Move over Pac and Floyd: It’s Maravilla Time

He caught me with a punch I did not see.

--Paul Williams

I couldn't see his left hand. I wasn't hurting - he just hit me with a high volume of punches.

--Kelly Pavlik

At a time when most of us are just plain sick of all the ad nauseam talk surrounding the PEDS issue and the attendant testing controversy, a fighter from Argentina has come front and center and seems just the right antidote to get over our collective illness over Manny and Floyd exchanging excuses rather than exchanging punches.

Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (47-2-2) is just what the doctor ordered. He fights like a prime Roy Jones, possesses incredible athleticism, is supremely confident, has incredible stamina likely from being a former cyclist and soccer player, seems to be at his prime even at age 36, has crunching power, and is super exciting to watch. He can take an opponent out with either hand and by going upstairs and downstairs. Some may well argue that “Maravilla” is the new Pound-4-Pound King in boxing. While I am not yet quite ready to say that, I do think the question is subject to reasonable debate. However, I am more than ready to have Martinez replace the inactive and troubled Floyd Mayweather Junior.

While Mayweather and Pacquiao do their own versions of cherry picking (one with opponents the other with time intervals between fights), Martinez fights young and dangerous boxers still in their prime. His opponents since early 2009 include Serhiy Dzinziruk (37-0 coming in), Paul Williams (39-1 coming in ), Kelly Pavlik (36-1 at the time), Paul Williams (then 37-1), and Kermit Cintron (30-2 coming in). The MD loss against Williams was controversial to say the least. In fact, his only definitive loss was against Antonio Margarito (then 20-3) in 2000 but that was then and this is now. Tony has seen his best days while Sergio is now seeing his own.

In his tenth fight, “Maravilla fought an opponent with 30 bouts. Thereafter, most of his opponents were similarly experienced. In fact, he beat Ariel Chaves (38-4) in 1999, a year in which he had 10 fights. After being stooped in 7 to a young Margarito in 2000 in his first fight overseas, Martinez regrouped and won 28 straight before “drawing” with Cintron in one of the most controversial decisions in recen boxinghistory. In fact, Sergio arguably knocked out the ever-so-dramatic Kermit, but the referee missed it in plain sight. Along the way, Martinez retired tough Adrian Stone (33-4-2) in Bristol, UK in 2003, waxed Saul Roman (27-2) in an WBC Light Middleweight Title Eliminator in 2007in Texas, and then claimed the interim WBC Light Middleweight title in October 2008, beating Alex Bunema in California via an eighth round stoppage.

And yes, he dos remind me of Roy Jones Jr.

test ;D

Make him climb up 40 pounds, challenge any 3-time world champion, and then give up another 17 pounds weight advantage to his opponent at fight night. If Martinez beats the living shit out of that guy, then maybe Pac or Floyd will move over for him. ;)

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Originally Posted by :::PSL:::

Make him climb up 40 pounds, challenge any 3-time world champion, and then give up another 17 pounds weight advantage to his opponent at fight night. If Martinez beats the living shit out of that guy, then maybe Pac or Floyd will move over for him. ;)

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ummm yea, Roy Jones Jr already did it

He's already above Floyd, in MY book. Floyd's inactivity and cherry-picking are just plain sickening, and IMO he's just resting on past laurels and letting his "legions" of fans (slowly working themselves down to a few dozen) do the talking for him. What am I saying... Floyd also carries his own torch. No, Floyd's not even # 2 right now. That position goes to someone like Martinez, who is busy fighting to deserve the spot.

Martinez is the most impressive fighter in the world right now and is clearly the most handsome too. He should be a megastar. There is no cherry picking from this guy and he beats up whoever you put in front of him. With Floyd you have massive inactivity and cherry picking such as beating up on LW's. With Pac you have in house manipulation and fighting men who are pushing 40. With Martinez what you have is the real deal, no questions asked.

He has done a Calzaghe in that it is a late career bloom, but unlikel Calzaghe, this man can actually bust people up.

