Golovkin's Trainer Feels Martinez is Finished at Top Level

By Luis Sandoval

Gennady Golovkin and trainer Abel Sanchez have their work cut out for them as they will be taking on a fighter who most feel will be his toughest challenge to date in former champion Daniel Geale.

While they have their next opponent set, both Golovkin and Sanchez were ringside to scope out a possible future opponent last week when Miguel Cotto took on Sergio Martinez for the lineal middleweight championship.

Cotto surprised many by the way he was able to dominate Martinez from start to finish and he ultimately dethroned the long reigning middleweight king. When BoxingScene spoke to Abel Sanchez, he was asked for his thoughts regarding the fight.

“First of all my props go to Freddie [Roach]. He had Miguel more mentally prepared than I’ve seen Miguel in a long, long time. Physically it’s a given because his guys train hard but mentally I think Freddie had him believing that he could do the things that he was doing in the ring,” Sanchez would say of Cotto.

“As far as the fight’s concerned, I believe Martinez, even though they were saying he was 100% physically with his knees, I think mentally he didn’t trust his knees. He had operations on them, his forte is the movement and he was unable to move as fluidly as he’s done in the past. That hindered him. That’s his bread and butter. I mean if he can move he can hit you, if he can’t he’s a standing still target. It was easier for Miguel but all in all, it was sad to see it in that way for Sergio but happy for Freddie that he had Miguel so prepared”.

For a long time a Martinez-Golovkin showdown was the fight that many wanted to see but the bout didn’t materialize and Martinez spent most of last year out of the ring after injuring his knee and getting surgery.

There are a lot of questions regarding where Martinez goes from here and if he maight possibly be done as an elite fighter due to his physical complications. Sanchez was asked if he felt Martinez would still remain a viable force at 160.

“At that level, no. I think his days at the championship level are numbered or gone. I believe he’ll fight a couple more times, maybe in Argentina in front of his fans. I think he’s only had one which was that last one against Murray. [He’ll fight] against an easier opponent but at the championship level, I think he’s finished,” Sanchez would tell BoxingScene.

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