Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez has come a long way since his TKO loss to Antonio Margarito in 2000. The rebuilding process to fight in the U.S. again took 7 years, but a controversial draw to Kermit Cintron in 2009 would forever change his outlook on the way he fights. Martinez was once considered a dull counter-puncher at various times but his fight with Paul Williams showed us that there was a lot more to him than we expected.
Martinez starting becoming the aggressor in his fights, but he did not completely abandon his defense. With his lighting quick speed, he jumps in and throws punches in bunches and slips away from his opponent.
His stock rose quick late in his boxing career which mean he had to seek out opponents who were often avoided and would benefit him money wise and lead to better opponents. With the sudden rise to fame and the need to keep himself relevant in fan’s eyes Martinez was involved in quite a few ring wars where he would pick apart his opponents making them fall to the canvas numerous times. Once in a while Martinez would hit the canvas, but it was more due to being off balance.
In his last fight he dominated his opponent throughout 99% of the fight. In the 12th round Martinez was hurt badly by his last opponent Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and it seemed as though Martinez would not be able to finish the fight. He showed a tremendous amount of heart, finishing and winning the fight.
But had the damage been done? Martinez seemed to be in really bad shape at the end of his last fight. The kind of wars that he has been in for the past 4 years can take a toll on a fighter, especially an older fighter.
On April 27th, Martinez will face off against British fighter Martin Murray in Martinez’ native Argentina. Though Murray has a low KO percentage, that does not mean that the fight will be a walk in the park. The main question for this fight will not be how will Murray do against his toughest opponent yet, but how much does Sergio Martinez has left in the tank?
