Why Martinez Must Beat Cotto

Published

11 years ago

June 5, 2014

—-Photo credit : Ed Mulholland- Top Rank

He’s the WBC middleweight title holder. He’s conclusively defeated the likes of Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in title bouts. Of his two career defeats, only one of them was a legitimate loss. And that occurred 14 years ago when he was stopped by Antonio Margarito in his first fight on American soil. His name is Sergio Martinez 51-2-2 (28) and he defends his WBC middleweight title this weekend against former three division title holder Miguel Cotto 38-4 (31).

Cotto is 1-2 in his last three bouts and his two losses were suffered in junior middleweight title bouts against Austin Trout and Floyd Mayweather. If you go back five years, Miguel is 4-3 in his last seven fights. And by no means are those facts mentioned with the intent of disparaging Cotto. He is one of the most popular and respected fighters today in professional boxing for all the right reasons. He’s fought every top fighter around his weight and never ducked anyone since he turned pro back in early 2001. In addition to that he’s provided the boxing public with action packed and fan friendly bouts every time out. He’s never gloated after a win and never made excuses after a loss.

However, no one is talking about one small thing that just maybe be a driving force behind Sergio Martinez on June 7th, and that’s a little thing called disrespect. Granted, it may only be in his mind, but when that bell rings this Saturday night he’s the only person that feeling disrespected matters to. Of course everyone has noticed that this highly anticipated bout has been billed and promoted as Cotto vs. Martinez.

Yes, Martinez is the champ and is playing second fiddle to a fighter who has never fought as a middleweight before and has lost consecutive junior middleweight title bouts within the past two years. On top of that he was at the mercy of a coin flip regarding his place in the pre-fight ring festivities. This is something not many title holders have been subjected to. Cotto smartly took advantage of his bigger and brighter star power and you and me would’ve done the same thing if we held the leverage over Martinez that he did. The only blow back from that is it can become a motivating factor for the fighter who feels he’s been dissed throughout the promotion. Call it a hunch but I doubt Martinez has ever been this motivated for a fight in his career.

Cotto has participated in and won plenty of big fights during his professional career, versus Zab Judah, Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito. He’s also been the B side of the promotion in huge PPV bouts versus Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. In his losing effort against Pacquiao he showed tremendous heart and toughness. He was very competitive against Mayweather and pushed Floyd hard over the 12-rounds they fought despite losing a unanimous decision. Yes, everybody loves and respects Miguel Cotto.

Martinez, on the other hand, has never participated in a mega fight before. Sergio has never had so much attention on him like this prior to a bout. Sure, fighting Paul Williams twice (1-1) along with Pavlik and Chavez were seen on HBO, but they don’t come close to rivaling the attention and notoriety he’ll get after fighting Cotto, win or lose. If Martinez beats Cotto, especially if it’s without controversy, his name will be mentioned as a future opponent for Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin and Floyd Mayweather. All three fights would be for more money than he’s made his entire career. And yes, if Mayweather sees Martinez as a viable opponent if he beats Cotto, all he has to do is say “Give me Martinez” and you better believe Showtime and HBO will not stand in the way. If Floyd wants to challenge for the middleweight title, and we know that he does, the cable networks will find a way to come together. They did for Lewis-Tyson and they’ll do it for Mayweather-Martinez, provided that’s the fight Floyd wants. If you don’t know by now that it all depends on Floyd, you haven’t been paying close attention.

In all honesty, Martinez has to beat Cotto. Sergio has had a stellar career. But in reality he hasn’t faced a murderers row fighting as a middleweight. And that’s not his fault. The same can be said for Gennady Golovkin. Both Martinez and Golovkin are trapped in a division that right now is very pedestrian. Other than facing each other or maybe Chavez, there’s nobody for them to fight that would stimulate public interest. In order for them to partake in a mega fight they have to go outside of their division. And that’s another reason why it’s a must win fight for Martinez.

Sergio hasn’t reaped the rewards or the mega millions that can accompany a career like the one he’s carved out. Also, there are some observers, myself included, who really aren’t sure how terrific he is. He’s a tremendous athlete, but I think his style bothers most of his opponents more than anything else. His southpaw stance and ability to move and throw unorthodox and awkward punches is the thing that most befuddles his opponents. That aside, you can’t argue with his record. But if he loses to Cotto, that will probably end his career as far as being in the running for the few multimillion dollar mega fights that are out there for him right now even at age 39.

