By Scott Gilfoid: WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) might not necessarily be fighting #4 WBC contender Martin Murray (24-0-1, 10 KO’s) next on April 27th after all, as Dan Rafael of ESPN is reporting that Murray is just one of four potential opponents that the 37-year-old Martinez could end up fighting for his first title defense of his World Boxing Council strap in Buenos Aires in Argentina.

Besides Murray, Martinez’s adviser and promoter are considering Jose Miguel Torres (26-5, 23 KO’s), Kerry Hope (17-4, 1 KO’s), and Domenica Spada (36-4, 18 KO’s). Murray obviously is the highest ranking one of the bunch and he could possibly be the number #1 option for now. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to get the fight, because those other guys are still in the running for the fight.

There’s a lot of things to factor in choosing the right guy and it’s just about who the World Boxing Council has ranked the highest. You have to look at the money angle. Who will agree to take the fight for a certain amount of cash, as well as who will bring the most excitement. The last thing that Martinez needs is another contender that is mainly staying on the outside the entire fight and not making for exciting fight.

We saw one of the most boring fights with involving Martinez within memory when he fought Darren Barker last year and Barker just hung around the outside sticking jabs without trying to go after Martinez. It might be better for Martinez to take on a slugger like Spada or Torres in this case because those guys bring excitement. Martinez wants to put on a good show for his boxing fans in Argentina and the last thing he needs is an opponent that he’ll have to chase around the ring for 12 rounds.

Martinez will be recovering from right knee surgery for the next two months and hopefully his knee will heal without any setbacks that require additional surgeries.

Martinez needs to fight someone with a similar fighting style of former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. because that’s who Martinez will be fighting in a rematch against on September 14th. I think Spada or Torres would be good. Hope wouldn’t be so great because he has no power, whereas Murray tends to do a little too much dancing around the ring and is dramatically different from Chavez Jr.