By Lem Satterfield
WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25KOs) is exploring his options in the wake of his impressive two round knockout of Paul Williams. One of the names being thrown to Martinez is unbeaten Dmitry Pirog (17-0, 14KOs), who owns the WBO's version of the middleweight crown.
A few days ago, Martinez's promoter Lou DiBella mentioned that a fight with Pirog wouldn't make any sense, at the moment, because HBO wouldn't pay a lot of money for the match and the Russian champion is virtually unknown in the United States.
Martinez agrees with his promoter. Until Pirog further establishes himself, Martinez views the fight as a "step back." He wants to move forward to bigger opportunities.
"If I fight Pirog, I can't be the best pound for pound fighter in the world. It doesn't make sense for me to fight an opponent like that. I'm 35-years-old and my dream since I was a kid, is to become the best pound for pound fighter in the world. I have to look ahead, not backwards, but forward, and that's the most logical thing for my career right now," Martinez said to FanHouse.
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.
