Boxing: Can Sergio Martinez Reach the Next Level?

I think that Sergio Martinez is ready to take the next step in boxing.  His first round knockout of Paul Williams is a reminder that being overconfident, as Williams had been in the past, will bite you in the behind.

Williams was once named boxing's most avoided fighter.  I think that title was once given to Antonio Margarito.

Those two fighters had the opportunity to back up their claim in big fights.  Unfortunately, they bit the dust.

Martinez had his YouTube moment in an interview that I saw courtesy of a newly-anointed Bleacher Report writer.  Edgar Solorzano caught Martinez in a hallway recently.  Since Martinez speaks mostly Spanish, it helps that the dialogue is translated for some of us, including myself, who can't speak Spanish.

It's now clear who Martinez wants to fight and in what order.  Miguel Cotto is first on Martinez's list.  If he needs a scouting report on how to deal with Cotto, he can watch some tape.  There were plenty of high-profile fighters in the past that danced with him in the ring. 

Floyd Mayweather was one of Martinez's favorite boxers.  That's him being a little starstruck over the undefeated boxer.  He would be his second opponent. 

If I told you that Mayweather would be scared to fight Martinez, would you believe it?  Even though Martinez is a little bigger that Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather is scared to battle with the pound-for-pound champ.

Imagine this for a minute:  Floyd is scared of Pacquiao, but he calls out Amir Khan and thinks he would destroy Khan.  He might be scared to fight Martinez, too.

Mayweather couldn't handle Williams if they ever stepped in the ring.  Martinez did.  He took on a taller fighter and chopped him down. 

As far as taking on Pacquiao, forget about it.  Martinez will have to wait in line just like everybody else, unless his last name starts with an "M."

Joel Seeman wrote an article for Bleacher Report on the dream fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao.  He predicted that Mayweather would defeat Pacquiao for his 42nd win in a row or his 43rd, if you count the win over his baby's mama.  There was only one problem with Seeman's article that he wrote back in August: The fight didn't happen.

In reality, that fight may or may not ever happen.  Seeman handed the victory to Mayweather in his article that he probably wrote while dreaming.  Then, after Seeman was done dreaming, he woke up.

So anyways, I expect to hear more of Sergio Martinez in 2011 because he made a believer out of me for the way he caught Williams off-guard and knocked him out cold.