By Jake Donovan

Eat your heart out, Charles Barkley.

Sure, his infamous “I am not paid to be a role model” quote was forever taken way out of context. The true meaning was always understood – that athletes and celebrities should never replace parents as the adult(s) their children admire the most.

But it doesn’t mean that athletes and celebrities can’t embrace the fact that they’re looked up to by fans of all ages.

One athlete who truly gets it is recently crowned middleweight king Sergio Martinez. The transplanted Argentinean - now making his home in Oxnard, California – wasted no time in having his press agents spread the word that he was here to serve as an ambassador of the sport, both in and out of the ring.

Sharing the headlines with his title-winning effort over Kelly Pavlik was the sad news of Edwin Valero murdering his wife before turning himself in and taking his own life hours later in a Venezuelan jail cell.

The news came with strong opinions throughout the boxing industry, most of whom expressed their deepest sympathies for Valero’s children and his extended family, but little remorse for the troubled fighter himself.

What was missing amongst the vast opinions and statements was the slightest bit of accountability. From trainers to promoters to writers linked to the fighter, none were willing to accept any sort of responsibility for the man he was and all claimed to have done their job while he was under their watch.

Never addressed was the fact that Valero wasn’t the first fighter to flip out or live life way over the edge, nor do many believe he will be the last. The sad truth is that insiders and fans alike simply take the good that roles with the bad in the sport, shaking their heads not in disbelief but of the line of thinking, “Here we go again.”

As far as Martinez is concerned, the buck stops here.

For years, he struggled to allow his presence to be felt, often ignored by the sports’ powerbrokers even though he has always boasted the skills, looks and personality to easily make the transition from fighter to superstar. Now that he’s in a position to allow his voice to be heard, he wants to use his powers for good rather than allow his reign to be self-serving.

“Champions need to be held to a higher standard,” Martinez emphatically states when asked about fighters being held accountable for their actions beyond the ring. “You need to demonstrate outside the ring that you are a good human being. Not just (myself) but everyone involved is supposed to represent (the sport) with dignity.”

Hitting home was the issue of Valero’s glaring disregard for women in general, highlighted by his checkered history of abuse to his own wife and mother. A self-proclaimed “mama’s boy,” Martinez carries a soft spot for battered women, and doesn’t particularly care for the mentality that what a fighter does beyond the ring is his own business.

“When I first began boxing, I realized that I was surrounded by abusers and bad elements. I’ve always carried myself from day one to be a good example for the sport. I don’t drink any kind of alcohol, don’t smoke or do anything to my body that is unhealthy.

“Thanks to the opportunity to fight for titles, the message I send can be heard by a much greater audience.”

Martinez himself plans to deliver the message loud and clear, planning an extensive travel itinerary to personally reach as many people as possible.

Where he plans to begin is with those who currently recognize him as a champion in the alphabet sense. Even in being recognized as the lineal middleweight champion, Martinez is as equally honored to defend with pride the two alphabet titles that were also at stake in his off-the-canvas points win over Pavlik in mid-April.

Not lost on the newly crowned champion is the charitable efforts often exhibited by the WBC. For all of the bad press they receive (and often rightfully so), the Mexican-based non-profit group is almost always first in line to come to the aid of a fallen family, be it covering their medical expenses or lending financial support to the affected families.

What Martinez would like to see included among the organization’s standards is not just reaction to tragedy, but a proactive approach towards preventing one.

“I want to take advantage of my newfound fame,” Martinez states. “I want to do something positive with it. I will go to Mexico on May 4 and speak with Don Jose Sulaiman to help send the message to the athletes.”

The message he plans to send is that the only hitting to be condoned by boxers will be the punches that are thrown inside the ring. Fighting of any kind beyond the squared circle should be strongly discouraged, and not even a consideration at all when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex.

If not, then expect to have a serious problem on your hands if you are on Martinez’ list of title contenders in the near future.

“We need to educate the athletes to have respect for women. If you need to fight somebody that exhibits that kind of behavior, I will want to beat him that much more in the ring.”

Once his work is done with the WBC, it is on to the WBO, the other alphabet organization to claim him as champion. The plan is to eventually talk with the leaders of all four major sanctioning bodies, but he wants to begin with the groups whom he currently represents, if for no other reason than to assure himself that he’s amongst those who share his interests.

“The following week (after visiting the WBC), I will speak with WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel and request the same thing, and try to implement a plan to provide better means for battered women.

“After that, I will speak with the WBA and IBF. With the help of the four sanctioning bodies, I should be able to reach every part of the world.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.