I have Martinez #2 in my book, behind pac. Floyd doesn't fight enough to be #2 in my opinion. Martinez very well could be #1 pretty soon here, if pac keeps picking shot fighters to face.

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Originally Posted by miles

martinez is the most impressive fighter in the world right now and is clearly the most handsome too. He should be a megastar. There is no cherry picking from this guy and he beats up whoever you put in front of him. With floyd you have massive inactivity and cherry picking such as beating up on lw's. With pac you have in house manipulation and fighting men who are pushing 40. With martinez what you have is the real deal, no questions asked.

He has done a calzaghe in that it is a late career bloom, but unlikel calzaghe, this man can actually bust people up.

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lol

The mythical p4p no. 1 is usually based on resume, longevity against top level opposition, and p4p wise who would win if size was taken out. Martinez current resume is impressive, but it still pales to Floyd and Pac's current and overall resume. Not to mentioned if they were all the same size, I still favor Pac and Floyd over Martinez. To be p4p no.1 it takes some serious consistency, longevity, and fighting top level opposition year in and year out. But hey this p4p stuff is all subjective anyway.

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

He's already above Floyd, in MY book. Floyd's inactivity and cherry-picking are just plain sickening, and IMO he's just resting on past laurels and letting his "legions" of fans (slowly working themselves down to a few dozen) do the talking for him. What am I saying... Floyd also carries his own torch. No, Floyd's not even # 2 right now. That position goes to someone like Martinez, who is busy fighting to deserve the spot.

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Two thumbs up!

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Originally Posted by MMASUX

I have Martinez #2 in my book, behind pac. Floyd doesn't fight enough to be #2 in my opinion. Martinez very well could be #1 pretty soon here, if pac keeps picking shot fighters to face.

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Well put!

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Originally Posted by generalbulldog

The mythical p4p no. 1 is usually based on resume, longevity against top level opposition, and p4p wise who would win if size was taken out. Martinez current resume is impressive, but it still pales to Floyd and Pac's current and overall resume. Not to mentioned if they were all the same size, I still favor Pac and Floyd over Martinez. To be p4p no.1 it takes some serious consistency, longevity, and fighting top level opposition year in and year out. But hey this p4p stuff is all subjective anyway.

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Frankly, I don't like P4P stuff.

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Originally Posted by ElTerribleMorales

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Originally Posted by :::PSL:::

Make him climb up 40 pounds, challenge any 3-time world champion, and then give up another 17 pounds weight advantage to his opponent at fight night. If Martinez beats the living shit out of that guy, then maybe Pac or Floyd will move over for him. ;)

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ummm yea, Roy Jones Jr already did it

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against who?

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Originally Posted by holmcall

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Originally Posted by generalbulldog

The mythical p4p no. 1 is usually based on resume, longevity against top level opposition, and p4p wise who would win if size was taken out. Martinez current resume is impressive, but it still pales to Floyd and Pac's current and overall resume. Not to mentioned if they were all the same size, I still favor Pac and Floyd over Martinez. To be p4p no.1 it takes some serious consistency, longevity, and fighting top level opposition year in and year out. But hey this p4p stuff is all subjective anyway.

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Frankly, I don't like P4P stuff.

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The irony of this thread.;D

i think martinez was running out of gas and was at times just able to hold dzinzurik off. had dzinzurik been able to mount a little offence in the final round i think the fight could have ended with martinez gettin ko'd. he didn't seem to have that great stamina people are always talking about. he looked desperate to end the fight... not in control of it.

there's no question that he's hot right now. i like him alot....but i think he's very beatable.

oh... as for the roy jones jr comparissons people keep making. i don't think roy was hit by more than 50 clean punches in like 10 years. so i don't really see how their styles are that alike.

P4P is a marketing tool now, bit of the diva's walking the runway. That is THE only reason Floyd fought JMM. His status after long layoff and springboard into a supposed Manny clash. Ooops. Manny...Martinez...Mayweather bringing up the rear for me.

