Lots of good, logical, intelligent, objective minds on this forum. We all know who they are. Then there's the haters. It should be difficult for me to be objective. It was our local hero who did the dismantling last night. But I'm a Sergio fan also. I've always admired Sergio's career and his class. Let's just say that both Sergio and Miguel have more class in their little toe than scumbags like Cesar Chavez Jr. have in their entire being. Which is why it's easier to root for them than for Junior, who has made a living sponging off his father's name. But I'm getting off track.


It's obvious to me that Martinez isn't what he once was. But he prepared very hard for this fight. By his own accounts, and his corner's, he was more physically ready for this fight than for the Murray fight, for which he admittedly did not give himself enough time to heal from his leg issues. There were no excuses given before the Cotto fight..... so why bring them out now after the fight?? Had Cotto been soundly beaten, the haters would've been crowing about how Cotto should have never been in the same ring with a proven middleweight champion and natural 160-pounder.


I wanted Cotto to win, but I feared it would be Martinez, due to the size difference, Sergio's handspeed (Cotto showed some pretty good hand speed of his own last night), the fact that Sergio is a southpaw, and the fact that Sergio had been in the ring with some pretty good (and big) middleweights.


Cotto came prepared. And he came out like gangbusters... going on the offensive early and whacking Martinez with every punch in his arsenal. Sergio didn't think Cotto could hurt him, but found out the hard way that Cotto's own punching power was being overlooked.


It was a great fight... I'm happy... and Cotto has done a lot toward cementing his legacy. Martinez's own legacy is sealed, IMO, as he's had a wonderful career by his own rights. It might be time to hang up the gloves, though.


And in answer to IamInuit's thread question: Maybe at some point you could tell the leg wasn't the same. But it wasn't before Cotto had taken him apart in the very first round. No excuses were offered by Sergio. He knew he had gotten hit a lot harder than he figured he would get hit.