ALMOST a week after saying pitting him against Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao is an absolute mismatch; World Boxing Council (WBC) Argentinian middleweight champion Sergio Martinez now had a change of mind. Martinez told fanhouse.com?s Lem Satterfield that he is now willing to drop his weight down to at least 154 pounds if a bout against eighth division champion Pacquiao and unbeaten Floyd Mayweather would be pushed through.
?If Manny is willing to defend his WBC super welterweight title, I would come down to 154 pounds to challenge him for it as well as allow him to challenge me for my WBC middleweight title,? said the 35-year-old Martinez (46-2-2, with 25 knockouts).
Martinez said he realized that it would be an opportunity of a lifetime to fight Pacquiao or even Mayweather (41-0 with 25 knockouts), ?But I?m a realist, and if he feels that he is physically too small to fight me, I certainly understand that too,? he said.
On November 13, the 31-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2 with 38 knockouts) whipped the taller Mexican Antonio Margarito via unanimous decision in Texas while Martinez scored a vicious second round technical knockout against Paul Williams.
Pacquiao won his eighth title?the WBC junior middleweight belt?while Martinez retained his WBC middleweight crown.
Although Top Rank Promotion head Bob Arum believes Pacquiao could easily defeat Martinez, he is not rushing things explaining that the Argentinian is not top priority among Pacquiao?s next possible opponents.
