away from me,” Kelly said. “I decided to do what I had to do to make things right.”
On April 17th in Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Pavlik’s journey through boxing placed him in the spotlight again; this time against Sergio Martinez.
The 35-year-old Martinez is a remarkable phenomenon. Born in Argentina, he moved to Spain and now lives in Oxnard, California. The first time he stepped into a boxing gym, he was 20 years old. Two years later, he turned pro.
Over the years, Martinez had compiled a 44-2-2 record with 24 knockouts. The blemishes on his ledger are deceiving. One of the draws came 12 years ago in Sergio’s third pro fight. The other was last year against Kermit Cintron in a bout that virtually everyone in attendance thought he won.
As for the losses, Martinez was stopped by Antonio Margarito ten years ago. And last December, he was on the short end of a majority decision after a hotly-contested encounter with Paul Williams. No less an authority than Kelly Pavlik thought that Sergio won that fight.
Pavlik-Martinez was a crossroads bout for both men and Kelly’s first big test since losing to Hopkins. Sergio was confident, ready, and strong; a superbly-conditioned athlete; fast with a solid chin, and a southpaw to boot.
“Kelly will have to be at his best to beat Martinez,” Jack Loew (Pavlik’s trainer) said. “And he will be. Ever since we signed for this fight, I’ve heard people say that Martinez is the wrong style for us. He’s too fast; he’s a left-hander. Let me tell you; Kelly hits harder than anyone Martinez has ever fought. And Kelly has never lost to a lefthander; not in the amateurs or the pros. I don’t care what Martinez does. He doesn’t have enough to beat us.”
“Southpaws that move are tough,” Pavlik acknowledged. “Martinez is a dangerous fighter. But a lot of the time, he’s off-balance. He leaves himself open to get hit. And he’s not as fast as people think he is.”
Pavlik looked good in the days leading up to the fight. There was a glow about him that hadn’t been there since his first outing against Jermain Taylor almost three years ago. He’d been eating better than ever before; no red meat, very little fat. Even his voice sounded different.
“This is a huge fight for me to prove a lot of things to a lot of people,” Kelly said.
The belief was that he’d done what he had to do outside the ring to get back on track in it.
“Kelly has been very motivated and focused,” Michael Cox said. “He really dedicated himself in training camp. There was no complaining. He did everything he had to do. He knows that his star has fallen, and he’s determined to make the next part of his career even better than the first part. He’s aware that, the same way the Miranda fight set the stage for what followed, this fight will go a long way toward determining what happens in the next part of his career.”
“Kelly fought so hard for so long that it took a lot out of him,” Mike Pavlik added. “The last few months, I’ve see a burning desire in him that I hadn’t seen in a while. He wants to fight again.”
Pavlik arrived at Boardwalk Hall and entered his dressing room at 8:30 on Saturday night. The arena was the scene of his greatest triumph (seizing the championship from Jermain Taylor) and also his loss to Bernard Hopkins.
The members of Team Pavlik unpacked their bags. No one had brought Kelly’s socks. There was a call to the hotel, asking a friend to bring them over.
Light conversation between Kelly, his father, and Jack Loew followed. The Cleveland Browns and the upcoming National Football League draft were the first subject of discussion.
“I don’t think they gave [recently traded quarterback] Brady Quinn a fair chance,” Mike Pavlik offered.
“He had nothing to work with,” Loew added.
The conversation turned to Tiger Woods.
“I thought sex therapy was to teach you how to do it; not how to stop…There’s a new DVD out. Tiger Woods talks about his best 18 holes.”
HBO production coordinator Tami Cotel came into the room and asked if she could check Kelly’s weight on an HBO scale. At three o’clock the previous afternoon, each fighter had weighed-in officially at 159-1/2 pounds. Martinez now weighed 167. Kelly stepped on the scale. Since the weigh-in, he’d gained 18 pounds.
The conversation resumed. Kelly fired a series of one-liners about a Youngstown legend named Bear Cabelli, who has a reputation for being tougher than the average guy.
“Bear Cabelli is so tough that he sleeps with a pillow under his gun…Bear Cabelli is so tough that he won a stare down with the sun…Bear Cabelli is so tough that he slammed a revolving door shut…Bear Cabelli is so tough that he killed two stones with one bird…When Bear Cabelli puts milk on his Rice Krispies, he’s so scary that Snap, Crackle, and Pop shut the f**k up.”
Loew began taping his fighter’s hands. When he was done, Kelly did some light stretching exercises and shadow-boxed briefly in the center of the room.
There was a quiet moment.
“How do you feel?” Mike Pavlik asked his son.
“Good.”
At ten o’clock, Kelly put on his trunks, socks, and shoes. Top Rank photographer Chris Farina, who was in the room, memorialized the moment.
“I’m glad I’m not a fighter,” Mike said. “I don’t want anyone taking photos of me when I’m getting dressed.”
Referee David Fields came in and gave Kelly his pre-fight instructions.
At 10:22, Lucian Bute vs. Edison Miranda (HBO’s first televised fight of the evening) began. Miranda is a different fighter from what he was when he fought Pavlik. Back then, the Colombian was a feared and ferocious puncher. A disputed loss to Arthur Abraham was the only blot on his record. He has now lost five of his last 12 fights.
All eyes turned toward a television monitor in a corner of the room.
“Miranda is shot,” Jack Loew said.
“He doesn’t even fight back anymore,” Mike noted.
Round one ended. Loew began gloving Kelly up.
Kelly kept an eye on the television monitor. “Bute is a sneaky fighter,” he said. “And he’s a good body puncher.”
Miranda was knocked out in the third round.
Loew warmed Kelly up on the pads.
“Remember, back him up…Tight punches…Don’t reach with the right hand…He might come out firing to make a point. If he does, fire back…If he turns, turn with him…That’s it…Be patient. You’ll catch him.”
Then it was time for battle. “What’s meant to be will be,” Mike Pavlik said.
Every fight is a self-contained drama. Pavlik-Martinez played out in three distinct acts.
Rounds one through four saw Sergio circling elusively, darting in and out as Kelly moved forward. During those rounds, Martinez out-landed Pavlik 61-to-38 and opened a small cut on Kelly’s left eyelid. It was not unlike a matador sticking banderillas into a bull.
In round five, the tide turned. Pavlik had kept the pressure on and it started to pay dividends. Over the four middle rounds, he out-landed Martinez 75-to-57, punctuated by a right hand to the top of the head in round seven that put Sergio down. It was more of a balance shot than a hurting one. Still, it gave Kelly a 10-8 round. After eight stanzas, he was ahead by a point and had taken control of the fight.
In round nine, Martinez regained control. A straight left-hand opened a gash over Pavlik’s right eye. Sergio was all over him like a swarm of bees.
From that point on, the challenger put a beating on the champion. Kelly’s face was a gory mask with blood streaming down both cheeks. Over the final four rounds, he absorbed 112 punches while landing only 51.
This writer scored it 115-112 in favor of Martinez. The three judges turned in similar cards.
Sergio fought a magnificent fight. But several self-inflicted wounds contributed to Kelly’s defeat.
First, Pavlik didn’t use his advantage in weight as effectively as he could have. He was neglectful of Martinez’s body for long periods of time and was too passive when he got in close. He should have leaned on Sergio, pumped punches into his side, and roughed him up. Instead, he landed only 22 body blows.
Second, Kelly tired down the stretch. Part of that was due to the demands of the fight. And part of it was because, while he worked hard and lived a disciplined life in the months leading up to April 17th, Martinez had worked hard and lived a disciplined life in the years leading up to the fight. There’s a difference.
If a fighter hasn’t taken care of his body properly for several years, he can’t put everything together in three-and-a-half months. Not if he’s fighting Sergio Martinez.
There was a rematch clause in Kelly’s contract for the fight. If he chooses to exercise it, in order to beat Martinez, he has to use the conditioning that he has developed so far, this year, as a platform to build on. He can’t backslide and start over again from square one.
A better cutman would also help. For most of Kelly’s career, Miguel Diaz was in his corner. But according to a source in the Pavlik camp, Diaz demanded excessive fees for fights after Pavlik-Hopkins. That and a reported personality conflict led to Miguel being let go. There are other excellent cutmen in boxing. Sid Brumback (who was in Pavlik’s corner against Martinez) has not yet proven himself to be one of them.
Against Martinez, the cutwork in Kelly’s corner was ineffective and the flow of blood was a factor. A big one.
“I was having a hard time seeing,” Pavlik said in his dressing room after the fight.”
Kelly was sitting on the same chair he’d been on a little more than an hour earlier when Jack Loew gloved him up.
His body was streaked with blood.
