:thinkDude for you and those who might not know or might keep forgetting Carmen Basillio is the one who came up from Welterweight to Middleweight and is or was compared to Sergio Martinez, who started his career off at Jr. Middleweight and attained his first division title at that weight, the smaller middleweight of the two and his rugged style as the smaller guy would definitely not be enough to rattle Sergio be it a 12 rounder or 15 round fight. Hey, the "Onion Farmer" didn't come close to either knocking down or knocking out Sugar Ray Robinson in either of there contests no matter who you personally thought won them (Robinson)and he got razzed big time against Gene Fullmer enroute to getting knocked out in that one. "Marivilla's" flashy sharpshooting southpaw style was something Basillio never encountered during his heyday as champion at 147 or 160 and it's a style he would have no clue for in any era if they actually fought. Sergio Martinez by a fairly hardfought but convincing 12 or 15-round decision.
Unfortunatley Sergio Basilio was a natural welter, if it was the Basilio from the first Robinson fight with the anger i give it to Basilio
I'm very familiar with Carmen Basilio, he slapped me on both cheeks when he was an old man 2-3 years before he died. I grew up only 100 miles from canastota and attended his funeral. There was no quit in the man. I didnt say he'd knock sergio out in 3 rounds. I think he out works him over 15 to get a UD
I'd favor Basilio by hardfought close decision. Robinson with everything and drilled him with numerous picture perfect shots that he put everything into and Carmen was never dropped or remotely detered by any of it. He came right after Robinson and battered him at various points of their fights. I don't see Martinez being able to keep Basilio off of him for long enough to prevent dropping more and more rounds as the fight wears on. Sergio has more of a boxer style, but , he's a slugger and warrior at heart and wouldn't be able to resist from going to war with Carmen. Even when Sergio would try to resist, Carmen would force it, as he did with Robinson more and more as their fights wore on. It'd be a classic, great fight.
Basilio would outfight and outgut Martinez....the way he did SRR the first time...he'd even beat Martinez if he fought him the way he did vs Robinson the 2nd time.
Basilio all the way and maybe a stop, if it was Basilio instead of Chavez last fight Basilio would still be strong in the 12th and relentless but Basilio wins
