Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KOs) spoke through an interpreter to 8CN?s David Hopper about his upcoming fight, battling injuries, his thoughts on 160 lb. star Gennady Golovkin, and more. The 39-year-old Argentine will fight Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KOs) June 7 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. The megafight, which will be televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View, will be at a 159 lb. catchweight for Martinez?s WBC title. Despite receiving top billing, Cotto, who has fought at The Garden eight times, is seen as the underdog. If Cotto wins he will become the first Puerto Rican to win world titles in four weight classes. The 33-year-old is coming off a third-round KO destruction of Delvin Rodriguez this past October. Martinez last fought in April 2013 in Buenos Aires where he won a unanimous decision over Martin Murray in a competitive fight. After the bout, ?Maravilla? underwent a second surgery on his right knee. Martinez told 8CN he feels ?100 percent? going into the fight with Cotto.
DH: How has training camp been?
SM: Camp is very hard but I?m working extremely hard and everything is going very well.
DH: You have battled a number of injuries and have had a couple surgeries on your knee. How do you feel? Are you confident you?ll enter this fight at 100 percent?
SM: The doctors did a great job and now I feel 100 percent. I worked extremely hard in this training camp and everything is running smoothly.
DH: Has your training regimen been altered to accommodate your knee? Or are you training the same way you were prior to the injuries?
SM: The training is pretty much similar but we?ve done a couple different things to try to avoid reinjuring the old injury. Everything is relatively status quo.
DH: You?ve said your fight with Cotto will not go past round 9. However, your last four fights all went longer than 10 rounds. What is it about Cotto that makes you so confident you?ll stop him sooner than your last several opponents?
SM: I?m a better boxer than Cotto so I?m certain I?ll knock him out.
DH: As viewers saw on HBO?s Face Off with Max Kellerman, there is tension and bad blood between you and Cotto. You were upset with Cotto for referring to you as the ?B-side? of the fight and the fact that he had, as you said, ?diva?-like demands for the fight. Has that motivated you to train even harder than usual and unleash a beating on Cotto?
SM: All the nonsense that Cotto was asking for has motivated me to train harder for this fight.
DH: What do you think a win over Cotto would mean for your legacy? Would you rank it as one of your greatest victories?
SM: It will be a very important fight in my career but it?s not the most important fight of my career if I win. But I?m very certain I will win this fight.
DH: Some have called your matchup with Cotto a ?clash of styles.? How do you feel Cotto?s style contrasts with your style?
SM: The styles will make the fight but I?m still certain it?s not going to go the distance. I?m going to beat him.
DH: Cotto is known for being a big puncher with 31 of his 38 victories coming by stoppage. However, he?s moving up in weight and you?ve said he won?t be as strong at 160 as he was when he campaigned at 147. Do you expect Cotto to have about the same level of power as the other middleweights you?ve fought during your title run?
SM: I don?t expect him to have the same power with him going up in weight. He?s definitely not going to be as strong as [my last opponent, Martin] Murray.
DH: Cotto always brings thousands of Puerto Rican fans to The Garden and you will bring many Argentine fans. Do you expect this fight to have one of the best atmospheres of your career?
SM: Hopefully yes. Obviously after the fight is when I?ll start to pay attention to that.
DH: Some observers have pointed to Cotto?s impressive performance over Delvin Rodriguez last year as evidence that the aggressive, powerful Cotto of old has returned. However, Rodriguez is not one of the top fighters. Do you feel like Cotto?s win over Rodriguez proved anything?
SM: With all respect to Delvin Rodriguez, he?s not at the level of someone who should be fighting Miguel Cotto.
DH: How many fights do you think you have left in your career?
SM: I have one more fight with HBO and after that fight I?m going to sit down with the team and decide if I should move forward or call it a day.
DH: All your attention and preparation is on Cotto right now but, after this fight, do you think there?s a chance you?ll fight middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin?
SM: It?s a good option. I?m not going to discard it.
DH: Golovkin has been destroying his opponents but he has yet to fight any of the top fighters, including yourself, Peter Quillin, and Daniel Geale, among others. What do you think of Golovkin?s boxing abiliies?
SM: He?s a great champion and with time he?ll be one of the best.
DH: Thank you very much Sergio, that?s all I had for you. Is there anything you?d like to add or say to your fans?
SM: Thank you very much and June 7 don?t miss out because I will give a performance that will be amazing.
