September 21, 2010

By Charlene May and Tim Harrison

Twenty-ten is the beginning of a new decade. Sadly, it's a year in boxing where more has been promised and less has been delivered. Hype is at an all time high. Fans want less hype, and more quality fights. Boxing needs a valiant warrior, a pure fighter with the heart of a champion. A champion that has earned his title. It takes more to become the people's champion than a fighter that can endure physical risks inside the squared circle. It takes a courageous fighter with humility, skill, focus, and situational intelligence to build a metaphorical bridge between himself and real boxing fans.

Over the past few years, the boxing industry has pledged its full support to one or two fighters that have failed to reciprocate the same loyalty given to them. The sport has now found itself holding onto a thread because of the big money names reluctance to "touch 'em up”.  Enter Sergio Martinez.  Martinez is a true warrior ready for the biggest and most challenging fights.  A warrior ready to do his part to help elevate the sport of boxing.

Yesterday afternoon, we had the opportunity to speak in length with Sergio Martinez and his advisor, Sampson Lewkowicz, on a variety of topics. It is an honor to share with you their current thoughts on Martinez's upcoming November 20, 2010, rematch with Paul Williams. Martinez also spoke candidly with us on other topics, including his personal mantra as an athlete, his future as an elite boxer, and his controversial fights of 2009.

Sergio Martinez, the WBC and Ring Magazine middleweight champion from Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina, currently resides and trains in Oxnard, California. During our conversation with Martinez, his humility was apparent. He repeatedly expressed his desire to fight the best in the sport so that he could deliver excitement to the fans.  Martinez took the long road to the top of the mountain, and has a great appreciation and respect for each and every step he took along the way to become an elite fighter. Despite his long and arduous journey, Martinez isn’t looking for paper championships, and he certainly isn't looking for the shortest route to the bank.

Martinez has been eager to step back into the ring with Williams ever since their fight of the year candidate on December 5, 2009. The fight was filled with action from beginning to end.  The eleventh and twelfth rounds gave boxing fans a throwback display of the meaning of the term, “championship rounds”.  Each man was determined not to be overshadowed by the other.  Williams kept true to form in throwing punches in bunches.  Martinez was more economical with his punches, and according to critics, landed the more telling blows. However, Martinez humbly stated to us during our live interview with him, that he feels he just wasn't punching hard enough to win that fight.

In the end, Williams escaped with a controversial split decision.  The judges’ scores were 115-113, 114-114, and an eye-popping 119-110 in favor of Williams. Many observers felt that Martinez should have gotten the decision.  However, in a fight where each round is decided by razor thin margins, the decision could have gone either way. In speaking to Martinez yesterday, we asked the million dollar question, “Do you feel that you were robbed of a win over Williams last December?"  Martinez unapologetically answered without hesitation, “I didn’t get robbed. I feel that I didn't earn the fight. I want you to ask Paul Williams if he feels he really won the fight.  I don’t think Paul Williams can say he feels he really won the fight.  The fight should’ve been a draw.”

On that 2009 night, Martinez and Williams both left the arena committed to meet again in the ring.  A rematch seemed like a necessity for Martinez to avenge his loss. This is boxing. Deals are never imminent, and schedules are unpredictable. However, that night, both fighters left knowing that the date for a probable rematch was in the hands of network executives, and could take some time. Fast forward to twenty-ten. The highly-anticipated rematch between Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KO) and Paul “The Punisher” Williams (39-1, 27 KO) was announced on Monday, September, 20, 2010.

The press conference to formally announce the rematch will be held on Thursday, September 23, 2010 beginning at 12pm ET / 9am PT.  Location: The Palm West Restaurant, 250 West 50th Street, New York City.

The fight venue will be held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  The bout will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing, and will air the replay of the November 13, 2010, pay-per-view fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, beforehand.  The bout will be co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Goossen-Tutor Promotions.

In a sport where many fighters feel they are undefeated, despite losses on their record, they tend to complain about every decision that did not go their way. It is inspiring to hear a fighter like Sergio Martinez admit that he did not earn a victory.  It is an indicator of accountability. It is an admirable trait that is rarely seen in people today, especially professional athletes.  In speaking with Martinez, we were impressed with three great qualities, other than his physical prowess;  Accountability, humility, and respect will help define Sergio Martinez as a champion of the people, for the people, and because of the people.

In speaking with Martinez we asked him to elaborate on a personal observation that we made regarding his high level of sportsmanship and the respect that he shows his opponents. Martinez said, “I will respect all of my challengers, opponents, and every person that is respectable to me, but not in the ring. I will respect a fighter's skill in order to prepare for him, but once I step in the ring, the respect for my opponent does not make me cautious of fighting a great fight."

Despite Martinez’s respect for his opponents, he still carries himself with a great deal of self confidence, bravado, and a focused intensity seen in so few.  He is confident that he will retain his WBC middle weight championship when he meets Paul Williams in the ring November 20, 2010.  When asked about potential future opponents after his chance at redemption in November, Martinez answered, “Right now I always want the big fights, but no one in particular. I won’t think ahead past November."

We asked the polite Argentinean, what redemption means to him, the answer was straight forward, “Beating Paul Williams [in November]. I think that after I beat Paul Williams, I will only be looking forward to the biggest fights that the public wants. I don’t want to fight other fights.  I want a meaningful fight that isn’t about money, but the quality of the challengers.”

The focus of the discussion continued as we prompted Martinez to elaborate on the fights that he feels boxing fans truly crave.  “I feel like I need to fight the toughest opponents that the people want to see, because it motivates me.  I can’t get motivated with a lesser opponent.  I motivate myself with the biggest fights.  I’m interested in fighting the best.” Martinez commented.

In closing the interview, we asked Sergio Martinez if he would like to share anything more with his fans and the boxing industry.  Martinez replied, “I want to say ‘thank you’ to the fans, and ask them to please follow my career.  Without the people and the fans I’m absolutely nothing.  Without my fans I wouldn’t be who I am today.  To Paul Williams, you will have the toughest fight of your life.”

Hold onto the ropes, this round isn't over.  We discussed much more with Sergio Martinez, the WBC middleweight champion, in his first in-depth interview before his official press conference Thursday.  You will not want to miss part two: The Q&A “Elevating The Sport of Boxing, The Sergio Martinez Way” 

To view the full Q & A with the middleweight champion of the world, visit : http://www.officialscorecard.com/