Mike Pavlik stood by his son. The preceding hour had been particularly painful for Mike. He hadn’t just watched Kelly lose an athletic competition. He’d seen his son get beaten up.
Kelly bowed his head.
“Sh*t! I hate losing.”
“It’s part of the game,” Mike said. “Nobody stays champion forever.”
“A f**king punching bag. That’s what I was tonight.”
“I’m still proud of you.”
Kelly shook his head.
“For eight rounds, I fought a good fight. The last four rounds, I was a f**king punching bag. They should have put ‘Everlast’ on my forehead.”
“Not many people in history have been middleweight champion of the world,” Mike told his son. “Hold your head high.”
One at a time, family members and friends came over to Kelly, offering hugs and words of consolation. Then he rose from his chair, dressed without showering, and started for the door with Mike at his side.
“I’m going to the hospital to get sewn up,” he said. “I’ll see you guys back at the hotel.”
Thomas Hauser can be reached by e-mail at thauser@rcn.com. His most recent book (“An Unforgiving Sport”) was published by the University of Arkansas Press.
Source: secondsout.com
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
A look at Martinez's many options -- ESPN
By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com
It's amazing how one fight result can get you thinking about all sorts of other potential matches. That's what happened after Sergio Martinez's big win against Kelly Pavlik to win the middleweight championship Saturday night.
The new middleweight champ has a lot of potential big fights out there. Obviously, first and foremost, there is a possible rematch with Pavlik, whom Martinez beat by closing the show over the final four rounds like a true champion. He survived a seventh-round knockdown and won the rest of the fight. He badly cut Pavlik with a sharp punch to the eye. He outboxed Pavlik. He was faster than Pavlik. Pavlik didn't lose the title. Martinez won it.
When they did the deal for the fight in the first place, Martinez, promoter Lou DiBella and adviser Sampson Lewkowicz agreed to a rematch clause.
According to the contract, Pavlik and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum have 30 days to either pick up or pass on the option (which, by the way, would give the Martinez side a 50-50 revenue split). Pavlik indicated in the ring after the fight -- before going to the hospital for numerous stitches in cuts around both eyes -- that he would exercise the option.
"If they want [the rematch], obviously they have it," DiBella said. "If they want it next, they have it next."
But if Pavlik passes, which is entirely possible once he and his team sit down and discuss their options after the loss has sunk in, there are several possibilities for Martinez -- either at middleweight or junior middleweight, where he also holds a title (he has about two weeks to decide which one he will keep).
The obvious choice, if there is no Pavlik rematch, is for Martinez to go after a rematch with Paul Williams, who eked out a majority decision against him in December in a superb action fight. A rematch loomed as a big fight immediately after the first one. Now that Martinez is middleweight champ, it's even bigger. That said, DiBella said he has already talked to Williams' adviser, Al Haymon, and they agreed that while there should be a rematch eventually, "it ain't next. I can promise you that," DiBella said.
Incidentally, one of the cooler moments I've had as a boxing writer came after the Martinez-Pavlik fight. After the postfight news conference, I was invited to accompany Martinez and his team to the coffee shop at Caesars Atlantic City, where they celebrated the victory.
When we got there, Williams and trainer George Peterson, both of whom attended the fight, were finishing up as we were being seated next to them. Martinez went over to Williams and the two classy guys shared a warm embrace. Williams congratulated Martinez, and they were both smiling and put their arms around each other. Several fans were in the dining room as well, and Martinez and Williams happily posed for pictures with each other, signed some autographs and generally seemed to enjoy each others' company. After the brutal fight they had with each other, I know they respect each other, and it was great to see just how much in that moment.
Another possible fight for Martinez would be Kermit Cintron, who fights Williams on HBO on May 8 at junior middleweight. Should Cintron pull off the upset, a Martinez-Cintron rematch would be significant, at either weight.
The fighters met in February 2009 and fought to a draw, although Martinez got utterly robbed. First, his seventh-round knockout was overturned because referee Frank Santore did a horrible job. He reached 10, stopped the fight and then suddenly changed his mind. I've never seen anything like it in my life, and the fight continued. Then the judges screwed Martinez with the draw, although Martinez clearly won (twice!). Martinez would love a rematch to set the record straight, and if Cintron beats Williams, it's certainly interesting and definitely a fight DiBella can easily make because he promotes both guys.
A fight that DiBella would love to make for Martinez is against Alfredo "Perro" Angulo. It's a mismatch because Angulo isn't in Martinez's class, but it could be a fun fight while it lasted. Angulo defends his interim junior middleweight belt against Joel "Love Child" Julio on HBO on Saturday and would have to win. DiBella said the fight could be made for Martinez's titles -- but at a catch weight above 154 and below 160 to accommodate Angulo, if he wanted.
DiBella concedes it's unlikely, "but I can dream, can't I?" He said he called Gary Shaw, Angulo's promoter, a couple of times previously about the fight and Shaw always laughed at him because of how uninterested he was. Maybe now that the middleweight title could be at stake, without Angulo risking his interim junior middleweight title, it's conceivable. But I would say it's a long shot at best.
Another potential bout that got some play at the Martinez-Pavlik postfight news conference was a rematch between Martinez and Antonio Margarito.
In February 2000, on the undercard of the first Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera fight, Margarito stopped Martinez in the seventh round -- his only defeat other than the debatable decision loss to Williams. At the time he faced Margarito, Martinez was 16-0-1 and had been boxing for only about five years (and had no amateur experience).
Margarito, of course, went on to win multiple welterweight titles. He returns on May 8 at junior middleweight for his first fight in the 16 months since the hand wrap scandal exploded after his fight against Shane Mosley last year.
If Margarito makes a successful return, it would be an interesting fight with a built-in storyline. "We would love that fight. By the way, that fight would be huge," DiBella said. "So if Bob ever wants to talk about it or if Kelly [declines the rematch and] moves up in weight or something, we would love that fight. We can work with Top Rank any day of the week."
Arum agreed with DiBella that it would be a huge fight, particularly at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas. I suppose there is a chance of the fight happening, but Arum knows Margarito is a chip in a potential negotiation for a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight. If Mayweather beats Mosley on May 1 and can't come to terms with Pacquiao, Arum wants a marketable backup plan for Pacquiao, and Margarito would fit the bill. (I'm not talking about a Mosley-Pacquiao fight because if Mosley beats Mayweather, Mayweather has a rematch clause.)
So Martinez has plenty of interesting options, right? But wait -- as they say in those knife commercials -- there's more.
I discussed all of the above possibilities with HBO's Larry Merchant the other night. And then, as he always does, he caught my attention with another suggestion, the same way he did a few years ago when we were talking about options for Pacquiao and Merchant conceived of the match between Pacquiao and the much bigger Oscar De La Hoya.
So when Larry speaks, I listen.
If Pavlik passes on the rematch and there is no Martinez-Williams rematch next, as per DiBella, Larry's suggestion this time?
Super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute, the Canadian star who knocked out Edison Miranda in the opening fight of HBO's split-site telecast Saturday night. Keep in mind, there had been talk of an eventual Bute-Pavlik fight, assuming Pavlik defeated Martinez. So why not Bute against the guy who beat Pavlik?
Merchant's take was that it's a no-lose situation for Martinez because he could move up and take a shot at Bute's belt without risking his new middleweight titles. He also thinks Martinez would have a shot to win because of his speed and boxing ability. He figures it also might be attractive to Bute because he would be the favorite, and HBO would surely have big interest in it because there are no other serious or notable options for Bute (unless you want to punish yourself by seeing him face Bernard Hopkins), with most of the top super middleweights tied up in the Super Six tournament on Showtime.
"If Martinez loses to an outstanding undefeated guy like Bute, so what? He can go back to middleweight," Merchant said. "And it's a big-money fight for both of them."
All just food for thought.
Source: espn.go.com
It's amazing how one fight result can get you thinking about all sorts of other potential matches. That's what happened after Sergio Martinez's big win against Kelly Pavlik to win the middleweight championship Saturday night.
The new middleweight champ has a lot of potential big fights out there. Obviously, first and foremost, there is a possible rematch with Pavlik, whom Martinez beat by closing the show over the final four rounds like a true champion. He survived a seventh-round knockdown and won the rest of the fight. He badly cut Pavlik with a sharp punch to the eye. He outboxed Pavlik. He was faster than Pavlik. Pavlik didn't lose the title. Martinez won it.
When they did the deal for the fight in the first place, Martinez, promoter Lou DiBella and adviser Sampson Lewkowicz agreed to a rematch clause.
According to the contract, Pavlik and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum have 30 days to either pick up or pass on the option (which, by the way, would give the Martinez side a 50-50 revenue split). Pavlik indicated in the ring after the fight -- before going to the hospital for numerous stitches in cuts around both eyes -- that he would exercise the option.
