By Dan Ambrose: After being chased for over 2 years by WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26 KO’s), WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO’s) is saying that he wants to fight Golovkin if he can win his next fight against Miguel Cotto on June 7th. That’s a really big if for Martinez, because he’s been looking old lately since the 12th round of his fight against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in September of 2012. That fight seemed to have really aged Martinez in a fierce way.
Sergio was taken the distance in his last fight by Martin Murray, and he arguably won what many boxing fans felt was a hometown decision in that one. The fight took place in Argentina and it’s easy to picture Murray getting his hand raised if it had taken place anywhere else in the world but there.
“I have a hard, complicated fight ahead [Miguel Cotto], but seeing how things are working, I know I’m gonna finish him. Once I KO Cotto on June 7, then I can concentrate on Golovkin,” Martinez told Munod.
Martinez vs. Golovkin would be a big fight fans, especially if Martinez looks good in the Cotto fight and is able to beat him. I can’t see Martinez agreeing to fight Golovkin if he beats Cotto. It’s too tough of a fight for the soon to be 39-year-old Martinez to take unless it’s going to be the last one of his career. Martinez turns 39 on February 21st, and that’s really old for a world champion. The time to have fought Golovkin was back in 2010 when Martinez was at his best and beating the likes of Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams, but that was a long time ago. Martinez is definitely not the same fighter he was back then.
If Martinez is 75% of what he was in 2010, he should be able to defeat Miguel Cotto on June 7th, because he would still have the advantage in mobility and boxing skills over Cotto. As long as Sergio doesn’t stand in front of Cotto foolishly and try to get into any prolonged exchanges with him, he should be able to beat him and take his scalp.
Golovkin would then be the perfect opponent for Martinez to fight in his next fight if he’s serious about wanting to fight him. We’re probably not going to see Martinez face Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Peter Quillin or Floyd Mayweather Jr. if he gets past Cotto. So without any real interesting options for Martinez, he might as well go for broke by facing Golovkin in a big money fight.
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