Sergio Martinez
KING RETURNS AFTER 2012 CHAVEZ WIN
Los Angeles, CA– On April 27, 2013, World middleweight (160 lb.) king Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO) defended his crown against England’s Martin Murray (25-1-1, 11 KO) in his home country of Argentina. In a fight that proved to be much more difficult than it appeared on paper, Martinez was able to come away with a close victory on the scorecards.
DID MARTINEZ BENEFIT FROM “HOME COOKING?”
There is some debate as to whether or not this was a “hometown” decision, as Murray dropped Martinez in round eight. I personally saw Martinez win a close fight, but it was much more competitive than it should have been.
DAMAGED IN CHAVEZ FIGHT…DAMAGED FOR LIFE?
Sergio, coming off surgery to repair his damaged right knee suffered in the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight, did not move nearly as well as we are accustomed to seeing. He got caught with solid punches throughout the fight, and was not able to land many effective shots of his own in several rounds. Even worse, Martinez reportedly re-injured his knee and broke his left hand during the fight, which has caused promoter Lou Di Bella to speculate that Sergio will be out until 2014.
HAS THE AGE & MILEAGE CAUGHT UP?
Because of his advanced age of 38, a mounting pile of injuries, and a thoroughly unimpressive performance against a hand-picked opponent in Murray, there are those who felt “Maravilla” should walk away from the sport of boxing in one piece. He has gained worldwide acclaim for his performances in the ring, and boxing fans do not want to see one of the pound-for-pound best deteriorate as a fight with Floyd Mayweather appears to be an impossibility.
ARGENTINE CHAMP A “TRUE” GAMBLER!
Those who are clamoring for Maravilla’s retirement after one poor showing should cut the man some slack. He was clearly not at 100% that night, and should be given a chance to perform at the highest level once he is fully recovered. He is walking a dangerous line in choosing to continue fighting these much bigger, much younger opponent, but Sergio has never been one to play it safe.
WRITING ALREADY ON WALL FOR SERGIO?
If Sergio returns next year and looks like he did a fortnight ago, then maybe it is time for him to consider retirement. He has carved out a name for himself in the sport of boxing, and could walk away with grace. If he returns and does manage to resemble the Sergio who has obliterated the rest of the middleweight division the last few years, I would like to see him have one more big money fight. Here’s to hoping the great Maravilla does what so few fighters are capable of and retires from boxing before boxing retires him.
Zak “Attack” Young