Sergio Martinez vs. these MW

None from Hagler to G-Man. McClellan is not all that IMO, but judging from the fight this weekend he'd be too big and strong, could take Sergio's shots and is more skilled and hits harder than Jr. That's enough for me.

Some might say that Sumbu had problems with southpaws but his jab, movement and right hand will stunt Sergio more IMO, and I don't think Nunn's stoppage of Kalambay and Sergio's over P-Dub suggests a repeat performance here. Sumbu via decision.

I won't do the rest. I'm getting enough flak as it is. If everyone wants to fight the case for Martinez to win any of them, please do.

 

I agree with your assessment. I'd just add that I think his workrate and mobillity could give Toney some problems. Close fight IMO.

 

Martinez loses.

Martinez loses.

But if you're a big fan of Martinez you probably can argue a bit about the outcomes of these fights.

All good competitive fights.

 

Marvin Hagler - Hagler is a better technician, Martinez is faster and a very good judge of distance. If Hagler stays on the outside and boxes with Martinez it would be a very very close contest. If Hagler pressures and comes to mid range he'd wreck Martinez at this range as Martinez is not very good at mid range. In that case Hagler could well stop his man

Carlos Monzon - I think Martinez wins the early rounds with his speed, he's so much quicker than Monzon. Monzon times him down the stretch and wins rounds as Martinez takes rounds off though. Very close decision I can see going either way, Martinez would be the best opponent Monzon would have faced imo

Bernard Hopkins - Hopkins is the master of southpaws but he does struggle with speed (reference: Jones, Vanderpool, Taylor). It would be close with maybe Martinez winning the early rounds until Hopkins figures out he needs to come inside and round Martinez up, when that happens I see Hopkins taking over control and winning the last 4-5 rounds. 8-4 or 7-5 decision Hopkins

James Toney - technically Toney is much better and has the superior defence. Far better inside fighter if he comes forward. If it's a pure boxing match it's close but Toney to edge it, if Toney comes forward he'd have much more success than looking for the counter. If Toney plays that game and doesn't show up near his best Martinez wins

Roy Jones Jr. - Martinez is the type of fast southpaw technician like Harding/Tarver that sometimes gave Jones problems. You could see him timing his jab and left and landing punches making it close in the early going. Once Jones pressures him and ups the pace Martinez wouldn't have the defence of chin to take RJJ's arsenal and I think Jones stops him

Mike McCallum - the master of timing and breaking a man down versus a much quicker southpaw. McCallum bettered speedsters and southpaws like Curry, Herol Graham. Based on the Bomber Graham you'd expect a Martinez fight to pan out the same way - McCallum close but clear UD

Sumbu Kalambay - fought southpaws like Bomber Graham, Kalule, Nunn. The Nunn aberration aside you'd expect the more skilled Kalambay to win out a UD

Gerald McClellan - really hard to judge as we have little examples of him facing pure boxers or southpaws. McCellan had ATG power, his jab and right hand were great, the right hand is a clear weapon against a southpaw. His defence made him very easy to hit, his workrate wasn't the best but he had the speed and power at the weight. Hard to say

Nigel Benn - Benn wasn't that difficult to outbox but was fast, relentless with great power. I lean towards Martinez outboxing Benn

Chris Eubank - this would be 2 counter punchers looking to box. I think Martinez has the greater workrate, Chris would be stronger and would carry his power late and may KO Martinez if he is behind on the cards. Martinez UD or Eubank late KO

Herol Graham - similar in many ways, I think Graham has better agility and skill, Martinez maybe stronger. It'd be a really close decision either way

Michael Nunn - I think Nunn is probably too rangy for Martinez and wins a UD

Winky Wright - Wright technically better with a superior jab, Martinez faster

 

I think he'd lose to all of them, with as Lester says the last group being potentially good fights, but i favour all over Sergio.Graham and Benn would end up dominating him after some good early rounds imo, Benn might blow him out i don't care how green you were, if you have trouble containing a slow arse like Margarito you aren't beating a Benn level swarmer\puncher...Winky takes command via steadyness, much less slop and jab of doom over the last third and Eubank would pile up a massive lead if he was near his best, though would lose rounds through workrate when he has his usual mid-late fight loss of sharpness.Obviously Martinez could win a decision against the Eubank that showed up in a number of defences over the latter half of his 168 reign, even being smaller, but he wouldn't beat the busier stronger and more accurate earlier version.