Martinez hasn’t fought in over a year because of injuries. There’s no question about it that his body is breaking down. Health is a huge issue regarding his future as a championship worthy fighter. That said, he should be healthy and strong for Miguel Cotto on June 7th. This is the signature fight of Martinez’s career and he has to win it. There’s no way he can lose to the guy who was stopped by Manny Pacquiao and lost one sided decisions to Floyd Mayweather and Austin Trout if he hopes to define his legacy and fight for millions of dollars again in his next bout.

Professional boxing is a cruel and lonely world for a fighter and it’s is usually not fair. And that’s even more the reason why Martinez must beat Cotto. He can’t go down and be remembered as the fighter who won a few middleweight title fights but lost his belt to a fighter who used to be the junior welterweight title holder, who lost his title to the fighter who used to be the featherweight champ.

Martinez is very mentally tough and I think he’s got tons of pride. Cotto’s career can withstand losing to Martinez, but the same cannot be said about Martinez if he loses to Cotto. Beating Miguel Cotto is an absolute must for Sergio Martinez.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Jorge Garcia is the TSS Fighter of the Month for April

Published

2 days ago

April 28, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Jorge-Garcia-is-the-TSS-Fighter-of-the-Month-for-April

Jorge Garcia has a lot in common with Mexican countrymen Emanuel Navarrete and Rafael Espinoza. In common with those two, both reigning world title-holders, Garcia is big for his weight class and bubbled out of obscurity with a triumph forged as a heavy underdog in a match contested on American soil.

Garcia had his “coming of age party” on April 19 in the first boxing event at the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California (roughly 35 miles north of San Diego), a 7,500-seat facility whose primary tenant is an indoor soccer team. It was a Golden Boy Promotions event and in the opposite corner was a Golden Boy fighter, Charles Conwell.

A former U.S. Olympian, Conwell was undefeated (21-0, 16 KOs) and had won three straight inside the distance since hooking up with Golden Boy whose PR department ballyhooed him as the most avoided fighter in the super welterweight division. At prominent betting sites, Conwell was as high as a 12/1 favorite.

The lanky Garcia was 32-4 (26 KOs) heading in, but it was easy to underestimate him as he had fought extensively in Tijuana where the boxing commission is notoriously docile and in his home state of Sinaloa. This would be only his second fight in the U.S. However, it was noteworthy in hindsight that three of his four losses were by split decision.

Garcia vs. Conwell was a robust affair. He and Conwell were credited with throwing 1451 punches combined. In terms of punches landed, there was little to choose between them but the CompuBox operator saw Garcia landing more power punches in eight of the 12 rounds. At the end, the verdict was split but there was no controversy.

An interested observer was Sebastian Fundora who was there to see his sister Gabriela defend her world flyweight titles. Sebastian owns two pieces of the 154-pound world title where the #1 contender per the WBO is Xander Zayas who keeps winning, but not with the verve of his earlier triumphs.

With his upset of Charles Conwell, Jorge Garcia has been bumped into the WBO’s #2 slot. Regardless of who he fights next, Garcia will earn the biggest payday of his career.

Honorable mention: Aaron McKenna

McKenna was favored to beat veteran campaigner Liam Smith in the co-feature to the Eubank-Benn battle this past Saturday in London, but he was stepping up in class against a former world title-holder who had competed against some of the top dogs in the middleweight division and who had famously stopped Chris Eubank Jr in the first of their two encounters. Moreover, the venue, Tottenham Hotspur, the third-largest soccer stadium in England, favored the 36-year-old Liverpudlian who was accustomed to a big fight atmosphere having fought Canelo Alvarez before 50,000-plus at Arlington Stadium in Texas.

McKenna, from the small town of Monaghan, Ireland, wasn’t overwhelmed by the occasion. With his dad Feargal in his corner and his fighting brother Stephen McKenna cheering him on from ringside, Aaron won a wide decision in his first 12-round fight, punctuating his victory by knocking Smith to his knees with a body punch in the 12^th round. In fact, if he hadn’t had a point deducted for using his elbow, the Irishman would have pitched a shutout on one of the scorecards.

“There might not be a more impressive example of a fighter moving up in class,” wrote Tris Dixon of the 25-year-old “Silencer” who improved his ledger to 20-0 (10).

