Filed under: WBC, WBO, Golden Boy Promotions, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive, Top Rank Promotions
For a man who began his athletic career with his feet, Sergio Martinez (pictured at far right) sure does have some lethal fists. In his past three ring outings, the 35-year-old Argentinian-born, resident of Oxnard, Calif., has virtually sliced the faces of his opponents into bloody ribbons, even as he battled to a draw, lost a disputed decision, and, earned his biggest career victory, all in succession.
A former soccer player and cyclist who did not begin boxing until he had turned 20, Martinez (45-2-2, 24 knockouts) has battled and floored former two-time world champion, Kermit Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KOs) in a junior middleweight (154 pounds) draw; lost a disputed majority decision in a non-title middleweight (160 pounds) clash of southpaws to former three-time world titlist Paul Williams (39-1, 27 KOs); and dethroned WBC and WBO middleweight king, Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs), the latter of whom out-weighed him by several pounds.
Despite those fights, Martinez has since been stripped of the WBO middleweight crown, as well as the WBC junior middleweight title, the latter of which was on the line in last Saturday night's Top Rank Promotions, HBO pay per view televised Manny Pacquiao (53-2-1, 38 KOs) unanimous decision over Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) for his eighth crown over as many different weight classes.
But not only did Martinez's triumph over Pavlik, in April, catapult him into the top 10, pound-for-pound, lists of a number of media outlets, but it also made him a candidate for lucrative bouts opposite six-time titlist, Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), five-time champion Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs), and, former belt-holder, Margarito, the latter of whom knocked Martinez out in the seventh round in February of 2000.
Mosley-Martinez came as close as Martinez's promoter, Lou DiBella, offering Mosley's Golden Boy Promotions a favorable 60-40 split of the purse with Martinez's title on the line. But Mosley elected to face light-hitting, former champion, Sergio Mora, against whom he battled to a disputed 12-round draw.
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Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2010/11/18/sergio-martinez-ready-for-war-with-paul-williams/
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