By Allan Fox: Abel Sanchez, the trainer for WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, seriously doubts that WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO’s) will opt to fight Golovkin in September 2014 like what was mentioned recently. Sanchez feels that was just another way of saying they’re not interested in facing Golovkin by putting the fight date way into the future.
Instead, Sanchez sees the 38-year-old Martinez cashing out in a fight against Miguel Cotto, Darren Barker, Peter Quillin or the winner of the September 14th fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, and then walking away from the sport. The Mayweather-Canelo winner would likely be the ideal cash-out fight for Martinez, because it offers the biggest payday by far for Martinez.
Martinez is currently recovering from a knee injury he suffered in his April title defense against Martin Murray. The injury will keep Martinez out of the ring for the remainder of 2013.
Sanchez said to RingTV “I think he’s [Martinez] getting to the point where his body is breaking down…I think that Martinez has done enough in this business and we should give him that because he deserves that [cash-out fight]. I think Martinez has a couple of fights left, mentally and physically, and those fights are probably going to be at 154 with Cotto or even Floyd or Canelo.”
It would be surprising if Martinez could get Mayweather Jr. to agree to fight him, but Canelo and Cotto are definite possibilities. Those guys would likely take a fight with Martinez in a second. Former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. wants to fight him as well, but Chavez Jr. might not be able to make 160 lbs. anymore, and for Martinez to agree to fight him, he’d have to accept the possibility that Chavez Jr. might not make weight if the fight takes place at 160.
Martinez facing Barker or Quillin would be a lot less desirable than a bout against Canelo, Mayweather, Cotto or Chavez Jr. for obvious reasons. Barker and Quillin are not good cash-out fights because neither of them has a large fan base in the U.S.
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