By Rick Reeno
BoxingScene.com was advised that promoter Lou DiBella reached out to Top Rank to make a rematch between WBC/WBO middleweight champion Sergio Martinez and Antonio Margarito. Top Rank called him back and turned the fight down, for now. Margarito has been placed on hold for a possible fight with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in November. Margarito stopped Martinez in seven rounds back in 2000.
"I called Top Rank and said 'how about Martinez and Margarito,' and they called me back and said 'we're holding Margarito for Manny Pacquiao,'" DiBella told BoxingScene.com.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has made it clear in several interviews - if he can't reach a deal for a fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. - then Pacquiao would fight Margarito in November.
Until the dust has settled on the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations, Margarito will sit back and wait. Margarito himself told BoxingScene two weeks ago he was going to wait for a possible Pacquiao fight, and would only consider an offer to fight Martinez if the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight was finalized.
DiBella spoke with Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer about a possible fight between Martinez and Winky Wright, who told Schaefer he was very interested in fighting Martinez.
