By Robert Morales
A fight with fellow middleweight champion Sergio Martinez is something trainer Abel Sanchez would like to get for the heavy-handed Gennady Golovkin (26-0, 23 KOs), who on June 29 will defend his WBA title against Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20 KOs) at Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Conn. (on HBO).
But since Golovkin is such a hard puncher, one has to wonder if that's ever going to happen on the heels of Martinez's rather close decision over Martin Murray on April 27 in Martinez's native Argentina. Martinez won by three scores of 115-112, but he was decked in the eighth round.
Sanchez was asked if he now believes it's going to be tougher to land that fight against Martinez, who is 38. He's not so sure about that.
"I think you have to give credit to Martin Murray," Sanchez said. "Martin Murray fought a good fight. He's a tough, big kid."
Sanchez said there is no way Martinez suddenly got old since looking so good in a victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in September (though Martinez did get floored in the 12th round of that fight). Sanchez said Martinez fought differently than he fought against Chavez, perhaps because he was in his homeland.
"He's trying to look good, he's trying to do things he maybe shouldn't have done," Sanchez said. "He didn't fight the way he did against Chavez."
