Sergio Martinez has always been respectful of boxing, and we in turn need to be respectful of him?
Miguel Cotto whupped Sergio Martinez when they fought at Madison Square Garden. His knees and equilibrium may have let him down. His heart did not.
After the drubbing, many thought Martinez would retire. He had made some money. He accomplished a lot. There was nothing left to prove. But fighters fight, even 39-year-old fighters on their last legs.
After thinking it over Sergio decided that he would soldier on. There were people who, when they heard the news, thought he should have his head examined. But he didn?t want to go out on a loss. He didn?t want the beating he received from Miguel Cotto to be the last anyone saw of Maravilla.
But doubt has crept in over time.
?It?s really bad,? Sampson Lewkowicz, Sergio?s longtime adviser, told La Voz del Interior. ?He says that he does not sleep at night. He is with a psychologist, because he still doesn?t know how to react to a loss like that. He says it wasn?t him that night and he doesn?t know what happened. He cannot move forward without knowing if he?s really finished or if he still has more.?
The mind is a funny thing, as those of us with minds can attest. But it sounds like a conundrum that few psychologists are qualified to answer. His trainer, his promoter, his adviser, his closest friends are perhaps better suited to provide answers than a witch doctor with a diploma.
Ultimately, Martinez has to decide for himself whether it?s over or not. He?s always been respectful of boxing, and we in turn need to be respectful of him.
