During last week?s open media workout for the HBO Boxing After Dark doubleheader featuring Marcos Maidana?s thrilling knockout over Victor Cayo and Joan Guzman?s split decision over Ali Funeka, there happened to be an unsuspecting character in the corner of the Extreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada. When taking a closer look it was revealed that former interim WBC Jr. Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez was in the building despite initially going unnoticed by the press.
Martinez was in town to show support for his stable mate Cayo, with whom he had been training with at the World Crown Sports training facility in Oxnard, California. The two men were reportedly training three times a day and sparring together as they geared up for huge bouts in their respective careers.
As soon as Martinez was spotted at the media workout last week he was instantly swarmed by photographers and writers alike. Martinez opened up about his upcoming bout with Kelly Pavlik and stated his belief that his speed and unorthodox style could serve him very well in thier contest. Martinez also spoke about his December 5th loss to Paul Williams and called into question some of the judges? scoring.
On that night Martinez and Williams engaged in a pitched battle at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City in which they traded knockdowns in the first round. Williams was caught on many occasions form his crafty Argentinean foe but his work rate and consistency seemed to win over judges Pierre Benoist and Lynne Carter, who tallied scores of 119-110 and 115-113. Judge Julie Lederman saw the bout even at 114-114. Regardless of the loss Martinez again showed the boxing world what he was capable of and an encounter with Pavlik is indeed intriguing.
When Cayo engaged in a heated battle with Maidana at the Hard Rock a few nights later Martinez would be in his corner. Cayo fought valiantly but couldn?t handle Maidana?s sustained attack and was halted after six scintillating rounds. It was surely a hard loss for both Martinez and Cayo to take but being the professional he is, Martinez must now shift his entire focus to April 17th and his date with the Middleweight champion from Youngstown, Ohio.
Such is the sport of boxing as you never really know who you will come across on any given occasion. Seeing Sergio Martinez in town was a refreshing sign of his loyalty to Cayo but now his story takes a completely different turn as the world will be watching on April 17th to see if he can figure a way to get around Pavlik?s vaunted power.
