The merits of “almost” earning a knockout victory against one of the best fighters in the world can’t be underestimated. Being on the receiving end of a boxing lesson and a severe beating for 11? rounds, only to recover with the strength of a tornado to push a true champion to the verge of defeat, is a true achievement. But a Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. rematch? It’s quite a leap from viewing the glass as half full to having reasonable expectations that a rematch could measure up to the excitement and emotion of the first fight.
The mere possibility of another ending as extraordinary as what we witnessed over the last 90 seconds of Saturday’s heart-stopper is undeniably intriguing, and many will be waiting for the announcement of a rematch so they can immediately mark it on the calendar. Still, after navigating through months of anticipation — marked by dozens of grandiose statements from both camps and countless flawed analyses and predictions tainted by patriotism and bad blood — will a second fight be worth our while? Are we that desperate for another 12 rounds of watching Martinez impose his superior boxing skills with even greater ease, along with the disenchantment of fans who will claim in hindsight that the outcome was inevitable and that boxing is a farce (among the printable derogatory comments).
Those of us who live and breathe the sport know that there is no crystal ball, and that pugilism is far from farcical. The extensive damage that painted the faces of both fighters after Saturday’s bout should be proof enough of that. But the likelihood that Martinez’s domination would be repeated, to a somewhat greater or lesser degree, raises the question: Would it be better for boxing, for fans, for Martinez, even for Chavez — and perhaps for both fighters’ bank accounts — for them to take separate paths and face some of the other top-tier middleweight opponents?
Chavez could move up in weight and start down the tough road that could lead him to super middleweights like Andre Ward, Carl Froch and Kelly Pavlik. Or he could stay at 160 and seek another belt against, in order of difficulty, Gennady Golovkin, Daniel Geale or Dmitry Pirog. A win over one of those titlists would at least give another layer of legitimacy to an eventual rematch with Martinez, should it come together.
In the meantime, Martinez could stay at 160 and continue exploiting his great speed against bigger fighters or lose a few pounds — as he says, he’s still capable at age 37 — and access the most lucrative market of opponents possible. At junior middleweight, fights with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto or Canelo Alvarez would be blockbusters. Perhaps even Manny Pacquiao would feel the lure of climbing up to a catchweight to challenge Martinez for his undisputed linear middleweight title in an effort to add to his vast collection.
The alternatives for Martinez and Chavez are far too many and interesting to ignore in order to put on a rematch based on 90 seconds of toe-to-toe action that obscures the definitive end result. Besides, an immediate rematch would add little to either fighter’s career, strictly from a boxing standpoint. Each stands to gain more by demonstrating he can excel in different environments and against varied styles, seizing the current momentum to attract other megafights. Perhaps one day, then, Martinez and Chavez can meet again, when a rematch makes sense — for us and for them.