Photo credits: Garcia/Conwell photo compliments of Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy; McKenna-Smith provided by Mark Robinson/Matchroom

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Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2025

David A. Avila

Chris-Eubank-Jr-Outlasts-Conor-Benn-at-Tottenham-Hotsour-Stadium

Feudal bragging rights belong to Chris Eubank Jr. who out-lasted Conor Benn to
emerge victorious by unanimous decision in a non-title middleweight match held in
London on Saturday.

Fighting for their family heritage Eubank (35-3, 26 KOs) and Benn (23-1, 14 KOs)
continued the battle between families started 35 years ago by their fathers at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium.

More than 65,000 fans attended.

Though Eubank Jr. had a weight and height advantage and a record of smashing his
way to victory via knockout, he had problems hurting the quicker and more agile Benn.
And though Benn had the advantage of moving up two weight divisions and forcing
Eubank to fight under a catch weight, the move did not weaken him much.

Instead, British fans and boxing fans across the world saw the two family rivals pummel
each other for all 12 rounds. Neither was able to gain separation.

Eubank looked physically bigger and used a ramming left jab to connect early in the
fight. Benn immediately showed off his speed advantage and surprised many with his
ability to absorb a big blow.Chris Eubank Jr Outlasts Conor Benn at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Benn scrambled around with his quickness and agility and scored often with bigcounters.

It took him a few rounds to stop overextending himself while delivering power shots.

In the third round Benn staggered Eubank with a left hook but was unable to follow up
against the dangerous middleweight who roared back with flurries of blows.

Eubank was methodic in his approach always moving forward, always using his weight
advantage via the shoulder to force Benn backward. The smaller Benn rocketed
overhand rights and was partly successful but not enough to force Eubank to retreat.
In the seventh round a right uppercut snapped Benn’s head violently but he was
undeterred from firing back. Benn’s chin stood firm despite Eubank’s vaunted power and
size advantage.

“I didn’t know he had that in him,” Eubank said.

Benn opened strong in the eighth round with furious blows. And though he connected
he was unable to seriously hurt Eubank. And despite being drained by the weight loss,
the middleweight fighter remained strong all 12 rounds.

There were surprises from both fighters.

Benn was effective targeting the body. Perhaps if he had worked the body earlier he
would have found a better result.

With only two rounds remaining Eubank snapped off a right uppercut again and followed
up with body shots. In the final stanza Eubank pressed forward and exchanged with the
smaller Benn until the final bell. He simply out-landed the fighter and impressed all three
judges who scored it 116-112 for Eubank.

Eubank admitted he expected a knockout win but was satisfied with the victory.
“I under-estimated him,” Eubank said.

Benn was upset by the loss but recognized the reasons.

“He worked harder toward the end,” said Benn.

McKenna Wins

In his first test in the elite level Aaron McKenna (20-0, 10 KOs) showed his ability to fight
inside or out in soundly defeating former world champion Liam Smith (33-5-1, 20 KOs)
by unanimous decision to win a regional WBA middleweight title.

Smith has made a career out of upsetting young upstarts but discovered the Irish fighter
more than capable of mixing it up with the veteran. It was a rough fight throughout the
12 rounds but McKenna showed off his abilities to fight as a southpaw or right-hander
with nary a hiccup.

McKenna had trained in Southern California early in his career and since that time he’s
accrued a variety of ways to fight. He was smooth and relentless in using his longer
arms and agility against Smith on the outside or in close.

In the 12 th round, McKenna landed a perfectly timed left hook to the ribs and down went
Smith. The former champion got up and attempted to knock out the tall
Irish fighter but could not.

All three judges scored in favor of McKenna 119-108, 117-109, 118-108.

Other Bouts
Anthony Yarde (27-3) defeated Lyndon Arthur (24-3) by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. in a light heavyweight match. It was the third time they met. Yarde won the last two fights.

Chris Billam-Smith (21-2) defeated Brandon Glanton (20-3) by decision. It was his first
fight since losing the WBO cruiserweight world title to Gilberto Ramirez last November.

Viddal Riley (13-0) out-worked Cheavon Clarke (10-2) in a 12-round back-and-forth-contest to win a unanimous decision.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 323: Benn vs Eubank Family Feud and More

Published

6 days ago

April 24, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective,-Chap.-323:-Benn-vs-Eubank-Family-Feud-and-More.jpg

Next generation rivals Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. carry on the family legacy of feudal warring in the prize ring on Saturday.

This is huge in British boxing.

