Sulaiman doesn’t want Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez immediate rematch

Sulaiman doesn't want Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez immediate rematchBy Marcus Richardson: If WBC president Jose Sulaiman gets his way there won’t be an immediate rematch between former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) and newly crowned WBC champion Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) in early 2013. Sulaiman says that the WBC doesn’t allow immediate rematches for one-sided fights like the September 15th fight where Chavez Jr. took a real pounding in losing by a lopsided 12 round decision to the 37-year-old Martinez.

Sulaiman said to fightnews.com “The WBC is not in favor of immediate rematches, unless there is overwhelming public demand due to some unusual circumstances in the first fight. The fight was one-sided…There was no unusual circumstances to necessitate an immediate rematch.”

Of course there wasn’t. It’s painfully obvious that this is just an opportunity for Chavez Jr., Martinez and Top Rank to make a lot of money in a rematch that could take place at the Cowboys Stadium in Texas. It’s not a fight that’s in high demand but rather a fight that would do well because all of Chavez Jr’s fights do well. Id venture to guess that Chavez Jr. could fight at the Cowboys Stadium against pretty much any middleweight in the division and the fight would pack in at least 40,000 fans and do well on HBO pay per view.

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Sergio Martinez: A 7 Year Old, a World Champion and the Observer

Sergio Martinez: A 7 Year Old, a World Champion and the ObserverBy Padraig Ivory: When the hand was dealt for the young Sergio Martinez it was immediately evident that no picture cards had come to the table. From the outset a tough and challenging life lay ahead for the Argentinean native. Now 37 years removed from those humble beginnings that same boy has not only established himself as a picture card of the boxing deck, but rather emphatically as the undisputed poster boy of the middleweight division.

Imagine a scene 30 years ago in the city of Quilmes, Buenos Aires in which a successful, cigar wielding businessman, smartly clad in an expensive fitted suit is chauffeured through the working class city streets. Passing through a back laneway, safe in the comfort of his leather upholstered world, the small figure of a 7 year old Sergio Martinez momentarily reflects across the irises of his daydreaming gaze. Through the tinted glass the struggling city outside appears back and white, the colorless surroundings concealing the raw talent while simultaneously harvesting a determination deep within the undiscovered superstar.

Today the acclaimed ‘Maravilla’ is the gospel of them very streets that threatened to ignore him. The balance of the hard work expended and the fame that followed has combined to distance Sergio from the province of Buenos Aires.

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Chavez Jr.’s actions leave much to be desired

Chavez Jr.'s actions leave much to be desiredBy Emilio Camacho, Esq. In life, some people have it better than others. For various reasons, not everyone has the same opportunities and access to resources. In this respect boxing is no different.

In boxing, having the right equipment, training facilities, nutrition, sparring partners, and money to cover personal expenses while training, can make a big difference in the performance of an athlete. This is an aspect of a boxer’s performance that is not readily apparent during the match.

On the one hand, Sergio Martinez represents one aspect of this idea. Martinez has stated that, in the year 2000, after paying all expenses, he made about $900 for fighting Antonio Margarito. Martinez was already in his third year as a professional boxer. He has often recounted how difficult it was to live and train with such a low budget while trying to compete at a world-class level. To this extent, it is remarkable that he has been able to reach the highest level of the sport. Today, Martinez is able to afford high-level training camps, nutritionists, quality sparring partners, and even a personal tailor to promote his image. In short, Martinez made it to the highest level under significant adverse conditions that often break the boxing career of many others.

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Musing over Maravilla

Musing over MaravillaBy Ted Spoon: Rating fighters before they’ve retired is a good crack. When boxers add another chapter to their legacy the fanatics usually pipe up, involuntarily summoned to criticize or praise. And with these two extremes accounting for 90% of support it can make you feel obligated to say something that could be interpreted as objective.

Sergio Martinez is, at the time of writing, at that tender junction having just turned back another challenge. With the bout not yet adequately arranged in time we can’t be sure of its worth. The defeated could go onto do nothing of note, consequently reducing its significance, or, conversely, he could go onto achieve great things, polishing the victory with each successive win.

A good way to get our bearings would be to say from the offset that Sergio is certainly not in the same company as a Marvin Hagler or Marcel Cerdan. Of course, that’s hardly a ‘diss’. The Argentinean is closer to a Tony Zale with the opportunity to nudge himself into a higher consensus.

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Chavez Jr. tests positive for Marijuana, rematch with Sergio Martinez may be delayed

Chavez Jr. tests positive for Marijuana, rematch with Sergio Martinez may be delayedBy Michael Collins: Former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) has allegedly tested positive for Marijuana in his drug test following his 12 round unanimous decision loss to Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) last Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Chavez Jr. now faces a possible suspension of up to a 1 year as well as a possible forfeiture of his entire $3 million purse for the Martinez fight, according to RingTV.

If the positive drug test is confirmed for Chavez Jr. then his rematch with Martinez might not happen until well into next year if even then. Chavez Jr. tested positive for a Diuretic in 2009 following his win over Troy Rowland. Chavez Jr. received a 7 month suspension for that fight.

