Full & Accurate Translation of Martinez's March Golpe a Golpe Interview (Part 1)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S5u_XUbcXU[/ame]


Martinez: Dzinziruk is a great boxer, he's very smart, he has very good schooling, he's very orthodox, so of course, it takes a lot of work to overcome those types of fighters, and in addition he is also very physically strong, he resisted a lot of blows until I hit him flush, and then of course he went to the floor.

JMM: But after obtaining those victories against Pavlik, against Paul Williams, I think that-though against any fighter, every fight is difficult- now, you can defeat whoever, after having those types of victories.

Martinez- I think so; after overcoming the punch, the potency that Pavlik has-as you know, that uncommon power Pavlik has- and having overcome Paul Williams, where having Williams in front of you is practically like having a locomotive in front of you, who doesn't stop attacking for a second of the three minutes of the rounds, as well as the rest period, tremendous....I think after having overcome those two, I'm prepared for everything. So I knew that with hard work and a good strategy, I could have defeated Dzinziruk by knockout. It is not to brag by any means, but I have all the confidence in the world: I'm hitting very hard, and I knew that when you looked at it clearly, I would probably damage him a lot.

Announcer Dude: What really catches your attention from the boxistic work of "Marravilla Martinez", Juan Manuel, besides his sharpness and the precision, well, is just the speed with which he throws his combinations, which doesn't seem to have rival in this division of the Middleweights, especially with respect to them, with which you, Sergio tagged all of them, and with a very solid left, which Dzinziruk paid for 5 times.

Martinez: Yes, he paid very dearly. He showed a brave face in his defeat but he paid for it very dearly, because I'm probably in the best moment of my career. For me, speed was always a strength of mine, it was always, I think it was fundamental in my career, speed. Now with the years (age), I should be looking a little older now, and I'm hitting harder now because of it perhaps.

JMM: That's what they say, that as you handle yourself, for an athlete age is the enemy, and here we've seen, with personal experience, that that doesn't exist. With you..

Announcer Dude: Well because you (plural) take care of yourselves! Because being forces in boxing after thirty should diminish one's faculties! But if you take care of yourselves as you guys do, or as Bernard Hopkins, then there is the way to elongate careers.

Martinez: Scientists say that up to 37 years, there is a physical and mental evolution. From 37, we engage a decline, right, the fall commences, so we take good care-

Announcer Dude: So we're right on the line then?

Martinez: - Yes, we got a little time left, don't we Juan?

JMM: Yes, we've got time!

Martinez: I've got 1 year left, then.
JMM: Well I think that preparation...well the statistics leave out something, as we say, how you take care of yourself, how you prepare yourself, and the lifestyle you lead, and I myself take care of myself very well which I think is important and you do as well, and we show it up in the ring, and I think that answers all of those people who tell us that we have to say goodbye to this sport which is so difficult. I think that's what it is.

Martinez: I think that personally one advantage of mine is that I started boxing at 20. Let's say, I don't really have a career that's so loaded, not so many shots landed, I think that's fundamental.

Announcer Dude: And you aren't a fighter that crashes in, you're elusive.

Martinez: In these last three or four fights, yes, I've cut down the price of what one wants to win, and I'm trying to allow myself to offer myself more, and get everything out of this run that I can. The price is always paid, but over 14 years, I didn't receive a lot of blows, and in some I did.

Announcer Dude: You fight with your face in front, and even with your hands down.

JMM: Yes, that style of fighting is surprising, from what I've seen. What has me surprised is the style of boxing he applies to his legs as well. It's a very hard style, a style which any opponent looks at and says "It's going to be easy landing shots on him," but once you're in front, for you to connect a shot on him is very difficult, and it seems that carries a lot of years of practice behind it as well.

Martinez: Yes, practically my entire career, yes. I was taught...well when I started of course I started with my guard up and all that, but it took nothing; after my first few fights, I realized that one's guard isn't just one's arms, but one's legs as well. So the advantage, from my point of view, is that I don't base boxing in the arms nor in punches, but I base it in the legs. The distance and time I have, with controlling it, I have the fight nearly won, in my pocket so to speak, but then after that of course I also have to hit him with shots.

Announcer Dude: Now Sergio, what do you bring in your hands? What does it mean?

Martinez: The latest acquisition, the Diamond Belt, so pretty, with my face on one side and on the other, the face of Sergei Dzinziruk, which I won in my last fight, over there in Macintosh, in Connecticut.

Announcer Dude: Did they explain what it means, to have the Diamond Belt?

Martinez: Well, it's something like being a super-champion, a privilege they give you. To tell you the truth I'm very happy, and it's real gold and diamonds, well, that's fine.

JMM: Yes, they ask you, I've had people ask "Your belt, is it real gold? Your belt, how much is it worth?" Look, this belt, doesn't have a price; but what does have a price is when they lift your hand, and when you put forth the effort to win a fight, that's what has value, and winning it. So many people talk about how much its worth, but this isn't worth anything. What has value is wining.

Martinez: Exactly. Well they did tell me it was real gold and that it costs quite a bit, haha. But of the rest, you are right. The triumph, the happiness...well that sensation we can't really explain. The gentleman to my left, he can explain it. But at the same time it's unexplainable. It's something that happens inside. The process occurs inside and it can't be explained what is truly felt.

Announcer Dude: Sergio, elaborate to us a little bit on what is to come, because 2010 was simply spectacular, those victories against Pavlik and Williams, the fighter of the year, the knockout of the year- with difficulty, we can imagine a Sergio that could better the act he put forth in 2010, and to see in what manner to start 2011; an invincible lefty, hard, complicated-perhaps not as hard-hitting as a Paul Williams or a Kelly Pavlik, but with a very difficult style to make your life impossible, who comes out with his flag on display. What comes at the end of 2011 for Sergio Martinez?

Martinez: Well, we'd have to wait some days to see-

Announcer Dude: We're only just in March.

Martinez: Yes yes, I have the advantage of looking forward right now, towards either July or November, or perhaps July and November.

Announcer Dude: Two more fights.

Martinez: Exactly. We won't have a fight in July if we can get one in November which we're hoping to get, against Floyd Mayweather. We have that one reserved if that comes to be.

Announcer Dude: So now you can't pull for someone who isn't Pacquiao or Mayweather. Are there more?

Martinez: I want to be the number 1 pound-for-pound, so I need to look forward.

Announcer Dude: You're at that level and you deserve it.

Martinez: Yes, I think so, I think I deserve it now.

Announcer Dude: With either one.

Martinez: Man, that would be something.

JMM: As Martinez said, one starts looking forward, because what happened is already in the past, and so as it's said to be the best pound-for-pound, you have to fight against the best, which is what I did, what I risked with Mayweather, under certain circumstances which didn't favor us, but to be the best one must fight with the best.

Martinez: Exactly. With the best.


------

(Part 2 of the show segment will come sometime soon. Enjoy people. Not very often non-Spanish speaking fans can hear such elaborate interviews from Latin fighters otherwise, hope you like the favor.)

 

:good

I **** myself when Cotto was on that show.

 

I found that interesting also, I wonder where he heard that. It seems to make some sense. Obviously some boxers have shorter careers due to punishment taken, but in general lots of fighters have shown little improvements in their physicality as they've age, even when accompanied by the more pointed out regressions. Ali's strength and durability definitely increased with age, as did Duran's, even if the reflexes and quickness weren't what they used to be.

 

Any chance you remember where you found it? :bbb