"If they want [the rematch], obviously they have it," DiBella said. "If they want it next, they have it next."
But if Pavlik passes, which is entirely possible once he and his team sit down and discuss their options after the loss has sunk in, there are several possibilities for Martinez -- either at middleweight or junior middleweight, where he also holds a title (he has about two weeks to decide which one he will keep).
The obvious choice, if there is no Pavlik rematch, is for Martinez to go after a rematch with Paul Williams, who eked out a majority decision against him in December in a superb action fight. A rematch loomed as a big fight immediately after the first one. Now that Martinez is middleweight champ, it's even bigger. That said, DiBella said he has already talked to Williams' adviser, Al Haymon, and they agreed that while there should be a rematch eventually, "it ain't next. I can promise you that," DiBella said.
Incidentally, one of the cooler moments I've had as a boxing writer came after the Martinez-Pavlik fight. After the postfight news conference, I was invited to accompany Martinez and his team to the coffee shop at Caesars Atlantic City, where they celebrated the victory.
When we got there, Williams and trainer George Peterson, both of whom attended the fight, were finishing up as we were being seated next to them. Martinez went over to Williams and the two classy guys shared a warm embrace. Williams congratulated Martinez, and they were both smiling and put their arms around each other. Several fans were in the dining room as well, and Martinez and Williams happily posed for pictures with each other, signed some autographs and generally seemed to enjoy each others' company. After the brutal fight they had with each other, I know they respect each other, and it was great to see just how much in that moment.
Another possible fight for Martinez would be Kermit Cintron, who fights Williams on HBO on May 8 at junior middleweight. Should Cintron pull off the upset, a Martinez-Cintron rematch would be significant, at either weight.
The fighters met in February 2009 and fought to a draw, although Martinez got utterly robbed. First, his seventh-round knockout was overturned because referee Frank Santore did a horrible job. He reached 10, stopped the fight and then suddenly changed his mind. I've never seen anything like it in my life, and the fight continued. Then the judges screwed Martinez with the draw, although Martinez clearly won (twice!). Martinez would love a rematch to set the record straight, and if Cintron beats Williams, it's certainly interesting and definitely a fight DiBella can easily make because he promotes both guys.
A fight that DiBella would love to make for Martinez is against Alfredo "Perro" Angulo. It's a mismatch because Angulo isn't in Martinez's class, but it could be a fun fight while it lasted. Angulo defends his interim junior middleweight belt against Joel "Love Child" Julio on HBO on Saturday and would have to win. DiBella said the fight could be made for Martinez's titles -- but at a catch weight above 154 and below 160 to accommodate Angulo, if he wanted.
DiBella concedes it's unlikely, "but I can dream, can't I?" He said he called Gary Shaw, Angulo's promoter, a couple of times previously about the fight and Shaw always laughed at him because of how uninterested he was. Maybe now that the middleweight title could be at stake, without Angulo risking his interim junior middleweight title, it's conceivable. But I would say it's a long shot at best.
Another potential bout that got some play at the Martinez-Pavlik postfight news conference was a rematch between Martinez and Antonio Margarito.
In February 2000, on the undercard of the first Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera fight, Margarito stopped Martinez in the seventh round -- his only defeat other than the debatable decision loss to Williams. At the time he faced Margarito, Martinez was 16-0-1 and had been boxing for only about five years (and had no amateur experience).
Margarito, of course, went on to win multiple welterweight titles. He returns on May 8 at junior middleweight for his first fight in the 16 months since the hand wrap scandal exploded after his fight against Shane Mosley last year.
If Margarito makes a successful return, it would be an interesting fight with a built-in storyline. "We would love that fight. By the way, that fight would be huge," DiBella said. "So if Bob ever wants to talk about it or if Kelly [declines the rematch and] moves up in weight or something, we would love that fight. We can work with Top Rank any day of the week."
Arum agreed with DiBella that it would be a huge fight, particularly at Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas. I suppose there is a chance of the fight happening, but Arum knows Margarito is a chip in a potential negotiation for a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight. If Mayweather beats Mosley on May 1 and can't come to terms with Pacquiao, Arum wants a marketable backup plan for Pacquiao, and Margarito would fit the bill. (I'm not talking about a Mosley-Pacquiao fight because if Mosley beats Mayweather, Mayweather has a rematch clause.)
So Martinez has plenty of interesting options, right? But wait -- as they say in those knife commercials -- there's more.
I discussed all of the above possibilities with HBO's Larry Merchant the other night. And then, as he always does, he caught my attention with another suggestion, the same way he did a few years ago when we were talking about options for Pacquiao and Merchant conceived of the match between Pacquiao and the much bigger Oscar De La Hoya.
So when Larry speaks, I listen.
If Pavlik passes on the rematch and there is no Martinez-Williams rematch next, as per DiBella, Larry's suggestion this time?
Super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute, the Canadian star who knocked out Edison Miranda in the opening fight of HBO's split-site telecast Saturday night. Keep in mind, there had been talk of an eventual Bute-Pavlik fight, assuming Pavlik defeated Martinez. So why not Bute against the guy who beat Pavlik?
Merchant's take was that it's a no-lose situation for Martinez because he could move up and take a shot at Bute's belt without risking his new middleweight titles. He also thinks Martinez would have a shot to win because of his speed and boxing ability. He figures it also might be attractive to Bute because he would be the favorite, and HBO would surely have big interest in it because there are no other serious or notable options for Bute (unless you want to punish yourself by seeing him face Bernard Hopkins), with most of the top super middleweights tied up in the Super Six tournament on Showtime.
"If Martinez loses to an outstanding undefeated guy like Bute, so what? He can go back to middleweight," Merchant said. "And it's a big-money fight for both of them."
All just food for thought.
Source: espn.go.com
Monday, 19 April 2010
Future bright for Martinez after beating Pavlik for middleweight title -- USA Today
By Bob Velin, USA TODAY
ATLANTIC CITY — Sergio Martinez did not look like a fighter who had just shocked the boxing world by upsetting Kelly Pavlik for the WBO and WBC middleweight championships at Boardwalk Hall Saturday night.
Indeed, the handsome 35-year-old Argentine, wearing sunglasses and a wide smile, could've passed for a Hollywood star as he addressed the news media at his post-fight press conference.
Through an interpreter, Martinez told of a childhood growing up dirt poor in Argentina, and dreaming of one day becoming a world champion. He was also a star soccer player and cyclist. He didn't start boxing until he was 20.
"Boxing gives you a chance to dream of a day like today," Martinez said. "I never stopped dreaming of becoming a champion. And today I accomplished that dream.
"And I will always know that I am a world champion."
Martinez, looking much smaller than Pavlik in the ring, moved around during the first eight rounds, using his quickness to make Pavlik miss many of his punches, and connecting on occasional jabs and right hooks.
Martinez overcame a seventh-round knockdown by Pavlik.
The last four rounds, Martinez — nicknamed Maravilla, "The Marvelous One" — dominated the 28-year-old champion, opening up two nasty cuts around both of Pavlik's eyes, and turning his face into a bloody mess by the final bell. Pavlik needed at least 36 stitches to close up the gashes. Martinez landed 112 punches in the final four rounds to Pavlik's 51, according to statistics provided by CompuBox.
"He came out in the ninth with a sense of purpose, and the fight just turned," said Lou DiBella, Martinez's promoter. "He sliced him up — that was just speed and angles — and he destroyed him. It was as dominant a last four rounds against a great fighter (as I've seen)."
There is a rematch clause, and both fighters indicated it's a possibility. "It's hard to make 160 (pounds), but I hate losing," said Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs). "I want to get those belts back."
Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs), also could get a rematch with Paul Williams, who won a majority decision against Martinez last December that was a top candidate for fight of the year, and which many thought Martinez might have won.
Williams fights Kermit Cintron on May 8, and the winner of that fight could fight Martinez.
Another possible opponent is Antonio Margarito, who has been suspended from boxing for a year because a hardening substance was found in his hand wraps before his loss to Shane Mosley in January 2009. Margarito, who fights on May 8 against Roberto Garcia in Mexico, handed Martinez his first loss a decade ago.
DiBella also mentioned Alfredo Angulo (17-1-1, 14 KOs), who fights Saturday against Joel Julio in California for the WBO interim light middleweight title.
Suddenly, for Martinez, the future looks brighter than ever. He made just under $1 million for this fight — "he'll never make less than a million for awhile," said DiBella. "I think he's still in the prime of his career even though he's in his mid-thirties. He's just discovered how good he is. He's got a window of years where he could really be a superstar."
Yet, DiBella says Martinez knows his time is now.
