Sergio Martinez: Miguel Cotto, Not Chavez Jr. Rematch Tops Priorities
Sergio Martinez dominated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for 11-and-a-half rounds Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas before nearly getting knocked out with just over a minute left in the fight.
Despite the wild finish, Martinez dominated the vast majority of the fight and was deserving of the wide unanimous decision victory he got on the scorecards.
Opinions on a rematch have been split, with some claiming that Chavez's near knockout earned him a second fight, while others point to the ease with which Martinez was dominating the fight before the knockdown as proof the better man won.
For his part, Sergio Martinez doesn't seem terribly interested in a rematch, at least not the one which has been proposed for next year at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.
"Bob Arum suggested a rematch with Julio, in Dallas, in the American football stadium of the Cowboys with 60,00 people and pay-per-view," Martinez told Jhonny Gonzalez of BoxingScene.com.
"But (I'm not sure about that). There, Chavez does whatever he wants when it comes to the rules...regarding the doping [tests] and things like that - they are less rigorous. They are less demanding than in Nevada," Martinez continued.
Martinez's reluctance to face Chavez Jr. in what is essentially his backyard is understandable. As for the fight he prefers, that too is simple.
"My personal preference, I would like to fight with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. It would be a good fight if we reach an agreement on the weight limit," Martinez told BoxingScene.com
Cotto, who lost a spirited unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather in May, will attempt to regain a piece of the 154-pound title when he challenges WBA champion Austin Trout in December.
Cotto moved up to junior middleweight in 2010 after losing by 12th-round TKO against Manny Pacquiao. He won the WBA world championship in his first fight at that weight.
Martinez too had a successful run at 154 pounds but has not fought there since a highly controversial 2009 draw against Kermit Cintron.
It is unclear at this stage whether Martinez would be willing to come down in weight or if Cotto would be asked to come up, though it would seem that a catchweight bout is most likely.
