(Photo credit: Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment/ Ed Mulholland) By Dan Ambrose: WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO’s) learned today that he won’t be permitted to wear a knee brace on his surgically repaired right knee for his title defense this Saturday night against Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KO’s) at Madison Square Garden, in New York. thesweetscience.com is reporting that the New York State Athletic Commission won’t let Sergio wear the brace for some reason.
Apparently, nothing was said about him not being able to wear it in the contract language for the fight, and perhaps no one thought too much about it. But someone seems to have taken an issue with Sergio wearing the knee brace.
It could be that after watching Martinez working out on HBO’s recent Cotto vs. Martinez 24/7 last Saturday, they saw Martinez with the brace on his knee and decided that he shouldn’t be allowed to wear it during the fight, even though it’s not something that would benefit him for the fight. It would be merely used to protect his knee.
The question is was it Cotto’s team that raised a complaint about the brace, and if so, why? Would it help Cotto if Martinez’s knee gives out on him during the fight? Yes, it would. Whatever the case, hopefully it wasn’t one of Cotto’s team raising the complaint because it seems kind of silly to make a deal out of something a fighter is wearing to protect an injured leg.
Martinez will get to show that he can beat Cotto without the brace this Saturday night in front of a packed house at Madison Square Garden. As long as Sergio is able to move around the ring without his knee collapsing out from under him, he should be fine and we could see him win an easy decision or perhaps a knockout.
“I love New York City. It is one of my favorite cities in the world,” Martinez said. “I am so excited to be here and fight at one of the most famous arenas in the entire world. This is a dream come true for me. Camp was phenomenal. The gym was excellent, Miami was perfect. This is the best training camp that I have ever had in my entire career. I said it before and I am saying it again, there is no possible way that Cotto will make it out of the 9th round. Freddie Roach is excellent at telling jokes and this is one of the best jokes he has ever told.”
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