"He knows he's not a kid. He knows he's got a (limited) number of years left …," he said.
"He wants to be a superstar. He wants to entertain. This guy grew up starving. He wants to make money."
Source: usatoday.com
ATLANTIC CITY — Sergio Martinez did not look like a fighter who had just shocked the boxing world by upsetting Kelly Pavlik for the WBO and WBC middleweight championships at Boardwalk Hall Saturday night.
Indeed, the handsome 35-year-old Argentine, wearing sunglasses and a wide smile, could've passed for a Hollywood star as he addressed the news media at his post-fight press conference.
Through an interpreter, Martinez told of a childhood growing up dirt poor in Argentina, and dreaming of one day becoming a world champion. He was also a star soccer player and cyclist. He didn't start boxing until he was 20.
"Boxing gives you a chance to dream of a day like today," Martinez said. "I never stopped dreaming of becoming a champion. And today I accomplished that dream.
"And I will always know that I am a world champion."
Martinez, looking much smaller than Pavlik in the ring, moved around during the first eight rounds, using his quickness to make Pavlik miss many of his punches, and connecting on occasional jabs and right hooks.
Martinez overcame a seventh-round knockdown by Pavlik.
The last four rounds, Martinez — nicknamed Maravilla, "The Marvelous One" — dominated the 28-year-old champion, opening up two nasty cuts around both of Pavlik's eyes, and turning his face into a bloody mess by the final bell. Pavlik needed at least 36 stitches to close up the gashes. Martinez landed 112 punches in the final four rounds to Pavlik's 51, according to statistics provided by CompuBox.
"He came out in the ninth with a sense of purpose, and the fight just turned," said Lou DiBella, Martinez's promoter. "He sliced him up — that was just speed and angles — and he destroyed him. It was as dominant a last four rounds against a great fighter (as I've seen)."
There is a rematch clause, and both fighters indicated it's a possibility. "It's hard to make 160 (pounds), but I hate losing," said Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs). "I want to get those belts back."
Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs), also could get a rematch with Paul Williams, who won a majority decision against Martinez last December that was a top candidate for fight of the year, and which many thought Martinez might have won.
Williams fights Kermit Cintron on May 8, and the winner of that fight could fight Martinez.
Another possible opponent is Antonio Margarito, who has been suspended from boxing for a year because a hardening substance was found in his hand wraps before his loss to Shane Mosley in January 2009. Margarito, who fights on May 8 against Roberto Garcia in Mexico, handed Martinez his first loss a decade ago.
DiBella also mentioned Alfredo Angulo (17-1-1, 14 KOs), who fights Saturday against Joel Julio in California for the WBO interim light middleweight title.
Suddenly, for Martinez, the future looks brighter than ever. He made just under $1 million for this fight — "he'll never make less than a million for awhile," said DiBella. "I think he's still in the prime of his career even though he's in his mid-thirties. He's just discovered how good he is. He's got a window of years where he could really be a superstar."
Yet, DiBella says Martinez knows his time is now.
"He knows he's not a kid. He knows he's got a (limited) number of years left …," he said.
"He wants to be a superstar. He wants to entertain. This guy grew up starving. He wants to make money."
Source: usatoday.com
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Martinez proves his worth against Pavlik -- ESPN
By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Throughout the buildup to the fight, Kelly Pavlik, trainer Jack Loew and the rest of the team talked about how tough of an opponent Sergio Martinez would be.
They weren't kidding.
Martinez, a junior middleweight titleholder, was born in Argentina and is nicknamed "Maravilla," which is "Marvelous" in English, and that's what he was on Saturday night before 6,179 at Boardwalk Hall.
Martinez, who didn't even begin boxing until he was 20, seized the middleweight championship from Pavlik with a big kick at the end of the fight to win a unanimous decision.
It was almost as thought the fight was fought in thirds.
It was Martinez who seemed dominate the early rounds with his movement, right jab and straight left hand. Then Pavlik came on strong in the middle rounds to edge closer. But then it was all Martinez, who dominated down the stretch and was rewarded with a 116-111, 115-111, 115-112 decision. ESPN.com had it 114-113 for Martinez, who survived a seventh round knockdown and still took the 160-pound crown.
He did it because he closed as strong as a fighter can.
Like a cool customer, Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs) was not worried about Pavlik's mid-fight rally.
"It was a 12-round fight and I knew it would go the distance," said Martinez, who made a career-high $1 million. "I knew at the end I had to close strong. It was a 12-round plan and since I am the visitor, I knew it would be hard to win a decision. There is a lot of pride and emotion for me."
Martinez had opened a small cut in the corner of Pavlik's left eye in the first round. In the ninth round, he busted open a nasty cut over his right eye.
The dark red blood flowed freely down Pavlik's face from the cut over the right eye, but both were bleeding. While Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) looked considerably weaker after that round, Martinez was fresh.
He was bouncing on his toes, throwing quick punches and seemed to know he had the fight when he began twirling his hand in victory with 20 seconds left in the fight.
"We were coming on strong in the middle rounds and after the eighth round it seemed like he gave it away," Loew said. "He couldn't turn it around, and I don't know why."
The numbers speak for themselves as over the final four rounds, Martinez landed 112 blows to Pavlik's 51.
It was that impressive.
"I couldn't feel better," said Lou DiBella, Martinez's co-promoter, who used to promote former middleweight champ Jermain Taylor, who had knocked out Pavlik in a dramatic comeback to win the title in 2007 at Boardwalk Hall. "I thought he fought a brilliant fight. Kelly fought well in the middle of the fight, but Sergio sliced him up. He was faster and speed kills.
"I thought Pavlik showed great heart and balls, but Sergio is a great athlete. He's the best athlete I've ever promoted. I thought he had a brilliant game plan. He was brilliant in rounds nine through 12. what a feeling to have a guy who is now a superstar."
Pavlik seemed to figure out Martinez, a southpaw, in the middle rounds, and finally got to him in the seventh. A short right uppercut knocked an off-balance Martinez down, but he wasn't hurt. Still, it seemed to give Pavlik a confidence boost -- until the bad cut in the next round.
What is ironic is that Martinez only got the fight because of a heartbreaking majority decision loss to Paul Williams in December in the small arena upstairs.
It was a sensational fight, one many thought Martinez, 36, had won. And when Pavlik and Williams could not come to terms to put back together their fight that had been called off twice in 2009 because of Pavlik's nagging staph infection and subsequent surgeries on his hand, Pavlik and promoter Top Rank turned to Martinez.
To his credit, Pavlik, of Youngstown, Ohio, didn't complain about the decision or use the injuries that marred his 2009 as an excuse.
"Martinez is a smart fighter," Pavlik said. "He doubled up on his jab a lot after he cut me. I couldn't get anything going after the eighth or ninth round."
Martinez had gained massive respect after his performance against Williams, and now he's champion.
"It is a great honor for me and my country to fight fighters like this," Martinez said. "When the last bell rang I knew I was the new world champion."
And when that last bell rang, Pavlik seemed to know he had lost his title, which he was defending for the fourth time.
Blood was coming down his face and his body language was not good.
"In the last third of the fight, around the eighth or ninth round, he began touching me a lot," said Pavlik, who made $2.5 million. "I tried but it was very hard to come back at him. I couldn't see out of my right eye after he cut it. I could not see his left hand coming. I wasn't hurting, but he just had a lot of volume of punches."
Pavlik, who turned 28 on April 4, has a rematch clause, but it could be awhile until the fight happens. His cut man, Sid Brumback, said Pavlik would need at least a dozen stitches on the inside of cuts and two dozen on the outside to close the wounds.
Pavlik, who struggles to make 160 pounds, said he wanted the rematch despite that.
"It is hard to make 160, but I hate losing and I want to get those belts back," said Pavlik, whose only other defeat came via lopsided decision to Bernard Hopkins in a 170-pound nontitle fight at Boardwalk Hall in 2008.
Martinez is obligated to the rematch is Pavlik picks up his option. But a rematch with Williams would also be a major fight, assuming Williams turns back Kermit Cintron on May 8.
"I would fight whoever," Martinez said when asked about his preference.
Whomever it is, the marvelous one will enter as the world champion.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Throughout the buildup to the fight, Kelly Pavlik, trainer Jack Loew and the rest of the team talked about how tough of an opponent Sergio Martinez would be.
They weren't kidding.
Martinez, a junior middleweight titleholder, was born in Argentina and is nicknamed "Maravilla," which is "Marvelous" in English, and that's what he was on Saturday night before 6,179 at Boardwalk Hall.
Martinez, who didn't even begin boxing until he was 20, seized the middleweight championship from Pavlik with a big kick at the end of the fight to win a unanimous decision.
It was almost as thought the fight was fought in thirds.
