Moments ago inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena I caught up with well respected manager Sampson Lewkowicz. A native of Uruguay, Lewkowicz is still on cloud nine following his fighter Sergio Martinez?s breathtaking second round knockout over Paul Williams in Atlantic City last weekend.
The victory marked the Argentinean?s first defense of his WBC middleweight crown that he captured from Kelly Pavlik in April and also served as sweet revenge for the hotly disputed majority decision that he dropped to Williams last year. Asked for how the performance impacted his own personal life, Lewkowicz was extremely candid.
?It was the highlight of my life,? he pointed out. ?Because I have several champions all of my career but this is the special one because he is the champion of the people.?
Lewkowicz has a reputation of bringing hidden talent to light and insists that Martinez?s demeanor hasn?t changed despite getting a heavy taste of the spotlight over the past year.
Slideshow: Images of Martinez?s thrilling knockout over Williams
?Three and a half years ago and he is still the same,? Lewkowicz stated when asked when he first met Martinez. ?When he fought eight rounds or ten rounds or whether he was winning world titles, he never changed his attitude. He is still the same and that is very special.?
While Martinez?s immediate future is uncertain his promoter Lou Dibella noted that if they can?t secure an immediate pay-per-view date that he will instead eye three HBO appearances in 2011. Lewkowicz feels that is sound logic and is happy to see Martinez with the passion to continue fighting.
?I think that?s a good idea to fight three times. At one point he was saying he might fight three more fights and give up on boxing but he looked like he enjoys it so much that maybe he can go three more years.?
Two interesting scenarios that people have kicked around are the challenges of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., who seem less and less likely to be facing one another. Asked for his opinion on either man challenging Martinez, Lewkowicz is decidedly split.
?Manny Pacquiao is too small. Mayweather, hopefully after he gets his personal problems straight, he will fight the best because I know Mayweather. Mayweather is the king at this moment and [hopefully] he will take the challenge. He is never afraid of anybody.?
