Why are we giving Sergio a pass?

Pirog would be at better odds solely because he knocked out Jacobs of name value for a paper belt. If Barker knocked out Jacobs, and why couldn't he, odds would be different. Don't tell me fighting Danny Jacobs is a difference between cherry picking (Barker) or ducking (Pirog), don't tell me, because if you do, I'll have to call you dumb.

 

I don't know of anyone on ESB who would be complaining about Martinez fighting Pirog tonight. Ever since he destroyed Jacobs, he's been the man that everyone's been wanting Martinez to beat next. Darren Barker, in all honesty, is not very good. You can't expect us to be wooed by him, BigBone. The same for Dzinziruk, too. Ever since Martinez has beaten Williams, he's lost steam. 2011 has been a pretty disappointing year for him.

 

Dirrell wants Martinez, now that would be a fight!

 

And bookies are never wrong! Stick your mortgage on Sergio...

 

The excuses debella gave for not fighting pirog are not conducive to fighting Darren barker

 

Bull ****...the guy has to fight monsters every time out? He's keeping busy, no problem with that. Where were you guys when Muhammed Ali was fighting guys like The Lion of Flanders, Joe Frazier was fighting Ron Stander, etc etc.

Bute is a logical opponent, but he can't fight Bute right now, as Bute goes against Glen Johnson in a couple weeks. Although I agree with the poster above that going up to 168 is not that good an idea for Sergio.

 

I believe the total purse for Martinez-Barker is around $2 mil, not Martinez's cut alone. Additionally, I don't understand why the onus is on Martinez's team to pony up cash for a guy with even less drawing power than Barker whose only mark of credibility is a belt that belongs to Martinez anyway. DiBella was trying to get Pirog on an undercard or get HBO to invest money to maybe build the fight up, but I don't think he's really crazy about making it now that's it's been over a year since the Jacobs KO and Pirog hasn't done anything in the States since then.

 

Because he's just beat Williams x2, Pavlik and Dzinderuk. Now he's trying to fight Mayweather, Pacquaio, Cotto, Margarito and no one wants to face him. Pirog and Sturm are seen as nobodies and he's 36 and has earned a super fight.

He shouldn't have to goto 168 to find 1 because he's really a 154lber

 

I'd pick Dzinziruk over Cotto, Angulo, Margarito, at this point over Canelo, and yes, over Williams too. He's also far more proven than Pirog for that matter, so give credit where it's due!

Pirog is higher quality than Barker, but by a relatively small margin, not by CHERRY PICKER - DUCKER type of night and day ****. How stupid is this: I made the MW prospects thread a year or two back and all these young guns got similar love. But now that Martinez picks one over another, Barker is no garbage and Pirog is boxing God?

Then again: he could be fighting a beltless Pirog tonight while Barker could've destroyed Kirkland for a paper title, and you'd be whining "why is he fighting Pirog, why not Barker?" With all due respect, only 2 out of 10 argue with relative quality between the two, the other 8 just jump on the senseless wagon where a fighter can only be "ducked" or "cherry picked".

Pirog vs. Barker is a close fight in favor of Dmitry, closer than most would think apparently, so stop overreacting.

 

Oh I see.

And the reason why people would like to see Di Bella, HBO, whoever the **** is calling the shots, spend the money and make an effort to bring Pirog over, is because he's regarded as a much better opponent than the one he's fighting tonight. Barker may well have been easier to bring over, but he just doesn't get anyone's juices flowing. Not even Martinez's, it seems. In the week of the fight, he's been talking about Pacquiao and Mayweather more than he has Barker . I bet he forgot he was even fighting him tonight.

I also think Di Bella hasn't done the best of job marketing him. Sometimes you have to accept that you're product is not a Pacquiao or a Mayweather, and that the big money fights that you want to get your man, will not come as easily as you want them to. That's when you have to make short-term sacrifices, and build your product's legacy/respect in other ways. I understand, at 36, Martinez is no spring chicken, but still, he's wasting his fighter's remaining best years against guys that the fans don't want. As mentioned, his 2011 has been a very disappointing one, considering an amazing 2009 and 2010.

 

I guess the way I see it is that Pirog would not really do much at all for Martinez's legacy either, nor would a fight with him have been something that fans actually show up for. If we want to talk about legacy, Sturm would be the only opponent at middleweight right now who could considerably enhance that. Dzinziruk/Pirog would be just as much a "disappointment" compared to 2009-2010 as Dzinziruk/Barker. Pirog might be regarded as a better opponent, but I think the gap in quality between Barker and him is fairly marginal.

Also, my sympathy for Pirog has kind of waned since I found out he or his promoters turned down an opportunity to fight in the US earlier this year because they thought they could make more money in Russia. That's a perfectly justifiable decision for business reasons, but acting like you're then still somehow entitled to a Martinez shot (as Pelullo is constantly doing) is silly.

 

No need to worry. . .maravilla is going for Mayweather after Oct. 1 so he's obviously got figger fish to fry than Pirog, Ward, Froch, or Bute.

 

:huh Me overreacting? It's not me you have to worry about, my man

Pirog, quite simply, has made more noise than Barker. He knocked out a well-known prospect, and has made himself a name amongst boxing fans. Yes, his fights since then haven't been much, but they've been no different to what Barker's been up to. He's a far more credible opponent. If Martinez will get respect beating the **** out of him than he would Barker, then I don't understand why - other than money - Di Bella, or whoever it is, would not want to make an effort to get it made.

But, I don't know what's going behind the scenes, and why Martinez has had so much difficulty finding a decent partner to dance with. All I know is that Martinez is being wasted against opponents like these. That's all.

 

I don't quite agree with that. A beating over Pirog will satisfy people a lot more than a beating over Barker would. I mean, you've already seen the overwhelming demand, rightfully or wrongfully, for him to fight Pirog. Contrast this to the overwhelming disappointment in him choosing to fight Barker. It's no secret who, in the eyes of the boxing public, the better fight/win would be.

That's the way I'm seeing things here.

But again, it comes down to how much of a pain in the ass HBO or Pirog's team have been in wanting to make the fight happen.

 

The American odds system is a joke. How about good old fashioned fractions FFS. :deadatsch

1/5 that I would pwn any minion on ESB with consummate ease.:deal