By Scott Gilfoid: WBC Diamond middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26 KO’s) is battling what could be the toughest fight of all in just trying to keep motivated for his mismatch bout against number #3 WBC middleweight challenger Darren Barker (23-0, 14 KO’s) this Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

For Martinez, who has become accustomed to fighting nothing but world champions or former world champions in the past two years, it’s less than thrilling to be fighting a guy that has only fought one contender during his entire seven year pro career and that was against Domenica Spada.

Barker hasn’t faced any well known contenders and this is going to be baptism under fire for the 29-year-old Barker on Saturday. When you take a guy with little experience and not much power and hand speed and then throw him in with the best fighter in the division bar none against Martinez, bad things happen. Don’t blink your eyes because this fight will likely be over within a round or two.

Martinez said this to fightnews.com about Barker: “I hope [Barker] is prepared to give a good account of himself…I try to imagine I have a Paul Williams or a Kelly Pavlik in front of me. I have to keep myself motivated.”

Yes, it must be difficult to stay motivated for a fighter like Barker who went life and death with Spada. This must take some serious mind tricks for Martinez to stay even slightly interested in this fight because it’s such a mismatch. Martinez will probably toy with Barker until obliterating him in the 2nd round. In watching Barker fight, I’m just shaking my head wondering how and why the World Boxing Council ranked this guy at number #3. Barker looks not batter than No.20 as far as I’m concerned, and that’s being overly generous.