It was Martinez who seemed dominate the early rounds with his movement, right jab and straight left hand. Then Pavlik came on strong in the middle rounds to edge closer. But then it was all Martinez, who dominated down the stretch and was rewarded with a 116-111, 115-111, 115-112 decision. ESPN.com had it 114-113 for Martinez, who survived a seventh round knockdown and still took the 160-pound crown.
He did it because he closed as strong as a fighter can.
Like a cool customer, Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs) was not worried about Pavlik's mid-fight rally.
"It was a 12-round fight and I knew it would go the distance," said Martinez, who made a career-high $1 million. "I knew at the end I had to close strong. It was a 12-round plan and since I am the visitor, I knew it would be hard to win a decision. There is a lot of pride and emotion for me."
Martinez had opened a small cut in the corner of Pavlik's left eye in the first round. In the ninth round, he busted open a nasty cut over his right eye.
The dark red blood flowed freely down Pavlik's face from the cut over the right eye, but both were bleeding. While Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) looked considerably weaker after that round, Martinez was fresh.
He was bouncing on his toes, throwing quick punches and seemed to know he had the fight when he began twirling his hand in victory with 20 seconds left in the fight.
"We were coming on strong in the middle rounds and after the eighth round it seemed like he gave it away," Loew said. "He couldn't turn it around, and I don't know why."
The numbers speak for themselves as over the final four rounds, Martinez landed 112 blows to Pavlik's 51.
It was that impressive.
"I couldn't feel better," said Lou DiBella, Martinez's co-promoter, who used to promote former middleweight champ Jermain Taylor, who had knocked out Pavlik in a dramatic comeback to win the title in 2007 at Boardwalk Hall. "I thought he fought a brilliant fight. Kelly fought well in the middle of the fight, but Sergio sliced him up. He was faster and speed kills.
"I thought Pavlik showed great heart and balls, but Sergio is a great athlete. He's the best athlete I've ever promoted. I thought he had a brilliant game plan. He was brilliant in rounds nine through 12. what a feeling to have a guy who is now a superstar."
Pavlik seemed to figure out Martinez, a southpaw, in the middle rounds, and finally got to him in the seventh. A short right uppercut knocked an off-balance Martinez down, but he wasn't hurt. Still, it seemed to give Pavlik a confidence boost -- until the bad cut in the next round.
What is ironic is that Martinez only got the fight because of a heartbreaking majority decision loss to Paul Williams in December in the small arena upstairs.
It was a sensational fight, one many thought Martinez, 36, had won. And when Pavlik and Williams could not come to terms to put back together their fight that had been called off twice in 2009 because of Pavlik's nagging staph infection and subsequent surgeries on his hand, Pavlik and promoter Top Rank turned to Martinez.
To his credit, Pavlik, of Youngstown, Ohio, didn't complain about the decision or use the injuries that marred his 2009 as an excuse.
"Martinez is a smart fighter," Pavlik said. "He doubled up on his jab a lot after he cut me. I couldn't get anything going after the eighth or ninth round."
Martinez had gained massive respect after his performance against Williams, and now he's champion.
"It is a great honor for me and my country to fight fighters like this," Martinez said. "When the last bell rang I knew I was the new world champion."
And when that last bell rang, Pavlik seemed to know he had lost his title, which he was defending for the fourth time.
Blood was coming down his face and his body language was not good.
"In the last third of the fight, around the eighth or ninth round, he began touching me a lot," said Pavlik, who made $2.5 million. "I tried but it was very hard to come back at him. I couldn't see out of my right eye after he cut it. I could not see his left hand coming. I wasn't hurting, but he just had a lot of volume of punches."
Pavlik, who turned 28 on April 4, has a rematch clause, but it could be awhile until the fight happens. His cut man, Sid Brumback, said Pavlik would need at least a dozen stitches on the inside of cuts and two dozen on the outside to close the wounds.
Pavlik, who struggles to make 160 pounds, said he wanted the rematch despite that.
"It is hard to make 160, but I hate losing and I want to get those belts back," said Pavlik, whose only other defeat came via lopsided decision to Bernard Hopkins in a 170-pound nontitle fight at Boardwalk Hall in 2008.
Martinez is obligated to the rematch is Pavlik picks up his option. But a rematch with Williams would also be a major fight, assuming Williams turns back Kermit Cintron on May 8.
"I would fight whoever," Martinez said when asked about his preference.
Whomever it is, the marvelous one will enter as the world champion.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
Source: sports.espn.go.com
FROWNS IN YOUNGSTOWN: Martinez Wins UD12 Over Pavlik In AC -- The Sweet Science
By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science
Sergio Martinez had his hand raised after getting the better of Kelly Pavlik in the main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday night in a fight shown on HBO.
But let's go out of our way to raise the hands of the judges, who did the right thing, and rewarded the pugilism of the slick, agile, energetic Martinez, who was able to get in, and get out on the more plodding Pavlik. Judge Metcalfe saw it 115-112 , judge Perez had it 115-111 , and judge Ramirez saw it 116-111. But Pavlik, after a cruddy start, had a decent middle of the fight, before Martinez got reinvigorated, so no one knew what the judges would say they saw. Bravo, all, you did good.
Martinez went 230-686, while Pavlik went 164-533 on the night.
The WBO-WBC middleweight champion Pavlik (36-1 entering; from Youngstwon, Ohio; age 28; 6-2; 159 1/2 pounds) rehydrated to 178, while the WBC junior middleweight tilist Martinez (44-2-2 entering; from Argentina, lived in Spain, now trains in CA; age 35; 5-10; 159 1/2) to 167.
In the first, the lefty Martinez looked quick. His agility stood out. We wondered if Pavlik's weight edge would really be an edge, or if Martinez could use his movement to greater effect? Some blood formed on Pavlik's left eye after two minutes, but the cut was tiny. In the second, Martinez scored with power lefts. His foe looked sharp, and cocky, in a good way. His feints consistently bothered Pavlik, made him flinch, kept him from throwing.
In the third, Martinez kept moving to his left, away from Pavlik's main weapon, the straight right. The blood dripped from Kelly's eye, and he showed a bit more urgency. In the fourth, Pavlik still couldn't catch Martinez. Never able to land more than one before Martinez scooted away, one wondered if and when Pavlik would simply get frustrated and reckless. In the fifth, Martinez barked at Pavlik after the Ohioan landed. Some swelling showed up on Martinez' right eye. The distance between the men closed some. Was Martinez giving his legs a rest, or was he losing steam?
In the sixth, Martinez got in, got out, got the job done. But Pavlik was getting more accurate. Jack Loew told his man Pavlik after the round that he was piling up rounds. In the seventh, we noted that Martinez hadn't landed a straight left in a few rounds. Pavlik, with a right, scored a knockdown at the 1:23 mark. It looked like balance was the biggest reason for the extra point. In eight, we refer back to the fifth..Martinez' steam was indeed lagging. In the ninth, blood dripped from Pavlik's right cheek and right eyelid. The Argentine, now again winging straight lefts, looked like he had a double espresso before the round began. He put four punch combos together, and Pavlik's face dripped mercilessly. The right eye looked bad. The cutman didn't stem it during the break, either.
In the tenth, Martinez looked like rounds 1-4 Martinez again. The ring doc asked the cutman if he was using Surgicell, and the cutman said that's what he was using. Was it past its sell-by date? In the 11th, Martinez targeted that right eye with his left. Pavlik tried to be aggressive, but he was a step behind. "You've gotta push like you've never pushed," Loew said after. "We need to win this round." In the 12th, Martinez threw one-twos, kept moving to his left, stayed light on his feet. Pavlik didn't let it all hang out. Would he regret that? We'd go to the cards to see. Martinez celebrated as the bell rang, while Pavlik went to his corner to get the blood wiped off his face.
SPEEDBAG Pavlik after said he'd exercise his rematch clause. He was all class, no whining or crying, even though the cutman work wasn't stellar. He said, yes, making 160 is hard, but he will stick there. Martinez said he's happy to give Pavlik another crack, and also would welcome a crack at Paul Williams.
---Philly's Mike Jones (21-0) got a TKO5 win over Hector Munoz on the undercard. The Philly fighter was in pretty easy, as the loser's 18-3 mark was built up in New Mexico, his home base.
---Manny Steward said he thinks Pavlik should go to 168. What about you, TSS U?
---Have you seen many better examples of pacing oneself than Martinez' wily conservation of energy?
---Does anyone hold blame for Team Pavlik for signing on to fight such a mobile man?
Source: thesweetscience.com
Sergio Martinez had his hand raised after getting the better of Kelly Pavlik in the main event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday night in a fight shown on HBO.
