On March 13th, another great weekend of boxing was witnessed by boxing fans after two exciting matches happened on the same night. The night?s brightest stars clearly belonged to Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez, who are undoubtedly two of the biggest names in boxing today.
Sergio Martinez cemented his place as the world?s 3rd best pound for pound fighter by demolishing former middleweight champion Sergei Dzinziruk. The end came for Dziniziruk in the 1:48 of round number eight after kissing the canvass for the 5th time (his 3rd knockdown in round 8). It was a one-sided match for Martinez from the get-go and it was clear that Dzinziruk had no match for the Argentine champion. Also, he may well be placed in the 2nd spot of the P4P standing (even the 1st spot) after May 1st and now is the perfect time for Martinez to be in a super-fight.
Miguel Cotto, on the other hand, showed everyone that the Buirica Bomber has returned. This match against the flamboyant king of trash-talk Ricardo Mayorga. It was a testament to Cotto?s desire to climb the pound for pound rankings once again. With over 6,000 spectators watching, Cotto pounded Mayorga until the cigarette-smoking Nicaraguan quit in the 12th round. Cotto, through the guidance of Emanuel Steward, delivered a dominant performance which could earn him another shot for a future super-fight.
Both Cotto and Martinez showed the world why they belong in the company of the elite fighters by definition of their superiority, brilliance, and power after stopping their opponents via KO. Now that everything has subsided, what?s next for Cotto and Martinez? Who will be their next opponent?
The first clear choice would be Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Floyd has no opponent set and very much available. The only problem is that Floyd doesn?t seem know if he wants to retire, relax or pursue a career as a music/movie producer. The next choice for both men would be Manny Pacquaio, though many reports suggest that Pacquiao may likely choose Juan Manuel Marquez as his next opponent for November. Also, Pacman is too small for Martinez and I think a Pacquiao-Cotto part deux is not on Bob Arum?s mind as of the moment.
As for the other available credible (or popular?) opponents, Cotto may consider Margarito next July or Shane Mosley, if the latter doesn?t get pulverized on May 7. Martinez may not even get a descent opponent if he chooses to fight below 160lbs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and Saul Alvarez are names that could also be considered but I think their promoters will avoid any possibility on this (guess why?). Still, there are still some options left but I doubt if they could earn million dollar contracts against lesser known but viable opponents.
With that said, if Cotto and Martinez find themselves without any opponent next, why not fight each other instead? Is it that hard considering they are fighting at the maximum weight limit of Jr. Middleweight? Anyone interested?
