Sergio Martinez... What's happened?

[Rantcatrat]

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 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.

[Beanflicker]

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.

[Kirkland Laing]

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 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.

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.