But let's go out of our way to raise the hands of the judges, who did the right thing, and rewarded the pugilism of the slick, agile, energetic Martinez, who was able to get in, and get out on the more plodding Pavlik. Judge Metcalfe saw it 115-112 , judge Perez had it 115-111 , and judge Ramirez saw it 116-111. But Pavlik, after a cruddy start, had a decent middle of the fight, before Martinez got reinvigorated, so no one knew what the judges would say they saw. Bravo, all, you did good.
Martinez went 230-686, while Pavlik went 164-533 on the night.
The WBO-WBC middleweight champion Pavlik (36-1 entering; from Youngstwon, Ohio; age 28; 6-2; 159 1/2 pounds) rehydrated to 178, while the WBC junior middleweight tilist Martinez (44-2-2 entering; from Argentina, lived in Spain, now trains in CA; age 35; 5-10; 159 1/2) to 167.
In the first, the lefty Martinez looked quick. His agility stood out. We wondered if Pavlik's weight edge would really be an edge, or if Martinez could use his movement to greater effect? Some blood formed on Pavlik's left eye after two minutes, but the cut was tiny. In the second, Martinez scored with power lefts. His foe looked sharp, and cocky, in a good way. His feints consistently bothered Pavlik, made him flinch, kept him from throwing.
In the third, Martinez kept moving to his left, away from Pavlik's main weapon, the straight right. The blood dripped from Kelly's eye, and he showed a bit more urgency. In the fourth, Pavlik still couldn't catch Martinez. Never able to land more than one before Martinez scooted away, one wondered if and when Pavlik would simply get frustrated and reckless. In the fifth, Martinez barked at Pavlik after the Ohioan landed. Some swelling showed up on Martinez' right eye. The distance between the men closed some. Was Martinez giving his legs a rest, or was he losing steam?
In the sixth, Martinez got in, got out, got the job done. But Pavlik was getting more accurate. Jack Loew told his man Pavlik after the round that he was piling up rounds. In the seventh, we noted that Martinez hadn't landed a straight left in a few rounds. Pavlik, with a right, scored a knockdown at the 1:23 mark. It looked like balance was the biggest reason for the extra point. In eight, we refer back to the fifth..Martinez' steam was indeed lagging. In the ninth, blood dripped from Pavlik's right cheek and right eyelid. The Argentine, now again winging straight lefts, looked like he had a double espresso before the round began. He put four punch combos together, and Pavlik's face dripped mercilessly. The right eye looked bad. The cutman didn't stem it during the break, either.
In the tenth, Martinez looked like rounds 1-4 Martinez again. The ring doc asked the cutman if he was using Surgicell, and the cutman said that's what he was using. Was it past its sell-by date? In the 11th, Martinez targeted that right eye with his left. Pavlik tried to be aggressive, but he was a step behind. "You've gotta push like you've never pushed," Loew said after. "We need to win this round." In the 12th, Martinez threw one-twos, kept moving to his left, stayed light on his feet. Pavlik didn't let it all hang out. Would he regret that? We'd go to the cards to see. Martinez celebrated as the bell rang, while Pavlik went to his corner to get the blood wiped off his face.
SPEEDBAG Pavlik after said he'd exercise his rematch clause. He was all class, no whining or crying, even though the cutman work wasn't stellar. He said, yes, making 160 is hard, but he will stick there. Martinez said he's happy to give Pavlik another crack, and also would welcome a crack at Paul Williams.
---Philly's Mike Jones (21-0) got a TKO5 win over Hector Munoz on the undercard. The Philly fighter was in pretty easy, as the loser's 18-3 mark was built up in New Mexico, his home base.
---Manny Steward said he thinks Pavlik should go to 168. What about you, TSS U?
---Have you seen many better examples of pacing oneself than Martinez' wily conservation of energy?
---Does anyone hold blame for Team Pavlik for signing on to fight such a mobile man?
Source: thesweetscience.com
Martinez closes strong for victory -- ESPN
The Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Sergio Martinez dominated the final five rounds Saturday night, winning a bloody and impressive unanimous decision over Kelly Pavlik to claim the WBO and WBC middleweight championships.
Martinez (45-2-2) moved up to 160 pounds to challenge Pavlik, who had never been defeated at his natural weight. But the junior middleweight champ put on marvelous display of speed and footwork, battering and frustrating the pride of Youngstown, Ohio.
When the final bell sounded, Martinez ran for the corner and leaped onto the ropes in victory. Pavlik solemnly raised his own arm, his face awash in blood -- just as it been at the end of every round after the eighth.
Roberto Ramirez scored it 116-111, Barbara Perez had it 115-111 and Craig Metcalfe had it 115-112, all for Martinez. The Associated Press also scored it 115-112.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
Source: sports.espn.go.com
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Sergio Martinez dominated the final five rounds Saturday night, winning a bloody and impressive unanimous decision over Kelly Pavlik to claim the WBO and WBC middleweight championships.
Martinez (45-2-2) moved up to 160 pounds to challenge Pavlik, who had never been defeated at his natural weight. But the junior middleweight champ put on marvelous display of speed and footwork, battering and frustrating the pride of Youngstown, Ohio.
When the final bell sounded, Martinez ran for the corner and leaped onto the ropes in victory. Pavlik solemnly raised his own arm, his face awash in blood -- just as it been at the end of every round after the eighth.
Roberto Ramirez scored it 116-111, Barbara Perez had it 115-111 and Craig Metcalfe had it 115-112, all for Martinez. The Associated Press also scored it 115-112.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
Source: sports.espn.go.com
Martinez Beats Pavlik for the Middleweight Championship -- 411mania
By Ramon Aranda, 411mania.com
Sergio Martinez finally gets a just decision.
Moments ago, Sergio Martinez defeated Kelly Pavlik for the middleweight championship after twelve hard-fought rounds. Martinez was in complete control early on before seemingly running out of gas midway through. Pavlik managed to start landing his power shots and got back into the fight before Martinez opened up two cuts over Pavlik's eyes that caused his downfall.
From about the 8th round on, it was all Martinez, who used his speed and ring generalship to pummel a confused and bloody Pavlik. Scores were 115-111, 116-111, 115-112.
Our own Jonathan Yaghoubi will have his full ringside report shortly.
Source: 411mania.com
Sergio Martinez finally gets a just decision.
Moments ago, Sergio Martinez defeated Kelly Pavlik for the middleweight championship after twelve hard-fought rounds. Martinez was in complete control early on before seemingly running out of gas midway through. Pavlik managed to start landing his power shots and got back into the fight before Martinez opened up two cuts over Pavlik's eyes that caused his downfall.
From about the 8th round on, it was all Martinez, who used his speed and ring generalship to pummel a confused and bloody Pavlik. Scores were 115-111, 116-111, 115-112.
Our own Jonathan Yaghoubi will have his full ringside report shortly.
Source: 411mania.com
Bute puts Miranda to sleep in three. Martinez defeats Pavlik! -- 8CountNews
By Brad Cooney, 8CountNews.com
IBF super middleweight world champion Lucian Bute (26-0-21KO) only needed three rounds to put hard hitting Edison Miranda to sleep. It would be a brilliant upper cut that would end the night. Miranda started to clown around a little bit encouraging Bute to exchange with him. Bute obliged, and with one punch in the third round, it was over. Bute was asked about a possible Bernard Hopkins fight during the post fight interview. Bute is looking for big fights from here on out, and deserves them.
Middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik ran into a buzz saw in Sergio Martinez. A bloody but determined Pavlik was unable to land his power shots. Martinez' slick and awkward style proved too much for the former champ to handle. There were a few rounds in the middle of the fight where Pavlik gained some control, but lost the momentum in the later rounds. Martinez was knocked down early in the fight, a legit knockdown but he was not hurt by it. Pavlik was cut badly over his eyes, and the blood had an impact on his performance. A well deserved win for Martinez.
Scores 115/111 116/111 and 115/112 UD Martinez
8CN is ringside for the fight so stay tuned for a full ringside report from Ed Anderson, Peter Czymbor, and Maureen Shea.
Source: 8countnews.com
IBF super middleweight world champion Lucian Bute (26-0-21KO) only needed three rounds to put hard hitting Edison Miranda to sleep. It would be a brilliant upper cut that would end the night. Miranda started to clown around a little bit encouraging Bute to exchange with him. Bute obliged, and with one punch in the third round, it was over. Bute was asked about a possible Bernard Hopkins fight during the post fight interview. Bute is looking for big fights from here on out, and deserves them.
Middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik ran into a buzz saw in Sergio Martinez. A bloody but determined Pavlik was unable to land his power shots. Martinez' slick and awkward style proved too much for the former champ to handle. There were a few rounds in the middle of the fight where Pavlik gained some control, but lost the momentum in the later rounds. Martinez was knocked down early in the fight, a legit knockdown but he was not hurt by it. Pavlik was cut badly over his eyes, and the blood had an impact on his performance. A well deserved win for Martinez.
Scores 115/111 116/111 and 115/112 UD Martinez
8CN is ringside for the fight so stay tuned for a full ringside report from Ed Anderson, Peter Czymbor, and Maureen Shea.
Source: 8countnews.com
Saturday, 17 April 2010
JOHN JAMES SPECIAL TO TSS: Sergio Martinez Q 'n' A -- The Sweet Science
The Sweet Science
Sergio Martinez caught the boxing world’s attention late last year when he nearly mugged NABO welterweight champion, Paul Williams, in a twelve-round instant classic. His gritty performance, clever counterpunching and total grace in defeat overshadowed Martinez’s inability to commune with his newfound fans in the post fight ring interview.
Most didn't give Martinez a shot against the Punisher. Paul was considered too strong and too busy for Martinez. In the first round things looked bad. Martinez went down awkwardly from a looping Williams left. But he got it together, took his time and found his range. Lightning struck. The Argentine walloped Williams with a stupid left that sent the Punisher across the ropes. Game on! Martinez would lose a close one (let's give Paul his due and say tie goes to the local guy) but he had earned his breakthrough moment.
I spoke to Martinez not long after the fight. He had just arrived back to the U.S. from visiting friends and family in Spain and Argentina. He bore no ill will toward the judges or Williams, and he seemed completely satisfied with his performance and confident about his future in the ring. What I learned about Martinez is that he gets it, and now more importantly, he gets the big fights. He faces middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik tonight at boardwalk Hall Atlantic City. It's unclear how well he will hold up to Pavlik’s straight rights. They say a good big man always beats a good little man. Martinez and Pavlik will test that hypothesis in what is surely one of the trickier fights of the year to call.
JJ: What have you been up to since your fight with Paul Williams?
SM: I was visiting family. It’s been eight years since I spent Christmas and the New Year with my mother and my brothers.
JJ: And where are they?
SM: They are in Argentina. In Spain I have my other house. I am living here in Oxnard where I spend more time but I have friends in Spain that I went to visit for the last fifteen to twenty days.
JJ: How’s Oxnard? (Laughter)
SM: The gym! Where I’m 100% focused on my training. There are a few places with beaches that I go to when I need to relax. There’s not a lot, but the little there is…is very pretty.
JJ: Tell me about your fight with Paul. Did you think you won?
SM: With Paul Williams I thought it was very close, and I thought a draw would have been fairer. I knew I was going to be dealing with being the visitor and to win as the visitor I needed to do more in the fight.
JJ: How would you rate William’s skills?
SM: He’s a great boxer. I think this could have been his best fight. He showed he’s one of the greats. If not, he wouldn’t have been able to hang with me.
JJ: Would you like to fight him again?
SM: Yes, it would be great to fight again and leave no doubt…for him or for me.
JJ: What were you thinking when you knocked him down in the first?
SM: When he got knocked down, well, I knew he wasn’t a machine. I knew I needed to stay busy and keep working because I knew I could knock him out.
JJ: Did it surprise you that you were able to hit him so easily?
SM: No, because in all of the fights that I saw he always got hit a lot. What surprised me was how well he recovered every time he got hit so hard.
JJ: What did you learn from that fight?
SM: The most important thing is that I’m at a high level and at any moment I can give another great performance against another great boxer.
JJ: Let’s talk about it. What are your upcoming plans…will it be Pavlik?
SM: Yes. It’s already set. It’ll be in Atlantic City.
JJ: Let’s talk honestly about that fight. He is taller and weighs more. What’s your strategy?
SM: I’m always going to trust my style because it’s the one that has taken me this far. I’ll have to be well prepared as always, but to be at that level, I will have to do more. Like for example with the Williams fight I was well-trained – actually extremely well-trained – so for Pavlik it will be the same. It’s going to be a tough fight. A tough fight for me and a very tough fight for him. More than anything if the two give the best that each can give, Pavlik with his strength and me with my speed and technique, it will be a great show.
JJ: What do you weigh now?
SM: 175. I’m trying to gain a little more.
JJ: Is that all red wine from Spain?
SM: No. I have never tasted alcohol! It’s exercise and weight training. I know it’s going to be a lot of work between now and the fight.
JJ: What has been your toughest fight to date?
SM: Paul Williams
JJ: You fought Antonio Margarito and you know the story. Do you think they should license him to fight again?
SM: It’s a tough one. I’m not really up to speed on that one. I think we can only ask for justice. They have to really analyze the case and decide what is best and come to a decision that is fair to Margarito, but that is fair to others too.
JJ: In all of your fights who would you say has hit you the hardest?
SM: One of my first fights in England in 2003…a guy named Richard Williams.
JJ: If you could fight with anyone from the past who would it be?
SM: That’s a tough one. It would probably have to be one of the greats. Marvin Hagler. Sugar Ray Leonard. Thomas Hearns. It would have to be one of those three. They would be hard fights, but it would also have been an honor.
JJ: Why did you become a boxer?
SM: I was a soccer player and I decided to switch. Soon after I discovered with boxing that I would have to be self-sufficient. I always had a lot of confidence in myself. I liked boxing because I could do big things on my own.
JJ: What food can’t you stay away from during training?
SM: Meats and typical Argentinean ‘asados.’
JJ: Do you have kids are you married?
SM: Single, no kids.
JJ: Are you watching the Super 6?
SM: I’ve recorded them all.
JJ: Who wins?
SM: Arthur Abraham has the hardest punch. But technically, I like Dirrell and Ward the best.
JJ: Floyd/Mosley?
SM: I say Mayweather. He’s faster.
JJ: Floyd/Pacquiao?
SM: Also Floyd. I think he’s the best fighter in these times.
JJ: Are you learning English?
SM: Yes, a little. In my free time I'm trying to learn and read books.
JJ: Thanks Sergio. I wish you the best.
SM: Thank you.
Source: thesweetscience.com
Sergio Martinez caught the boxing world’s attention late last year when he nearly mugged NABO welterweight champion, Paul Williams, in a twelve-round instant classic. His gritty performance, clever counterpunching and total grace in defeat overshadowed Martinez’s inability to commune with his newfound fans in the post fight ring interview.
Most didn't give Martinez a shot against the Punisher. Paul was considered too strong and too busy for Martinez. In the first round things looked bad. Martinez went down awkwardly from a looping Williams left. But he got it together, took his time and found his range. Lightning struck. The Argentine walloped Williams with a stupid left that sent the Punisher across the ropes. Game on! Martinez would lose a close one (let's give Paul his due and say tie goes to the local guy) but he had earned his breakthrough moment.
I spoke to Martinez not long after the fight. He had just arrived back to the U.S. from visiting friends and family in Spain and Argentina. He bore no ill will toward the judges or Williams, and he seemed completely satisfied with his performance and confident about his future in the ring. What I learned about Martinez is that he gets it, and now more importantly, he gets the big fights. He faces middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik tonight at boardwalk Hall Atlantic City. It's unclear how well he will hold up to Pavlik’s straight rights. They say a good big man always beats a good little man. Martinez and Pavlik will test that hypothesis in what is surely one of the trickier fights of the year to call.
JJ: What have you been up to since your fight with Paul Williams?
SM: I was visiting family. It’s been eight years since I spent Christmas and the New Year with my mother and my brothers.
JJ: And where are they?
SM: They are in Argentina. In Spain I have my other house. I am living here in Oxnard where I spend more time but I have friends in Spain that I went to visit for the last fifteen to twenty days.
JJ: How’s Oxnard? (Laughter)
SM: The gym! Where I’m 100% focused on my training. There are a few places with beaches that I go to when I need to relax. There’s not a lot, but the little there is…is very pretty.
JJ: Tell me about your fight with Paul. Did you think you won?
SM: With Paul Williams I thought it was very close, and I thought a draw would have been fairer. I knew I was going to be dealing with being the visitor and to win as the visitor I needed to do more in the fight.
JJ: How would you rate William’s skills?
SM: He’s a great boxer. I think this could have been his best fight. He showed he’s one of the greats. If not, he wouldn’t have been able to hang with me.
JJ: Would you like to fight him again?
SM: Yes, it would be great to fight again and leave no doubt…for him or for me.
JJ: What were you thinking when you knocked him down in the first?
SM: When he got knocked down, well, I knew he wasn’t a machine. I knew I needed to stay busy and keep working because I knew I could knock him out.
JJ: Did it surprise you that you were able to hit him so easily?
