By Emilio Camacho, Esq. First, let me say that, of course, I know that Chavez did not win the fight. In fact, Martinez gave him the worst beating of his career. However, in the 12th round, Chavez Jr. took us back in history and most boxing experts were thinking about Chavez v. Taylor. Also, other fans, mostly Mexicans, started longing for the days when 15 round fights were norm.
This fight resembled a tight race where the leader is losing ground, an opponent is closing in, and everyone is wondering whether he or she can keep the lead until the finish line.
What is most amazing is how, in one round, Chavez was able to make us forget about the other 11. This is why I say that Chavez, metaphorically, won the fight. In the end, it was a great fight and
both boxers were winners. More significantly, all the fans won because fights like these do not happen very often.
Now, as I promised, and because several of you have already emailed me to call me out on it (I appreciate the love, of course) I will write about the misses of my prediction from in last week’s article. First, I said that Chavez would be cut, the fight would be stopped, and Martinez would win because he would be too fast and punch Chavez too much. Yet, Martinez was cut, the fight went to decision, and Martinez won. I was mostly wrong. There I said it. But let me comment further. I did say that Chavez’s only hope was to catch Martinez on the ropes and beating him with his size. When he did, Martinez paid the price.
Honestly, I did not think Chavez would be able to endure the constant fast, hard punching that Martinez would bring; yet, he did that and more. I must confess that I have a new level of respect for Chavez. He took some massive shots and was schooled by a man who was superior in almost every aspect. Nevertheless, Chavez has a huge heart (or big balls, however, you’d like to put it). Think about it! Most boxers today would have been discouraged and given up given against the superior skills that Martinez showed. However, Chavez kept coming until the end and he almost pulled the upset. I am still wondering how Martinez was able to survive without holding. What a fight!
Let’s move to discuss another point. I know there is some talk about a rematch. I really don’t think that’s a good idea and here is why. I believe that the reason Chavez was able to catch Martinez is because Martinez lost respect for Chavez and really wanted to knock him out. In a second fight, I don’t see anything different other than Martinez being a bit more careful and not letting himself get caught on the ropes. Some would try to argue that Chavez can start the attack earlier but I just don’t think things will be much different. Let me know what you think.
Let us now address the last point. I think Martinez should try to make a fight against Canelo Alvarez, Mayweather and Andre Ward (in whatever order). He is an older fighter, needs to get paid and we need to see him in top fights while he still has it. The window of opportunity is short, so I hope this happens and we don’t see these match ups when his athleticism is gone. As always, I welcome your comments.
