Sergio Martinez, in the smallish crowd of 4,632 at the Mandalay Bay for the Marcos Maidana-Amir Khan main event Saturday night, may not know it but Khan’s Great Escape surely secured the Fighter of the Year Award for himself.
Ditto for trainer Gabriel Sarmiento.
While Coach Freddie Roach had a typically awesome year, his winners–Manny Pacquiao in bouts against big underdogs Joshing Clottey and Antonio Margarito and his work smoothing out Khan;’s rougher edges–do not match what Martinez and tutor Sarmiento did in beating first boozehound Kelly Pavlik and then destroying Tall Paul Williams with one shot.
Again, Fighter of the Year: “Maravilla” Martinez. His countryman, aggressive Maidana, might have earned the honor had he taken out a wobbly Khan in that shaky 10th round but he came up short.
Again, Trainer of the Year: Spanish citizen Sarmiento, now relocated to boxing hotbed Oxnard, Calif., along with his fighter. The Maidana-Khan scrap was one that distinguished both winner and loser.
FYI, my final tally was 113-111 for the Brit of Pakistani descent. Maidana could’ve won but he came up short down the stretch when Khan showed grit and gumption and great recuperative powers that many believed he lack.
This kid has talent and a big heart if not a cement chin.
So I’m not quarreling or quibbling with the tallies of CJ Ross and ageless vet Jerry Roth, both 114-111 for the 4-1 betting favorite Khan, or Glenn Trowbridge’s razor-thin 113-112 Khan ballot.
The stinker of the night was erratic and not emphatic Joe Cortez, a lovely man but who was unfair and infirm at the same time.
Why Nevada did not assign Kenny Bayless, Tony Weeks or Vic Drakulich to such an important bout eludes me.
Maidana-Kahn cries out for a rematch with a different ref but I doubt we will ever see it.
I think Khan will move on to greener pastures.
As for Victor Ortiz, I have not been a cheerleader for him but I believe he was jobbed against Lamont Peterson.
Judges Pat Jarman and Dave Moretti, both longtime veterans, called it 94-94 and the less experienced Robert Hoyle pegged it 95-93 for Peterson.
A blind man could see that, while Peterson fought bravely, Ortiz deserved the duke and not a draw.
Maybe being Golden Boy’s tarnished Golden Boy caused the judges to lean backwards to be fair.
Their cards wound up being unfair to Oxnard’s Ortiz, who won the fight everywhere except the scorecards.
Mr. Roach and Mr. Pacquiao, they’ve won enough hardware, enough boxing honors, I think it’s time for the Argentinean Martinez and his Espana tutor to step up to the dais and take a bow.
Oops, don’t forget Senior Citzen B. Hopkins.
What do we do have if upsets Jean Pascal in Quebec City next Saturday evening?
Hold off on engraving that hardware with the names of Martinez and Sarmiento…if you will.