SM: No, because in all of the fights that I saw he always got hit a lot. What surprised me was how well he recovered every time he got hit so hard.
JJ: What did you learn from that fight?
SM: The most important thing is that I’m at a high level and at any moment I can give another great performance against another great boxer.
JJ: Let’s talk about it. What are your upcoming plans…will it be Pavlik?
SM: Yes. It’s already set. It’ll be in Atlantic City.
JJ: Let’s talk honestly about that fight. He is taller and weighs more. What’s your strategy?
SM: I’m always going to trust my style because it’s the one that has taken me this far. I’ll have to be well prepared as always, but to be at that level, I will have to do more. Like for example with the Williams fight I was well-trained – actually extremely well-trained – so for Pavlik it will be the same. It’s going to be a tough fight. A tough fight for me and a very tough fight for him. More than anything if the two give the best that each can give, Pavlik with his strength and me with my speed and technique, it will be a great show.
JJ: What do you weigh now?
SM: 175. I’m trying to gain a little more.
JJ: Is that all red wine from Spain?
SM: No. I have never tasted alcohol! It’s exercise and weight training. I know it’s going to be a lot of work between now and the fight.
JJ: What has been your toughest fight to date?
SM: Paul Williams
JJ: You fought Antonio Margarito and you know the story. Do you think they should license him to fight again?
SM: It’s a tough one. I’m not really up to speed on that one. I think we can only ask for justice. They have to really analyze the case and decide what is best and come to a decision that is fair to Margarito, but that is fair to others too.
JJ: In all of your fights who would you say has hit you the hardest?
SM: One of my first fights in England in 2003…a guy named Richard Williams.
JJ: If you could fight with anyone from the past who would it be?
SM: That’s a tough one. It would probably have to be one of the greats. Marvin Hagler. Sugar Ray Leonard. Thomas Hearns. It would have to be one of those three. They would be hard fights, but it would also have been an honor.
JJ: Why did you become a boxer?
SM: I was a soccer player and I decided to switch. Soon after I discovered with boxing that I would have to be self-sufficient. I always had a lot of confidence in myself. I liked boxing because I could do big things on my own.
JJ: What food can’t you stay away from during training?
SM: Meats and typical Argentinean ‘asados.’
JJ: Do you have kids are you married?
SM: Single, no kids.
JJ: Are you watching the Super 6?
SM: I’ve recorded them all.
JJ: Who wins?
SM: Arthur Abraham has the hardest punch. But technically, I like Dirrell and Ward the best.
JJ: Floyd/Mosley?
SM: I say Mayweather. He’s faster.
JJ: Floyd/Pacquiao?
SM: Also Floyd. I think he’s the best fighter in these times.
JJ: Are you learning English?
SM: Yes, a little. In my free time I'm trying to learn and read books.
JJ: Thanks Sergio. I wish you the best.
SM: Thank you.
Source: thesweetscience.com
Pavlik has much to prove vs. Martinez -- New York Post
By George Willis, New York Post
He's not a drunk. He's not a carouser, and he certainly is not afraid to fight anybody. Those are just a few things Kelly Pavlik of Youngstown wants to prove tonight when he defends his middleweight championship against Sergio Martinez of Argentina at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
The 12-round bout is part of a doubleheader to be televised by HBO. The broadcast begins in Canada with undefeated Lucian Bute defending his super middleweight title against Edison Miranda of Puerto Rico.
Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs) is looking to rebound from a difficult 2009 when he battled a staph infection in his hand that caused him to pull out of at least two proposed bouts with Paul Williams. There were also reports of Pavlik having a drinking problem and not being fully dedicated to boxing.
Pavlik and his trainer Jack Loew insist those reports are either false or exaggerated. Pavlik likes to drink a beer and shoot pool with his friends in Youngstown while not in training, and it was the complications from the staph infection, not fear, that forced him to pull out of the bouts with Williams.
"I had a bad 2009," Pavlik said. "[Now] I can't lose or my reputation goes way down. My job right now is to go out there and beat Sergio Martinez, and beat him convincingly, and keep fighting those types of fights to get the kind of recognition I want."
Despite his health problems, Pavlik fought twice in 2009, defeating mandatory challengers Marco Antonio Rubio in February and Miguel Angel Espino in December. But in many ways, Pavlik still is trying to regain his reputation after being dominated by Bernard Hopkins in a non-title bout in October 2008. Pavlik won just one round on one scorecard that night; two rounds on another.
Pavlik says that was just "a bad night," but, that coupled with the cancellations of two proposed bouts with Williams, has some wondering if we already have seen the best of Pavlik. Martinez, a junior middleweight champion, is viewed as a worthy opponent, after losing a majority decision to Williams last December.
"I wanted to fight Williams and they said I was lying," Pavlik said. "The doctors had to prove that I wasn't lying. So the next best fight out there was Martinez. Other than Paul Williams, his is the biggest name in the division and the biggest fight for me to take."
Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KOs) is fast on his feet and punches from all angles, an awkward style that could frustrate Pavlik.
"This is one of the best fighters quality-wise I've ever promoted and the best fighter to come out of Argentina since Carlos Monzon," said Manhattan-based promoter Lou DiBella.
Loew said he has not seen Pavlik look as good as he did during training camp and doesn't expect Martinez's style to be too much of a riddle.
"He's awkward and punches from different angles, which sometimes helps him and sometimes that could leave him wide open and get caught coming in," Loew said. "But he's somebody you've got to respect."
**
The boxing world continues to mourn the loss of Arthur Mercante Sr., who died last Saturday. A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Mercante was the third man in the ring for the legendary first fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden in 1971. It was one of more than 140 world championship fights Mercante worked.
"He was a man who carried himself with such grace and class both inside and outside the ring and was an inspiration to me my entire life," said ring judge Julie Lederman. Mercante was 90.
george.willis@nypost.com
Source: nypost.com
He's not a drunk. He's not a carouser, and he certainly is not afraid to fight anybody. Those are just a few things Kelly Pavlik of Youngstown wants to prove tonight when he defends his middleweight championship against Sergio Martinez of Argentina at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
The 12-round bout is part of a doubleheader to be televised by HBO. The broadcast begins in Canada with undefeated Lucian Bute defending his super middleweight title against Edison Miranda of Puerto Rico.
Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs) is looking to rebound from a difficult 2009 when he battled a staph infection in his hand that caused him to pull out of at least two proposed bouts with Paul Williams. There were also reports of Pavlik having a drinking problem and not being fully dedicated to boxing.
Pavlik and his trainer Jack Loew insist those reports are either false or exaggerated. Pavlik likes to drink a beer and shoot pool with his friends in Youngstown while not in training, and it was the complications from the staph infection, not fear, that forced him to pull out of the bouts with Williams.
"I had a bad 2009," Pavlik said. "[Now] I can't lose or my reputation goes way down. My job right now is to go out there and beat Sergio Martinez, and beat him convincingly, and keep fighting those types of fights to get the kind of recognition I want."
Despite his health problems, Pavlik fought twice in 2009, defeating mandatory challengers Marco Antonio Rubio in February and Miguel Angel Espino in December. But in many ways, Pavlik still is trying to regain his reputation after being dominated by Bernard Hopkins in a non-title bout in October 2008. Pavlik won just one round on one scorecard that night; two rounds on another.
Pavlik says that was just "a bad night," but, that coupled with the cancellations of two proposed bouts with Williams, has some wondering if we already have seen the best of Pavlik. Martinez, a junior middleweight champion, is viewed as a worthy opponent, after losing a majority decision to Williams last December.
"I wanted to fight Williams and they said I was lying," Pavlik said. "The doctors had to prove that I wasn't lying. So the next best fight out there was Martinez. Other than Paul Williams, his is the biggest name in the division and the biggest fight for me to take."
Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KOs) is fast on his feet and punches from all angles, an awkward style that could frustrate Pavlik.
"This is one of the best fighters quality-wise I've ever promoted and the best fighter to come out of Argentina since Carlos Monzon," said Manhattan-based promoter Lou DiBella.
Loew said he has not seen Pavlik look as good as he did during training camp and doesn't expect Martinez's style to be too much of a riddle.
"He's awkward and punches from different angles, which sometimes helps him and sometimes that could leave him wide open and get caught coming in," Loew said. "But he's somebody you've got to respect."
**
The boxing world continues to mourn the loss of Arthur Mercante Sr., who died last Saturday. A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Mercante was the third man in the ring for the legendary first fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden in 1971. It was one of more than 140 world championship fights Mercante worked.
"He was a man who carried himself with such grace and class both inside and outside the ring and was an inspiration to me my entire life," said ring judge Julie Lederman. Mercante was 90.
george.willis@nypost.com
Source: nypost.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)