by David P. Greisman
Sergio Martinez is likely aware that Madison Square Garden will be a Miguel Cotto crowd this Saturday — after all, there is a significant Puerto Rican population in the New York City area, and Cotto has headlined at the arena eight times before.
But Martinez believes there also will be Argentine fans in attendance, and that while they may be outnumbered, their support will still be heard.
“The Argentinean fans are the best in the world. 1,000 Argentinean fans can make as much noise as 10,000 Puerto Rican fans,” Martinez said in a June 3 chat hosted on ESPN.com.
Martinez will be defending his middleweight championship June 7 against Cotto in the main event of a pay-per-view.
This is Cotto’s first time back at the Garden since December 2012, when he lost a decision to Austin Trout. His last victory at the venue came in December 2011, when he got revenge in his rematch with Antonio Margarito.
This will be Martinez’s first time in the “big room” at Madison Square Garden. His March 2012 win over Matthew Macklin came in the smaller Theater at Madison Square Garden.
“A dream come true,” Martinez said in the chat of fighting in a venue that has been referred to as boxing’s Mecca. “It's one of the most important venues in the history of boxing.”
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