DiBella is in driver’s seat with middleweight champ Sergio Martinez

By Rich Mancuso:

Lou DiBella roamed around a capacity crowd at the BB King Blues Club in Times Square Wednesday evening. The promoter of middleweight champion Sergio Martinez does not profit from his consistent shows at the venue but has every reason to be smiling.
Martinez perhaps has become his most marketable and profitable champion. Earlier in the day at BB King, DiBella presided over the kickoff press conference announcing Martinez’ second title defense of his WBC crown against Sergiy Dzinziruk to be televised on HBO March 12 from the MGM Grand Arena at Foxwoods.
“Not only are Martinez and Dzinziruk great fighters, they are entertainers,” commented DiBella who has made a comeback of sorts with Martinez. Not that DiBella, the former HBO boxing executive has been hiding. Over the past few years he has been one of the more active fight promoters.
And with a prominent champion like Martinez, the 2010 Fighter of the Year, DiBella doesn’t mind sharing the profits co-promoting as he will with Gary Shaw Productions, Banner Promotions, and Golden Boy. He promotes promising middleweight Andy Lee (24-1, 18 KO’s) of Ireland who will face Golden Boy prospect Craig McEwan (19-0, 10 K0’s) of Edinburgh Scotland on the undercard .
Lee has had limited exposure, most of his fights televised on ESPN. So signing with DiBella gives him opportunity to be showcased. It can be done with a DiBella fighter and his connection with HBO. Remember how his former middleweight champion Jermaine Taylor gained prominent status on HBO, and how rapidly the fights came after Taylor won two decisions over Bernard Hopkins?
“He was a special kid, a special fighter,” DiBella reflected Wednesday about his former champion. Now the emphasis is on Martinez the 35-year old southpaw from Argentina who dethroned Kelly Pavlik for the title last April and stunned the boxing world with a first round knockout over Paul Williams in November.
The split with Taylor was amicable. DiBella, an outspoken advocate of boxing safety and rules of the sport pulled Taylor from the Showtime “Super 6” Super Middleweight Tournament fearing for the safety of his fighter. “It was in the best interest of Jermaine,” he said. “Boxing takes its toll and he had enough. And the first thing I don’t want to see is a fighter getting injured in there.”
The timing was right. In stepped Martinez who always had the potential and will, even at his age to become a part of boxing history. DiBella, after the knockout victory over Williams was the first to jump in the ring at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. He screamed at reporters seated at ringside that were filing stories about the knockout of the year.
“Yeah I may have spoke to soon but indeed Sergio is one of the top three fighters in the world,” he said. “Let’s face it it’s all about the money,” he said at the time. However, the money is for Martinez as the fighter and promoter have an outstanding working relationship that is well known.
Not like the bitter and chronicled money war that DiBella and his former champion Bernard Hopkins once had. That is in the past and the promoter with New York roots who is also rumored to have an interest in purchasing his beloved New York Mets baseball team will not discuss Hopkins.
“It’s about Sergio and what is best for him,” he says with a smile. The fight next month will have no problem filling the MGM Arena. Martinez is now a boxing sensation and is not looking to stay in the ring as long as Hopkins has. Perhaps two more fights after Dzinziruk and who knows, a meeting with Manny Pacquiao?
“His power and speed as a middleweight one of the best I have ever saw,” says DiBella about his champion. “When this fight was first brought to me with Dzinziruk , I said no, Sergio Martinez said yes. He has the qualities of a star and wants the best fights.”
Martinez made the skeptics think otherwise after his heroics of last year. DiBella never had his doubts. A one-time employee of DiBella Entertainment who left for other ventures said about his former boss, “Lou may demand the best from his staff but when it comes to boxing he knows what is in the best interest for his fighters and is always there for their best interests.”
Martinez knows what to expect, so does the rest of the boxing world. The fight room at BB King is cluttered and there is never a problem getting tickets sold. The undercard fights may not go the distance but DiBella is the constant promoter that keeps boxing busy in New York City
Two of his top prospects, Gabriel Bracero (14-0, 1 KO) and Mark Tucker (15-0, 7 KO’s) remained undefeated with wins Wednesday evening. Bracero dominated Chirs Fernandez over eight rounds, winner in six of his last seven bouts at BB King. Tucker, a 7th ranked light heavyweight won a six- round unanimous decision over Ray Smith.
Is Lou DiBella in the driver’s seat among the other prominent promoters? Maybe not but if Martinez continues to reign in the middleweight division he may not be far behind. Though you get the feeling DiBella enjoys putting on these shows at BB King, which became the venue after a successful run of “Broadway Boxing” shows at the Manhattan Center across the street from Madison Square Garden.
“It’s about putting on a good show for the boxing fans and that’s all you can ask for,” he said after a long day.