It’s likely that Chavez Jr’ will receive a longer suspension if the positive Marijuana tests are confirmed. Chavez Jr. also arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol earlier this year on January 22nd, one week before his title defense against Marco Antonio Rubio. Chavez Jr. performed well in that fight despite the alcohol related infraction.

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Does Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. really want a rematch with Maravilla?

Does Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. really want a rematch with Maravilla?By Joseph Herron: Be careful what you ask for in boxing, because you just might get it. After the drama filled conclusion of Top Rank’s main event at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 15th, many questions remain concerning the heated rivalry between former WBC Middleweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and universally recognized 160 pound king Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez.

While the Argentine sharpshooter dominated JCC Jr. for eleven rounds of their twelve round battle, the epic final stanza opened the door for a lucrative rematch in the minds of many devoted fight fans.

Followers of the 26 year old fighter claim that an immediate rematch is a boxing imperative for true Middleweight supremacy. Junior’s supporters allege that Martinez was saved by the final bell of their epic showdown, and a rematch in “Chavez Country” would result in a decisive and resounding KO.

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Sergio Martinez fought with a broken left hand from the 4th round against Chavez Jr

Sergio Martinez fought with a broken left hand from the 4th round against Chavez JrBy Marcus Richardson: Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) was forced to fight that last eight rounds of his bout with WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) with a broken left hand last Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fighting with mostly just his right hand, Martinez was still able to pound out a relatively easy 12 round unanimous decision by the scores 117-110, 118-109, 118-109.

Martinez’s trainer Pablo Sarmiento said to ESPN “I’d offer credit for not showing that he [Martinez] was compromised [injured] during the tussle. He suffered a broken left hand in round four.”

For boxing fans who don’t know already, Martinez is left-handed and his left is his bread and butter punch that he uses to knockout most of his opponents. With his left hand badly broken, Martinez was unable to get maximum power on his left hand power shots the way he wanted to against Chavez Jr.

With how easy it was for Chavez Jr. to be hit last Saturday it’s scary to imagine what Martinez would have been able to do to him had he had two good hands instead of just his right. This is why Martinez was forced to jab Chavez Jr. so often in the fight because his left hand was out of commission in terms of power punching.

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Chavez Jr-Martinez could fight rematch in Cowboys Stadium: Anybody want to see another mismatch?

Chavez Jr-Martinez could fight rematch in Cowboys Stadium: Anybody want to see another mismatch?By Michael Collins: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is considering a rematch between his popular fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) and newly crowned WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. However, if the rematch comes off it will likely have to wait until 2013, because Martinez suffered a cut over his left eye that required 8 stitches to close as well as possible torn ligaments in his right knee after falling to the canvas after getting knocked down by Chavez Jr. in the 12th. The torn ligaments may require surgery to heal. The rehabilitation will almost surely keep Martinez out of action for the remainder of 2013.

Martinez and his promoter Lou Dibella are both understandably eager to face Chavez Jr. again. Martinez received $1.4 million for the fight, and he’ll likely get a nice extra chunk of cash on the pay per view upside. A rematch in Texas would likely mean another nice payday for Martinez, although it’s hard to understand why boxing fans would want to pay to see Martinez add Chavez Jr. fight again after last night.

It was completely one-sided until the 12th round when Chavez Jr. was able to hurt Martinez with a right hand and then put him down with a left. Chavez Jr. couldn’t finish the job, however, and actually ended up taking more shots than he was landing after he had Martinez hurt. That was the sad part. Even with Martinez hurt, he was still able to out-land Chavez Jr.

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“Please Stand By” Sergio Wins but With Technical Difficulties!

"Please Stand By" Sergio Wins but With Technical Difficulties!by Paul Strauss: What a night for boxing fans. Between Showtime and HBO, there were more fights than you could shake a stick at. The big record setting one was of course at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV. It was a grudge match pitting Sergio Gabriel “Maravilla” Martinez against the young title usurper with the bloodlines named Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

Simply put, Martinez felt he was unfairly stripped of his middleweight title, and to make matters worse, it was given to this undeserving upstart who happened to be the son of a great fighter. Sergio was uncharacteristically vocal about what he thought was an injustice, and he was determined to set things right. Most of the experts and the odds makers agreed he was likely to be successful. On the other hand, JCC, Jr. was hurt and insulted by Sergio’s comments and determined to make him pay. Both promised knockouts.

Even with hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach’s help, it was thought to be unlikely that JCC, Jr. had the necessary skill and experience to pull off the upset, despite his father having done the seemingly impossible years ago against Meldrick Taylor. That was so long ago (1990), it seemed like a dream.
Critics of Sergio, including JCC, Sr. and Freddie Roach and other boxing purists don’t particularly care for Sergio’s style. When it comes to boxing technique, they feel he lacks fundamentals; although, they begrudgingly agree he is a superior athlete. Consequently, they believed he could be “gotten to” and that JCC, Jr. would be able to do so Saturday night.

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