Martinez was far more skilled than Benn and was better than anybody Benn fought at 160, Benn ws very beatable at 160, Eubank proved that and Watson beat a very raw Benn also.
I’m torn. Martínez looked very good for a guy who was somewhat of a late bloomer. He was quick on his feat, boxed from different angles, had good stamina and could even crack when needed ( though I wouldn’t call him a puncher. ) as mentioned, by another poster, Benn lost a couple times at 160. But Chris Eubank and Mike Watson weren’t bums and one of those came when Nigel was still in the embryonic stages of his career. We should also consider that he made short work of Iran Barkley and Doug Dewitt. Benn hit very hard and Sergio though good in old age was exactly that when he peaked......old... It’s a tough call but I wouldn’t be surprised to see either man take it...
In fairness, his whole "hand's down/rely on reflex" style is precisely what I'd associate with the word careless.
Yeah, but I'm not as confident in Sergio's chin as I was(figuratively) in Eubank's. Sergio is much better though.
Bull v Matador stuff. Just like the bull, Benn would need to get lucky to do any real damage. Nigel wasn't exactly unpredictable, he wouldn't have tricked or feinted Martinez into a big shot. Also, in his Middleweight days, Nigel's stamina was limited. He had about 8 or 9 rounds in him maximum. I favour Martinez to stop Benn around that mark but anyone with power like Nigel had is a very live threat, especially in the first 4 rounds.
I'm gonna say this fight works out very similar to the first Benn v Eubank fight. That's if there s no ko from Benn in the first few rounds. If we're still here going on In to 6th, then Benn starts getting pummeled. Sergio stops him about the tenth then.
Eubank has an ATG chin, Martinez doesn't, that being said i'd favour Martinez over Benn at 160 but Nigel always has a punchers chance with his power.
Benn caught Eubank a lot early on though, if he caught Sergio the same amount he might have stopped him, Eubank had a great chin.
That's why I mentioned the first few rounds, that's when Benn could have him in serious trouble. If he can get through that and take Benn deeper, then I see Sergio stopping him.
Benn ..too much relentless pressure and power. The whole Martinez with his hands down relying on his reflexes wont work here.