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Originally Posted by ruthless rocco

oh... as for the roy jones jr comparissons people keep making. i don't think roy was hit by more than 50 clean punches in like 10 years. so i don't really see how their styles are that alike.

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His athleticism is what reminds me of Roy. ;D

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Originally Posted by generalbulldog

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Originally Posted by holmcall

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Originally Posted by generalbulldog

the mythical p4p no. 1 is usually based on resume, longevity against top level opposition, and p4p wise who would win if size was taken out. Martinez current resume is impressive, but it still pales to floyd and pac's current and overall resume. Not to mentioned if they were all the same size, i still favor pac and floyd over martinez. To be p4p no.1 it takes some serious consistency, longevity, and fighting top level opposition year in and year out. But hey this p4p stuff is all subjective anyway.

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frankly, i don't like p4p stuff.

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the irony of this thread.;d

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lmfao ;d

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Originally Posted by ruthless rocco

i think martinez was running out of gas and was at times just able to hold dzinzurik off. had dzinzurik been able to mount a little offence in the final round i think the fight could have ended with martinez gettin ko'd. he didn't seem to have that great stamina people are always talking about. he looked desperate to end the fight... not in control of it.

there's no question that he's hot right now. i like him alot....but i think he's very beatable.

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He looked that way vs Kelly Pavlik in the middle rounds, then comeback late on and got a 2nd wind.

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Originally Posted by Julius Rain

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Originally Posted by ElTerribleMorales

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Originally Posted by :::PSL:::

Make him climb up 40 pounds, challenge any 3-time world champion, and then give up another 17 pounds weight advantage to his opponent at fight night. If Martinez beats the living shit out of that guy, then maybe Pac or Floyd will move over for him. ;)

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ummm yea, Roy Jones Jr already did it

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against who?

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Jones started at 160 ended up a heavyweight, he beat John Ruiz who weighed 226 the night before the fight while Jones weighed 193, therefore 30+ lbs difference on the night before the fight don't even wanna imagine fight night, and he won by a dominant UD without the need of a catchweight ;), even more impressive is the fact that he just jumped passed Cruiserweight all together

I've never understood the need to shit on one boxer to try and make another look better. You'd think we'd all hype both or why fight a guy who you can argue in one way or another is garbage. Best vs the best i say...anyhoo. All three of these guys are the shit and it's why they all get the attention they do. Yes welcome another big time player to the field. Martinez is no joke. I'm a backer of donaire dude is bad ass too. But not a proven bad ass as these three !!! This sport is getting more and more interesting all the time.

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Originally Posted by ICB

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Originally Posted by ruthless rocco

i think martinez was running out of gas and was at times just able to hold dzinzurik off. had dzinzurik been able to mount a little offence in the final round i think the fight could have ended with martinez gettin ko'd. he didn't seem to have that great stamina people are always talking about. he looked desperate to end the fight... not in control of it.

there's no question that he's hot right now. i like him alot....but i think he's very beatable.

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He looked that way vs Kelly Pavlik in the middle rounds, then comeback late on and got a 2nd wind.

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He did indeed and that's where his stamina comes in. He gets stronger late.

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Originally Posted by ElTerribleMorales

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Originally Posted by :::PSL:::

Make him climb up 40 pounds, challenge any 3-time world champion, and then give up another 17 pounds weight advantage to his opponent at fight night. If Martinez beats the living shit out of that guy, then maybe Pac or Floyd will move over for him. ;)

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ummm yea, Roy Jones Jr already did it

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I guess it's not coincident that they are both Fighter Of The Decade.

honestly i think martinez is way overhyped

and i dont understand how donaire can KTFO (with zero effort) a guy who was ranked #10 P4P, yet martinez immediately moves back above him with a win over a guy who moved up in weight to fight him, and managed to win a round or two

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Originally Posted by SalTheButcher

honestly i think martinez is way overhyped

and i dont understand how donaire can KTFO (with zero effort) a guy who was ranked #10 P4P, yet martinez immediately moves back above him with a win over a guy who moved up in weight to fight him, and managed to win a round or two

