Can you imagine if Sergio Martinez was younger?

He fought every stiff they could find in Argentina and Spain so what if he did start younger? Does that mean he beats Margerito when he stepped up and lost? Does he beat a mentally & physically weakened Pavlik doesn't beat him if he were in past shape? Here is Sergio in a nut shell, a good athlete, some natural ability in the ring, learned to move laterally and how to judge distance. From that he learned how to frustrate opposition. With that knowledge you could do pretty well with the right matchmaker and Diabella did a great job for him. It would make no difference if he started at 12 yrs old or 25yrs. his natural ability took him further than most fighters with equal talents get to. The right connections means as much as talent in this game! You see an inspired Cotto who found a trainer who gave him "direction" and "purpose" that's what he was missing for years not his damn left hook! Ray.

Martinez never faced anyone with skills like Cotto. Even though he lost to those fighters Cotto have seen better fighters than Martinez and held his own. I thought the only advantage Martinez had over Cotto was his size but it didn't matter last night and probably wouldn't matter at any point in their careers.

It's a dam shame Lou Dibella didnt discover him earlier which woulda made him a more prominent fighter in the boxing world. Reaching true success at the age of 35-36 was a big tease because it meant he would decline rapidly just due to father time. No doubt a healthy Sergio would destroy Cotto.

How can anyone claim Martinez ever beats Cotto after seeing that? Some of us arent retards and can understand the difference between a boxer at his peak and the same boxer well past his prime and shot to pieces full of injuries.

He woukdve still lost. Cotto has great timing. Good power. An elite jab and cuts the ring off better than EVERY fighter in the game. Martinez was never good enough to beat Miguel. Skills pay the bills. Chess not checkers. skills pay the bills? not always. first RJJ Hopkins fight, Toney vs RJJ, athleticism can trump skills. Pacquiao vs Cotto

This is disrespectful to sergio, he isnt making any excuses and this humbled him. It would still have been the same result i think but sergio would of been more competitive yes. Alot of people dont realize that cotto is very good with southpaws. down 3 times in the first round, sergio was off to a bad start and obviously suffered from that mentally which didnt help him to win the fight.

if he was younger or atleast not handicap we would have seen something similar like this from cotto. http://nimg.sulekha.com/sports/original700/miguel-cotto-manny-pacquiao-2009-12-14-19-10-49.jpg http://*********.ru/files/u4199/margarito-is-a-heavy-puncher.jpg

Another fool who doesn't realise that Cotto is 8 years removed from his prime as well. Cotto would always beat Martinez. Martinez has not declined as much as the massive gap between them last night, he would not make up for it by being younger. It would be even worse if the Martinez fanboys that made this thread was fair and mentioned Cotto being past his prime as well.

Cotto's style is all wrong for Martinez. Martinez fought a lot of guys who through straight rights, but almost none with great hooks and Cotto had both. Martinez's stance makes it easier for an opponent to land a hook, especially a guy with a fantastic left hook. Beating the Murrey's and Barker's of the world does not to prepare you for a guy who has fought a number of top PFP guys. Anyone who thinks otherwise - well they can go to a scientist, have them build a time machine and stick Martinez in it. Research that and get back to us. Any version of Martinez still gets hit with that hook and gets hurt. His little hands by his side only works for slow middleweights. He could do that and had to keep his gloves high. I was hoping for a Mayweather/Martinez fight because I would have put some serious money for the first time ever on Floyd knowing he would win.

There's no doubt that Martinez from 2009 and earlier would have beaten Cotto. I don't think people realize that Martinez was a real late bloomer coming in. Back then he had no amateur background but was a real physical talent that helped him box as a pro. No promoter wanted him while he was still active and young so he was forced to fight nobodies in Argentina and Spain. In a way, it was a wasted opportunity for them to not take notice of Martinez while he was still in his physical peak. One could imagine how it would have been if Martinez was recognized while he was in his 20's. He would have been a real superstar, with his looks and entertaining style. It's a shame that he was in his late 30's when he finally got the recognition he deserved. By the time he iced Williams and became the MW king he was already declining physically due to his age and his style that relied heavily on speed and reflexes. I only wish that they saw his talent a lot sooner. With all that said, he still made a HOF worthy career and people can now see him as a great fighter. I say it's time for him to retire while he's still healthy. The issues in this fight for Sergio was that left hook. Sergio's style is tailor made for Cotto and the same result would have happened 2 years ago. Sergio had no answer for that left hook nor would have 2 years ago.

How can anyone claim Martinez ever beats Cotto after seeing that?

Martinez was brilliant at his peak but last night was sad. It was still an excellent performance from Cotton but I don't think you can draw conclusions about a 2009/10 fight from that.

He woukdve still lost. Cotto has great timing. Good power. An elite jab and cuts the ring off better than EVERY fighter in the game. Martinez was never good enough to beat Miguel. Skills pay the bills. Chess not checkers.