He looked TERRIBLE in his fight against Murray. Is he just getting old?
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He looked TERRIBLE in his fight against Murray. Is he just getting old?
Probably is age and also injury after the JC Junior fight. The inactivity has hurt him.
Didn't he start late as well?
Sadly, as much as i am hoping against it. I think the fame has gone to his head. Dictating the fight happen in Argentina and i think after the fight, he referred to himself as a "superstar". I winced when I heard that word.
I'm not 100% sure. He looked spectacular against Junior for 11 rounds, and he even fought back in the final seconds on the 12th round to show his heart, but it appears the injuries he suffered in the Junior fight didn't heal properly. Allegedly, he is fighting again in March/April. We'll make a final assessment then, but it appears that his body is getting to the point where it doesn't respond as well as it has in the past.
I just read his hand and his knee are fine now and he's back in light training. Don't think he'll ever be the same again though. I think he'll have a tuneup against somebody he can beat and then he's out of his HBO contract. In the meantime Floyd fights the Matthysse-Garcia winner. Then they fight each other at 155. Floyd gets to claim he won the middleweight world championship against the top 160 pounder and a pound for pound guy, Martinez gets a massive retirement payday.
I actually hope this happens but Sergio batters Floyd. Sergio deserves the pay day he started late and worked hard fighting in other peoples countries.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing
I see Sergio's next fight being against Cotto in March/April.
I thought Floyd didn't do catch weights? Oh wait. I doubt Floyd fight Martinez. Again, there is the HBO/Showtime thing. Martinez can't fight on Showtime and Floyd is signed to multiple fights there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing
I think it's just age catching up with him. I think BHop kinda spoiled us and now we expect guys to be able to fight into their late 30s and early 40's with the same kind of efficiency they had in their late 20s and early 30s.
Historically, it's very hard to find guys with Martinez's speed style that were top fighters at 38. Look at how Muhammad Ali looked at 38 against Larry Holmes. Ray Leonard looked ancient at 35 against Terry Norris. At 38, Roy Jones was a joke, as was Pernell Whitaker (although obviously Sweetpea's life choices had something to do with that too).
All things considered, I think he's doing quite well for a 38 year old. He's still considered one of the top p4p guys in the sport. I think it's a shame he didn't break out and get the big fights until he was in his mid 30s.
Yes I think he did and he played a lot of soccer and cycled loads which as Master will testify, often wrecks your knees.Quote:
Originally Posted by greynotsoold
Are we just not giving Murray enough credit? He fought a good fight that looked to frustrate Martinez. Given it was his first fight in Argentina for a very long time he was really looking to impress and threw shots that were never going to land cleanly and left himself open to more shots then usual.
Sergio stopped Barker and Macklin also comprehensively beating a near light heavy in Chavez. Sergio performance has more to do with injury and inactivity than Murray performing well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Silkeyjoe
He's old and injury prone. He just had his second knee surgery so and that's pretty much the end for him at the top level. Mobility was one of his biggest assets but he's never going to be the same after those knee injuries especially at that age..
He's done.. Im 95% sure that Peter QUillin would destroy him. Im not sure he could beat Danny Jacobs at this point.
His style isn't one to carry well into old age, hell it was surprising to see him do well at 35 with his style. Injury and age saddly have taken its toll, if I was his management id have him fight a soft touch for a return bout and then a big payday retirement fight.
Yea, it's very unlikely he'll return to form imo. Knee injuries are nasty things and he is a guy who relies so much on his legs. I'd be surprised if he looks good enough to make the big fights terribly interesting at this point, but hope I'm wrong he was great to watch.
I think this is right. Murray may not be the best boxer of the domestic crop but he is teak tough, dogged and determined and I think Sergio underestimated him. He dropped the champion and pushed him much closer than the cards reflected. That was not all down to Martinez' wear and tear and had a lot to do with Murray's constant pressure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Silkeyjoe
I think murray may actually be the best out of your alls domestic bunch quite honestly i think he beats macklin and barker, lee and whoever else is around that weight in the uk, his only fault is he either starts to slow or finishes to slow so a lack of stamina i guessQuote:
Originally Posted by GreenbeanzI think this is right. Murray may not be the best boxer of the domestic crop but he is teak tough, dogged and determined and I think Sergio underestimated him. He dropped the champion and pushed him much closer than the cards reflected. That was not all down to Martinez' wear and tear and had a lot to do with Murray's constant pressure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Silkeyjoe
He's doing a catchweight against Alvarez and it'll be his biggest-earning fight ever. After it's over he's looking at a diminishing list of dance partners and a serious lack of PPVable opponents. Matthysse might spark Garcia and be a half decent PPV opponent. Other than that it's the winner of Khan-Alexander which isn't exactly a PPV dynamite option for Floyd. Martinez is the top middleweight name, technically still on the pound for pound list and offers Floyd the chance to get a credible middleweight belt by fighting a guy who is really a 154 pounder. He's got one fight left on his HBO contract which he can do while Floyd fights Matthysse. Then it's probably the biggest fight Floyd can make.Quote:
Originally Posted by RantcatratI thought Floyd didn't do catch weights? Oh wait. I doubt Floyd fight Martinez. Again, there is the HBO/Showtime thing. Martinez can't fight on Showtime and Floyd is signed to multiple fights there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing
I think he should fight GGG to c if he lives up to the hype, but don't c that happening,
Lot of good points made in the thread.
Sergio IS extremely deserving of his fame... but IMO he has let it get to his head a little bit, which on the other hand is understandable, and he's certainly not the only great fighter this has happened to. And yes, he did underestimate a very focused and game Murray... plus the added pressure of putting on a show in front of his home crowd. I think Sergio got away with one there.
He did begin late in boxing, and thus he's probably not mentally ready to hang them up just yet... regardless of what his body is telling him. And another good point was made regarding our expectations as fans that fighters can fight effectively well into their 40's. That is not the norm, and in fact can turn out to be rather dangerous, IMO.
The most important point of all is one I've made myself over and over again. Sergio's biggest mistake was coming back from his leg injury suffered against JCC Jr. way too soon. He should've given his old body a bit more time to recover fully. But he didn't, and now he's paying the price. It's a shame, because in a fight where he was totally dominating, schooling, and humiliating his opponent... he hurts his leg.... and then doesn't give himself the time to heal properly. Which is why talk of JCC ruining Martinez after the fight is so blatantly foolish and ignorant. If anybody ruined Martinez, it was Martinez himself... by not paying attention to his body's needs. We're not talking a 25-year young man here.
Bottom line is, Sergio is an extremely well-liked, respected boxing champion. He represents his country well. Not in the shameful way other fighters conduct themselves. He's never been suspected (that I know of thus far) as a drug cheat..... he's never resorted to using plaster in his gloves..... and he can put two sentences together without sounding like the village idiot.
I wish him well, no matter what his future is.