By Chris Robinson
Last night, inside of the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Argentina’s Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez pulled out a tremendous win over a game but outmatched Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to reclaim the WBC middleweight crown that was stripped from him in early 2011.
Martinez was in control throughout the contest, dominating the first eleven rounds before suffering a huge knockdown in the twelfth after Chavez caught him with a barrage of punches. Martinez would rise and finish the fight trading blows, as he won a unanimous decision verdict by scores of 118-109 twice and 117-110.
Shortly after the victory, I caught up with Martinez’s adviser Sampson Lewkowicz, who admitted that he was on the edge of his seat during that frantic final round when his fighter went down.
“I was I had pampers,” Lewkowicz quipped. “Because it was a scary moment.”
Chavez may have been outclassed throughout the duration of the first eleven rounds, but he never stopped coming forward and showed a strong will. For that, Lewkowicz gave his respect.
“You have a warrior, he’s the son of a legend, and now he’s his own legend,” Lewkowicz said of the 26-year old Chavez. “He fought like a champ.”
Throughout the lead up of the fight, Martinez had made it known that he was going to be eyeing a fight with undefeated superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. but Lewkowicz insists there is unfinished business with Chavez.
“Personally, I prefer the rematch,” stated Lewkowicz. “To be very clear that it was an accident.”
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has expressed interested in staging a Martinez-Chavez rematch in his huge stadium and Lewkowicz feels it’s a natural fit.
“Definitely, it would sell out the place like it sold out this one," said Lewkowicz.
