Sergio Martinez Blasts WBC, Dumps HBO

Sergio Martinez has said enough is enough. I said last week that a new, saltier Martinez has emerged, and little did I know, we had only seen a semi-salty side of him. Last week, he busted on Top Rank and Freddie Roach for building up the Manny Pacquiao myth, and today announced at a press conference that he will not wear the WBC diamond middleweight belt for his March 17 bout against Matthew Macklin in NYC.

He said that he should be the WBC champion, and that Julio Cesar Chavez, who has held that belt since Martinez gave it up when he refused to fight the WBC mandatory Sebastian Zbik in May, should fight him to see who deserves the title.

The WBC announced at their convention two weeks ago that Martinez and Chavez should face off, but haven’t put their foot down on the matter. They are still up in the air, it seems, as to whether Chavez will be fighting for “his” WBC belt when he takes on Marco Antonio Rubio in Texas on Feb. 4.

Martinez dropped another shoe at the presser. He said he is tired of being treated poorly by HBO, and is leaving the network. HBO was supposed to be showing the March 17 Martinez bout. I emailed an HBO rep and asked for their response and will pass that on to readers when I receive a response.

The Argentina-born 36 year-old also took a shot at WBC president Jose Sulaiman for condoning men beating up women.