Sergio Martinez

By PADRE – Who needs Mayweather and Pacman, when the boxing fans have been spoiled as of late, with various intriguing matchups. Another blockbuster one is coming up this Saturday when Sergio Martinez takes on Julio Chavez Jr. I will cut to the chase and spare you all the scenarios and say that I pick Sergio Martinez to beat Junior decisively. Sergio is a better boxer with great foot work , power and a fighters IQ that outclasses Junior. I honestly think we may be seeing a repeat of Pacman vs Margarito. I just hope that this time someone in Junior’s corner has the sense and decency to stop the onslaught and remember that he still has a future in boxing, if he doesn’t take a battering. We all see that Margarito never recovered from that beating and ended up retiring. There is only one caveat, only one major issue that I see that may cost Sergio the fight. It’s not Juniors size, which I think will actually be a disadvantage if he comes in heavy as Sergio is a nimble fighter, nor is it Juniors chin which is very good but if you chip away at any chin, it eventually crumbles. Nor is it the punching power of Junior as he wings wide shots and Sergio shoots short crisp shots down the pocket and will do so all night. No, it’s the utter disdain that Sergio has for Junior.

Anyone that has seen 24/7, the various press conferences or meetings these two have had in public has seen the disdain which Sergio has for Junior. He honestly doesn’t like this kid at all. I have seen fighters that didn’t like their opponents and it doesn’t hurt to build up some fire towards your opponent before a fight, but there is real animosity coming from Sergio towards Junior. He feels that this kid was handed the green belt, which I agree with. That he was protected and may have lifted to higher heights, not based on his efforts but because of his last name. He wants to show this kid a lesson and punish him. He has actually said he didn’t think he could win a decision against Chavez no matter what he did, so he will need to know him out and there lies the danger.

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by Robert Jackson: HBO’s 24/7 series has for some time now been the MARKETING arm of its boxing empire, first seen prior to the Mayweather/De La Hoya fight and subsequently showcasing Pacquiao, Cotto and others , this series has no equal.

Currently the 2 episode Chavez/Martinez 24/7 is being shown and the contrast between the 2 fighters cannot be more disparate. Chavez Jr as shown, seems to be blowing this fight off, not taking it seriously and not preparing himself adequately. Martinez on the other hand is ‘all business’, can be seen preparing scientifically, working meticulously and not taking anything for granted.

The 2nd and final episode shown this past Saturday showed Chavez Jr skipping workouts with Freddie Roach, while also ignoring his father’s advise on tactics for fighting Martinez to instead take a dip in the pool of his rented house. Chavez Jr was also shown running at 2 o’clock in the morning and also sleeping all day, behavior totally unlike his nemesis who trains in the traditional manner getting up early in the morning to run after a good nights sleep.

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By Sean Ocampo – Undefeated WBC Middleweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) will put everything on the line against pound for pound great and former Middleweight title holder Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (49-2-2, 29 KO’s) at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chavez is going into this fight as underdog because of Martinez’s undeniable skills and his reputation as one of the very best in boxing. Chavez will have the toughest test of his career this coming September 15, 2012. Will he pass the test or will he flunk it?

These are the keys on how Chavez will succeed against Sergio Martinez.

PRESSURE

Chavez has to take away Martinez’s footwork and footspeed. That’s easier said than done, but it’s pretty much doable in the fight game. Martinez is most dangerous when he’s outside. We’ve seen him knockout or knockdown opponents when he’s fighting outside, just like when he knocked out Paul Williams. With constant pressure from Chavez, he should be able to cut the ring and take away the breathing space of Martinez. Once he cuts the ring, he’ll be able to land his hard combinations to the head and body. Perfect example for this would be Chavez’s last fight with Andy Lee, who is coincidentally a southpaw.

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by Marc Livitz: Provided the Mayan prophecy doesn’t turn us all inside out and upside down, we may find anywhere from a glimmer to a thermal radiation flash’s worth of excitement in the time left for boxing in 2012. There’s always hope for a sport which although is somewhat in the periphery of many continues to refresh itself in so many different ways.

The gym ghosts of years past are not exactly smiling, but they are at least maintaining a healthy smirk. Outside of the consistent barrage of “the big one”, various promoters have managed to see the light and throw together some interesting contests for the fall. As most of us know by now, the middleweight title (most of it) will be on the line in two weeks’ time.

A matchup between Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and Sergio Martinez should satiate even the most discriminating pugilistic palate. So many in and around the fight game swore to the gills that little Julio was struck with terror in regards to a night in the ring with “Maravilla”.

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