Sergio Martinez, the WBC Diamond Belt Middleweight champion retained his title Saturday evening at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City over Darren Barker, the unheralded fighter from England with the undefeated record. In the end, Barker was the only viable opponent that gave Martinez a tough fight for six rounds. Now, the question is, can the real Sergio Martinez stand up and get the right opponent?
His promoter, Lou DiBella was smiling at ringside. But for Martinez to secure more lucrative purses and pay-per-view opportunities, DiBella may still need to petition Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who has the opponents for Martinez to get those pay-per-view dates. The problem, as DiBella will admit, is that Arum will not part with Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, or rising welterweight Mike Jones who will be on the undercard of the Cotto-Margarito fight at Madison Square Garden on December 3rd.
HBO will continue to market Martinez. They see him as the knockout artist, more convincing though was the first round knockout last November at Boardwalk Hall over Paul Williams. And Martinez may not be a popular draw for fans to open up their pockets. A little more than 4,500 were in attendance at Boardwalk Hall, which was no comparison to the sell-outs and standing room only crowds that witnessed the late Arturo Gatti in the same venue. And they were saying as a buildup to the fight that the interest for Martinez at Boardwalk Hall would surpass or rival Gatti crowd counts.
DiBella is protecting the interest of his champion, who could stay at middleweight or move down to welter. There was mention of Martinez maybe moving up another notch and opposing Bernard Hopkins or Chad Dawson. That light heavyweight championship fight, a week from Saturday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, should not be an emphasis for Martinez. Though, an opportunity to be the next opponent for Hopkins, should he continue his remarkable story, means a big payday and pay-per-view revenue.
?This was a good fight and that helps as far as making him a bigger name,? commented DiBella. Barker, (23-1, 14 K0?S) used his technical and defensive technique against Martinez. In the fourth round, Barker caught Martinez in an exchange that caused the champion to sustain a broken nose. With blood coming from his mouth, Martinez was losing some stamina but was able to withstand the defense and power from Barker.
DiBella refers to how Arum has avoided putting Cotto, or even Manny Pacquiao, the elite welterweight champions in the ring with Martinez. He wanted that option after the Williams fight. So sensing urgency that Martinez could be at the pinnacle of his career, DiBella, co-promoter of the HBO televised card, believed Barker was the appropriate opponent for the champion from Argentina.
?The issue with Arum and letting one of his guys fight Sergio is over,? says DiBella. ?I don?t know what it is. Sergio and Cotto, or Margarito would be a great fight. Arum won?t budge so we have to move on.? Arum has contended that Sergio Martinez is not a draw, as evidenced by the slim turnout Saturday night. And for six rounds, Martinez had problems handling Barker, a defensive fighter who made adjustments.