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Points taken

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Originally Posted by SalTheButcher

honestly i think martinez is way overhyped

and i dont understand how donaire can KTFO (with zero effort) a guy who was ranked #10 P4P, yet martinez immediately moves back above him with a win over a guy who moved up in weight to fight him, and managed to win a round or two

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Well it was a very dominant performance against a dangerous, unbeaten fighter who was arguably the best at 154lbs. Also, Martinez got the #3 spot after he brutally stopped Williams, who was #4 p4p going into that fight, so I don't think Donaire should have gone above him in the first place by doing a similar thing to the #10 guy (impressive as that was)

I reckon Sergio has overtaken Foyd in regards to p4p rankings purely because of Floyds inactivity. Not sure about Pac though. Depends on how Pac does against Mosley. If its a laboured points win then Martinez makes a case but if Pac looks sensational and wins by KO then he probably deserves to be known as the best.

Martinez is certainly the guy in form. People are standing up and taking notice of him now. I hope he fights Sturm soon.

Can't believe this is the same guy that came here and beat Richard Williams.

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Originally Posted by Master

Can't believe this is the same guy that came here and beat Richard Williams.

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I know its mad isnt it. A small hall show then all these years later he is the elite of the elite.

Cant belive its teh same guy who got beat by Marg on the Barrera - Morales1 undercard. But maybe that was down to concrete gloves so if it was then Martinez is really unbeaten having beat everyone he's ever fought. Pretty impressive

I agree that the p4p title is mythical and entirely subjective. It makes for spirited discussions, though, and that's what makes it fun. I persist on my ranking of Pac and Martinez above Floyd and, if Nonito follows up his impressive win over Montiel with a repeat performance... I'd start cleaning out the # 4 spot for Floyd also. And I believe I'm being generous.

Reason? I think when people are reduced to start talking about someone's fights from 4-5 years ago... something's wrong. I've seen threads on here defending Floyd's resume. Yes, he's had hugely impressive fights. Maybe his fight with Corrales was the most impressive of them all. But when was THAT? Eons ago, in the p4p calendar. Not taking anything away from the man. He's probably got the most God-given talent of of the fighters I've already mentioned. But he's clearly resting on his laurels, and has not been a true ambassador of his sport. The JMM fight was a joke, no disrespect intended toward JMM, who is probably my favorite Mexican fighter and an ATG. JMM had no business at that weight, and Floyd's people knew that.

Something else that sets Floyd apart from the other three I've mentioned is attitude. Pacquiao, Martinez, and Nonito are all going about their business.... taking fights and giving their best against whomever they put in front of them. Floyd? Please.... He's too busy living his circus life, promoting himself, changing his nickname from Pretty Boy to Money, dancing with the stars, wrestling Big Show, pounding his chest and boring us with his tired stories about why he's still # 1, blah, blah, blah, blah..... ad nauseaum.

Five years from now, we'll still be sitting around arguing about p4p, and Floyd's backers will STILL be chanting his name, even while Floyd sits around and flushes his life and career down the toilet.

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

I agree that the p4p title is mythical and entirely subjective. It makes for spirited discussions, though, and that's what makes it fun. I persist on my ranking of Pac and Martinez above Floyd and, if Nonito follows up his impressive win over Montiel with a repeat performance... I'd start cleaning out the # 4 spot for Floyd also. And I believe I'm being generous.

Reason? I think when people are reduced to start talking about someone's fights from 4-5 years ago... something's wrong. I've seen threads on here defending Floyd's resume. Yes, he's had hugely impressive fights. Maybe his fight with Corrales was the most impressive of them all. But when was THAT? Eons ago, in the p4p calendar. Not taking anything away from the man. He's probably got the most God-given talent of of the fighters I've already mentioned. But he's clearly resting on his laurels, and has not been a true ambassador of his sport. The JMM fight was a joke, no disrespect intended toward JMM, who is probably my favorite Mexican fighter and an ATG. JMM had no business at that weight, and Floyd's people knew that.

