After Cotto, How About Sergio-Pacquiao…Or Sergio-Mayweather?

Sergio Martinez has been sending signals that he very well could be that guy who is 100%, who isn’t coming into his June 7 MSG scrap against Miguel Cotto nursing an injury or two.

F’rinstance, as pointed out by Nathan Lewkowicz of Team Martinez, Sergio has done one open workout, in camp in Miami, and will also work out in public on fight week. Sergio, the 39-year-old who took up boxing at 20, will show off his mobility, which is supposedly better now than it has been in some time, following multiple knee surgeries, at a sporting goods store in Manhattan.

The last time Sergio put on public displays of healthfullness was for the Matthew Macklin fight, in March 2012. He fought Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, and then Martin Murray after that.

Lewkowicz said that camp has been stellar, and not just because Martinez’ limbs are cooperating with him. He’s holed up in a hotel in Miami, and isn’t in a rented house with trainer Pablo Sarmiento, and Pablo’s galpal, as was the case in a prior camp. “It’s no nonsense…and no roommates,” Nathan told me. “He’s away from everyone, there are no headaches. It’s the calmest camp he’s ever had.”

Training in Cali, in Oxnard, was not that…

Nathan and I touched on the Miguel Cotto conference call, and I mentioned that Freddie Roach played on a theme that Martinez is bringing up injuries, readying an excuse for when he loses. I noted to Nathan that it’s us, the media, who has more so been asking about injuries, so I’m not sure I’m on board with Roach’s theory. “Exactly,” Nathan said, “the media brings it up. Sergio doesn’t really bring up injuries at all.”

Nobody but nobody is looking past Cotto, but being that Martinez is 39, it’s only prudent to at least ponder what comes next if and when he beats Cotto. What about it, then? What would Sergio do following a Cotto win?

“He has one more fight on his HBO contract, and there are a lot of options,” Nathan said. “Pacquiao out of nowhere was mentioned by Top Rank. As far as an agreeable weight, who knows. We’d have to see what the offer was, and then see if that’s doable, try to find a way to get to the weight. I mean, people kill to get a chance to fight Manny.”

Also, Golovkin…HBO would love to make it, and if it makes economic sense…

“Plus, he’d love to fight in Argentina again, he loves fighting there. I mean, he can’t fight Peter Quillin, because of the politics, so there aren’t that many middleweight options.”

I asked if, when his HBO contract is up, Sergio would consider jumping ship. Knowing that loyalty is huge to him, I asked Nathan if the longtime HBO relationship would factor in. “He’s extremely loyal to HBO,” he said. “He likes the team, he likes Peter Nelson, Ken Hershman, all the people that work there. That’s a huge consideration.”

And what about Mayweather? He’ll need a dance partner for his second 2015 bout…how bout Martinez? “I don’t think Mayweather would be part of the discussion,” Nathan said. “Because Sergio would have a chance to beat him, and his foes are carefully chosen to lose to Mayweather. The odds would be like two or three to one…and Floyd likes eight or ten to one. He knows he’ll sell a lot of tickets, his money is guaranteed…why screw that up?”

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