I've been a fan of Martinez since his early days, but like other recent top middles Taylor, PAvlik, he's ended up getting a bit overhyped because of the lack of opposition in the division these days.

 

That Benn level swarmer twice got outboxed by Malinga, getting a gift in the first 10rounder they fought

 

He was shot in the second fight though.

Malinga was a very tidy technically sound fighter, with an excellent long jab and good defence.I don't know why he often gets mentioned around here as a limited 2nd or third rater.Between 87-92 he was a good fighter(started to fade circa Jones fight imo and was ordinary after that), just with a certain tendency to lethargy and fighting well within himself.

still if he was more skilled than you he could make you look very bad, especially over ten rounds.I think a fight between him and Martinez could go either way and would bet the house on him "outboxing" sergio.If he would throw enough punches to win clearly and not get shafted or favoured against for the busier fighter would be another matter.

So that ten rounder against Benn doesn't bother me when thinking about NIgel's chances here.Benn was always somewhat vulnerable to being taken for a bit of a ride by a cute, tidy textbook fighter and fighting at their slower pace.I can't see that applying against someone of Martinez' open reflexive counterpunching style, he moves too much and invites the opposition on to counter far too often for Benn not to be in high energy pressuring mode.

Plus i'm considering this as a world title fight, a 12 or 15 rounder.benn was no patient ring-general until later and probably wouldn't be able to remain cool.pacing himself would be his biggest issue here imo.

Now if it's a non-title ten rounder then i agree Martinez chances go up.

 

Malinga is indeed a different style to Martinez keeping a tighter defence where as Martinez has the lower hands and relies on his counter punching/radar. Still Martinez does have control of movement and distance, with a good jab and counter punching that imo would make a Benn, who liked to lead with power punches miss and pay a great deal. Styles aside I think he's a slight level above Malinga, who was a good technician

I agree Benn wasn't the same in the rematch but in the first fight he wasn't getting any better down the stretch, he was a very fit guy but his high intensity saw him burn his energy early. Benn's not the sort of guy

Martinez works at a higher pace than say Eubank too, with more movement.

All that been said I wouldn't bet big on Martinez over Benn. Benn's not just powerful but quick guy, intense, hard to keep off for even Eubank.

SIDE NOTE - have you seen Malinga's fight with Rocchigiani? I was looking for more info on that 1, I heard it was a close one

 

Martinez gives trouble to toney, mccallum and I five him great shots at everyone after gMan. Maybe even G himself

 

Is he?

Martinez never looked strong to me.

Graham is pretty underrated in the strength department, in my opinion.

The way Graham occasionally threw, spin and tossed fighters indicated he was no weakling.

 

Graham was a lot stronger than SM.
Martinez probably looses to all of them, the mw division is fun because there's a lot evenly rated fighters taking each other on, but lets not pretend the quality is massively high.

 

GGG and Pirog would dispute that.

 

Graham is one of the more prominent roughousing middleweights of recent decades imo.NOt that their has been many, mind you.

it often came from manipulating balance through borderline illegal spins and turns, rather than fouls while infighting.Loved tripping and throwing fighters to the floor as well.

 

Martinez won every second of 11 and a half rounds. He only got in trouble when he stupidly tried to go for the KO in the 12th. And lets face it, JCC, Jr., though lacking in elite skills, is not a middle, or even super middle. He looked like a cruiser. All in all, I think Martinez would be smarter against McClellan.