Something else that sets Floyd apart from the other three I've mentioned is attitude. Pacquiao, Martinez, and Nonito are all going about their business.... taking fights and giving their best against whomever they put in front of them. Floyd? Please.... He's too busy living his circus life, promoting himself, changing his nickname from Pretty Boy to Money, dancing with the stars, wrestling Big Show, pounding his chest and boring us with his tired stories about why he's still # 1, blah, blah, blah, blah..... ad nauseaum.

Five years from now, we'll still be sitting around arguing about p4p, and Floyd's backers will STILL be chanting his name, even while Floyd sits around and flushes his life and career down the toilet.

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it's only fair due to his inactivity, but then again Rafa Marquez and Vazquez were still on the P4P lists when they hadn't even fought over a year, if and when Mayweather fights again against a decent opponent and wins in dominant fashion well he'll be the most popular fighter at the time again and boost up to #1, why? cause P4P rankings are now just popularity contests, in terms of talent and long term success my top 3 would be Pacquiao, Mayweather, Martinez with number 1 and 2 flipping every once in a while due to analyzing past fights, fact is right now Martinez is just starting to dominate if he continues the way he's going he easily could push both Manny and Floyd out the way

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Originally Posted by ElTerribleMorales

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Originally Posted by TitoFan

I agree that the p4p title is mythical and entirely subjective. It makes for spirited discussions, though, and that's what makes it fun. I persist on my ranking of Pac and Martinez above Floyd and, if Nonito follows up his impressive win over Montiel with a repeat performance... I'd start cleaning out the # 4 spot for Floyd also. And I believe I'm being generous.

Reason? I think when people are reduced to start talking about someone's fights from 4-5 years ago... something's wrong. I've seen threads on here defending Floyd's resume. Yes, he's had hugely impressive fights. Maybe his fight with Corrales was the most impressive of them all. But when was THAT? Eons ago, in the p4p calendar. Not taking anything away from the man. He's probably got the most God-given talent of of the fighters I've already mentioned. But he's clearly resting on his laurels, and has not been a true ambassador of his sport. The JMM fight was a joke, no disrespect intended toward JMM, who is probably my favorite Mexican fighter and an ATG. JMM had no business at that weight, and Floyd's people knew that.

Something else that sets Floyd apart from the other three I've mentioned is attitude. Pacquiao, Martinez, and Nonito are all going about their business.... taking fights and giving their best against whomever they put in front of them. Floyd? Please.... He's too busy living his circus life, promoting himself, changing his nickname from Pretty Boy to Money, dancing with the stars, wrestling Big Show, pounding his chest and boring us with his tired stories about why he's still # 1, blah, blah, blah, blah..... ad nauseaum.

Five years from now, we'll still be sitting around arguing about p4p, and Floyd's backers will STILL be chanting his name, even while Floyd sits around and flushes his life and career down the toilet.

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it's only fair due to his inactivity, but then again Rafa Marquez and Vazquez were still on the P4P lists when they hadn't even fought over a year Bad comparison. After what Rafa and Israel have done to each other each time they've met, can you BLAME them for not fighting with the same frequency as before?, if and when Mayweather fights again against a decent opponent and wins in dominant fashion well he'll be the most popular fighter at the time again and boost up to #1, why? cause P4P rankings are now just popularity contests It's not what they were MEANT to be. They were meant to be comparisons of fighters from different weights, but taking away the size differences., in terms of talent and long term success my top 3 would be Pacquiao, Mayweather, Martinez with number 1 and 2 flipping every once in a while due to analyzing past fights, fact is right now Martinez is just starting to dominate if he continues the way he's going he easily could push both Manny and Floyd out the way

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Obviously that's your opinion and I respect it. I've already made my points as to why Floyd is entirely different from the other fighters mentioned. Talent alone does not a p4p champion make. If that were the case, yes... Floyd would be # 1 hands down. But (IMO) that's not all there is to it. Interestingly enough, of all these fighters Floyd is the only one who puts the p4p title as # 1, 2, and 3 on his list of priorities.