Eubank (34-3, 25 KOs) holds the fringe IBO middleweight title but won’t be defending it against the smaller welterweight Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday, April 26, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. DAZN will stream the Matchroom Boxing card.

This is about family pride.

The parents of Eubank and Benn actually began the feud in the 1990s.

Papa Nigel Benn fought Papa Chris Eubank twice. Losing as a middleweight in November 1990 at Birmingham, England, then fighting to a draw as a super middleweight in October 1993 in Manchester. Both were world title fights.

Eubank was undefeated and won the WBO middleweight world title in 1990 against Nigel Benn by knockout. He defended it three times before moving up and winning the vacant WBO super middleweight title in September 1991. He defended the super middleweight title 14 times before suffering his first pro defeat in March 1995 against Steve Collins.

Benn won the WBO middleweight title in April 1990 against Doug DeWitt and defended it once before losing to Eubank in November 1990. He moved up in weight and took the WBC super middleweight title from Mauro Galvano in Italy by technical knockout in October 1992. He defended the title nine times until losing in March 1996. His last fight was in November 1996, a loss to Steve Collins.

Animosity between the two families continues this weekend in the boxing ring.

Conor Benn, the son of Nigel, has fought mostly as a welterweight but lately has participated in the super welterweight division. He is several inches shorter in height than Eubank but has power and speed. Kind of a British version of Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

“It’s always personal, every opponent I fight is personal. People want to say it’s strictly business, but it’s never business. If someone is trying to put their hands on me, trying to render me unconscious, it’s never business,” said Benn.

This fight was scheduled twice before and cut short twice due to failed PED tests by Benn. The weight limit agreed upon is 160 pounds.

Eubank, a natural middleweight, has exchanged taunts with Benn for years. He recently avenged a loss to Liam Smith with a knockout victory in September 2023.

“This fight isn’t about size or weight. It’s about skill. It’s about dedication. It’s about expertise and all those areas in which I excel in,” said Eubank. “I have many, many more years of experience over Conor Benn, and that will be the deciding factor of the night.”

Because this fight was postponed twice, the animosity between the two feuding fighters has increased the attention of their fans. Both fighters are anxious to flatten each other.

“He’s another opponent in my way trying to crush my dreams. trying to take food off my plate and trying to render me unconscious. That’s how I look at him,” said Benn.

Eubank smiles.

“Whether it’s boxing, whether it’s a gun fight. Defense, offense, foot movement, speed, power. I am the superior boxer in each of those departments and so many more – which is why I’m so confident,” he said.

Supporting Bout

Former world champion Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) tangles with Ireland’s Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) in a middleweight fight set for 12 rounds on the Benn-Eubank undercard in London.

“Beefy” Smith has long been known as one of the fighting Smith brothers and recently lost to Eubank a year and a half ago. It was only the second time in 38 bouts he had been stopped. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez did it several years ago.

McKenna is a familiar name in Southern California. The Irish fighter fought numerous times on Golden Boy Promotion cards between 2017 and 2019 before returning to the United Kingdom and his assault on continuing the middleweight division. This is a big step for the tall Irish fighter.

It’s youth versus experience.

“I’ve been calling for big fights like this for the last two or three years, and it’s a fight I’m really excited for. I plan to make the most of it and make a statement win on Saturday night,” said McKenna, one of two fighting brothers.

Monster in L.A.

Japan’s super star Naoya “Monster” Inoue arrived in Los Angeles for last day workouts before his Las Vegas showdown against Ramon Cardenas on Sunday May 4, at T-Mobile Arena. ESPN will televise and stream the Top Rank card.

It’s been four years since the super bantamweight world champion performed in the US and during that time Naoya (29-0, 26 KOs) gathered world titles in different weight divisions. The Japanese slugger has also gained fame as perhaps the best fighter on the planet. Cardenas is 26-1 with 14 KOs.

Pomona Fights

Super featherweights Mathias Radcliffe (9-0-1) and Ezequiel Flores (6-4) lead a boxing card called “DMG Night of Champions” on Saturday April 26, at the historic Fox Theater in downtown Pomona, Calif.

Michaela Bracamontes (11-2-1) and Jesus Torres Beltran (8-4-1) will be fighting for a regional WBC super featherweight title. More than eight bouts are scheduled.

Doors open at 6 p.m. For ticket information go to: www.tix.com/dmgnightofchampions

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 9 a.m. Conor Benn (23-0) vs Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3); Liam Smith (33-4-1) vs Aaron McKenna (19-0).

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