by Cliff Rold

There is sheer hypocrisy to it all.  Sergio Martinez claims the big names won’t come up the scale to fight him…but ignores challenges from higher on the scale.  He fairly claims divisional beltholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is ducking him…but his team isn’t interested in divisional beltholder Dimity Pirog’s calls.

It bothers some people.  Others don’t care.  It’s all par for the course.  Martinez wants the accolades and cash his crown alone has not yet brought him.  Performances like Saturday’s against Matthew Macklin are why it’s much fun to watch him keep working towards his goals.

Let’s go the report cards.

Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Martinez A; Macklin B+/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Power – Martinez B+; Macklin B/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Defense – Martinez B+; Macklin B-/Post: B; B
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Martinez A; Macklin B/Post: A; B+

The pleasant surprise of the fight was how long Macklin hung in there and the way he did it.  He didn’t pressure Martinez with the sort of volume attack he used against Felix Sturm last year.  Instead, Macklin played cat and mouse, picked his spots, and controlled much of the early tempo.  The first four rounds all could have gone to either man leaving the first third of the bout one big swing.

In the fifth, Macklin took it up a notch and looked like he kept winning rounds…until the eighth. 

Macklin entered a legitimate top ten opponent.  Martinez left still champion and showed what the gap can be between the two.  In round eight, Martinez started to find his next gear.  Macklin didn’t possess a commensurate gear and the beating was on.  The judge’s cards at the end indicated close scoring and that was fair. 

It also didn’t matter.

Martinez isn’t the first fighter to lose some early rounds, get a solid go, or eat an awkward knockdown, from a challenger early on.  Often forgotten, Ray Mancini was arguably beating Alexis Arguello halfway through their classic Lightweight encounter.  Arguello erased the issue.

Martinez may never be on the level of an Arguello, but he behaved in similar championship form Saturday.  The ability to adjust, solve, and depose when a valid challenger shows up to win is a key ingredient in remaining on the throne.  Martinez showed it in capturing his against Pavlik and it was there again versus Macklin. 

Macklin deserves a lot of credit for continuing to try to win right up until the end.  Even as Martinez was beginning to thrash him in the ninth and tenth, he was still firing, occasionally landing, and earning the honor of going out on his shield.  Cornerman Buddy McGirt made an excellent call in halting the action before the twelfth.

While some may criticize it, McGirt has shown a willingness to pull that trigger few trainers have.  He showed Saturday why it’s a positive.  McGirt keeps guys out of the hospital and knows when a fighter is beaten and doesn’t get braver than healthy for his charges.  His once excellent, and too forgotten, ring tenure is probably a big reason why.

As expected, Martinez has resumed calling for Floyd Mayweather and Chavez.  The WBC has said they will push for negotiations for the latter.  Time will tell if Chavez’s handlers at Top Rank give a damn.  Given the fact that Chavez regularly comes into the ring about the Light Heavyweight limit, and a general improvement for the fistic progeny, he might have a better chance against Martinez than some think.

At 37, his body won’t stay young forever and Martinez is far from unhittable.  Chavez carries more mustard on his shots than Macklin.  Martinez-Chavez might just be a fight after all.
 
Report Card Picks 2012: 10-3

Ratings Update

Middleweight: Macklin drops a few slots in defeat while Grzegorz Proksa falls from fourth to unranked after a head scratching defeat.  Martin Murray comes on board the top ten.

The full ratings update is a click away.

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com