M.I.A. Martinez in Action

Hopkins vs. Dawson, Froch vs. Ward and Marquez vs. Pacquiao

All solid fights that fight fans are anxious and excited to see. However there is also a boxer that has a fight this Saturday, a fighter that many people believe is a top five pound for pound fighter, yet due to the fact that he has dominated his division, looked good beating Serhiy Dzinziruk, knocking out Paul Williams in spectacular fashion and dominating Kelly Pavlik in the last 18 months, thus guy is not getting much coverage.

Sergio Martinez faces Great Britain’s Darren Barker in Atlantic City, NJ. Darren Barker is not a household name in the states; Barker is not big in his neck of the woods. Barker may be an undefeated fighter with a Middleweight European belt yet few people give Barker much of a chance against the Real Middleweight champion this Saturday. Martinez is one of the few fighters that are considered a boxer that could give Mayweather or Pacquiao fits if either of them were to face the Argentinean.

This Saturday night should be a showcase fight for Martinez, fans should be excited to see Martinez display his skills and show that he may be the best alternative to fight Mayweather or the smaller Pacquiao, However Martinez is fighting an opponent that no one cares to watch, which means Martinez showcase will be viewed by virtually no one. Well perhaps just not the audience that deservers to see him on display.

Is this fair? No; anyone that has seen Martinez fight knows that he has great hand speed, good defense and solid power. Martinez has a slight unorthodox style that has been a difficult to get past and has made good fighters look bad. (Pavlik?)

Martinez should dominate this Saturday the same way he did against Serhiy Dzinziruk and Pavlik but after his fight Saturday night who will be his next opponent? As Paul Williams before him, Martinez seems to be the odd man out; Too talented for his own good at his weight, but not popular enough to get Mayweather in the ring with him. Perhaps Bute, or the Ward-Froch winner may be a better option. However it would also mean that Martinez would have to go up in weight, which means he would be the smaller man. Once again, Martinez is at a crossroads. DiBella, Martinez’s promoter has done a good job getting him in line for the title but now Martinez can’t seem to get anyone to face him. Based on Boxrec standings, Germanys Felix Sturm is #2 and after that undefeated Dmitry Pirog is #5. Sturm looked less than stellar when he faced Matthew Macklin this past summer and based on the bad call he was given against De La Hoya a few years back, I am not sure he is too keen on coming back to the States, besides Sturm makes twice as much in his backyard than he would here in the US. Pirog, while he is a good test against Martinez he does not bring a payday that Martinez and his team are looking for. Along with Pirog not being popular in the states, it would be a step back more than a step forward.

In the end, Martinez is hoping to be in the Mayweather or Pacquiao sweepstakes just like a long list of other fighters that want to cash in on the two fighters and come Sunday morning Martinez will still be on the outside looking in.