Sergio needs to retire

[SCEN3RY]

According to those that didnt take the time to take a good look at Murray. I knew he would give a very good account of himself, and the Lopez comment just shows ignorance. Murray has gone into the lions den on the international stage twice and put on very good performances. Its not a fluke, he is just a very good fighter and deserves the respect he has earned in the ring. You rate and respect Quillin, but not Murray? Who exactly does Quillin have on his resume that tops Sturm and Martinez away from home?

Well I watched some of the Murray-Sturm bout just to gauge this guy. He looked strong, resilient, had a good tight guard, but essentially I was convinced Martinez would do to him what he's done to guys like Macklin, b/c he's just that good. So yes I was surprised, I felt like I underestimated Murray after the fight. Many of us did.

I have factored in Martinez's age and recurring injuries, but a simple eye test against the middleweight champ should show you Murray is a solid fighter.

Well I think we can all agree.....either Sergio has been effected by a combination of his age and surgery, or he had an off night clearly.

This was basically a joke fight going in, and Murray did better than he was supposed to do. Similar to Provonikov where he put on a good performance against Bradley.

This wasn't some daunting task that the mighty Sergio Martinez decided to step up and face....no this was the equivalent of someone like Pacquiao, Marquez, or Mayweather fighting a Josesito Lopez or something.

I wouldn't call either a joke fight, that's just not true. Broner-Rees fits the description of a joke fight much better. I agree they did better than they were expected to, not to say Provodnikov (had I not said he was going to give a good account of himself versus Bradley) or Murray are bad fighters. Look at khan-garcia, people were saying who had Garcia beat other than a shot Holt and shot Morales? But he went and made a name for himself and proved many nonbelievers wrong.

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It's a matter of opinion from here on out obviously. My opinion of Provodnikov is a bit more biased since I actually went on record as saying he'll give Bradley a good fight, but guys like Provod and Murray can do the same as Garcia and prove that they are indeed solid fighters to those that are still unconvinced.

Also wanted to add, a lot of guys hear a European fighters name and automatically think, 'well I haven't heard of him, must be a bum.' It's never that simple. I think too many are selling Murray short. I'm sure Sergio didn't think it was going to be a hard fight, but how many fighters do? Again, nothing wrong with pointing out some possible excuses (I did it) but no reason to sell the other guy completely short. I'll be on the look out for Murray, see if he can follow it up before I write it off as a fluke performance.

[!! Shawn]

His body is failing him big time. Shoulder, knees, hands etc

His reflexes have diminished. Being honest I felt he looked soft, compared to normal.

He looked one-dimensional, the speed wasn't there, his jab was not what it was - that was one hell of a weapon. His punch resistance is very questionable IMO 5 of his last 8 have decked him & I'm sorry but Macklin & Murray are not punchers.

Rule them slips or whatever, his punch resistance is on the fade.

I say all this as a fan as hes going to lose to some absolute bum before hes finished. Any other country & he may not of got the nod.

Credit to Murray, he came with a great gameplan, 'he good boy' but for me is the weakest of the trio - Murray, Barker, Macklin, I think both the others beat him soundly I really do.

I don't want to see Sergio fight again after tonight, I had him destroying GGG, Quillin etc before now I think GGG in particular literally ends his life.

Sorry fellow Martinez fans but hes shot to ****. He had a lucky escape tonight.

I watched the fight with the sound off because my girl was sleeping. I was surprised that people thought Papa Sergio was having so much trouble. He looked fairly comfortable, and Murray wasn't blocking nearly as much as people seem to be giving him credit for, HBO seems to have been seriously riding Murray nuts, atleast Max was.

[junior gong]

Well I watched some of the Murray-Sturm bout just to gauge this guy. He looked strong, resilient, had a good tight guard, but essentially I was convinced Martinez would do to him what he's done to guys like Macklin, b/c he's just that good. So yes I was surprised, I felt like I underestimated Murray after the fight. Many of us did.

I have factored in Martinez's age and recurring injuries, but a simple eye test against the middleweight champ should show you Murray is a solid fighter.




I wouldn't call either a joke fight, that's just not true. Broner-Rees fits the description of a joke fight much better. I agree they did better than they were expected to, not to say Provodnikov (had I not said he was going to give a good account of himself versus Bradley) or Murray are bad fighters. Look at khan-garcia, people were saying who had Garcia beat other than a shot Holt and shot Morales? But he went and made a name for himself and proved many nonbelievers wrong.

------

It's a matter of opinion from here on out obviously. My opinion of Provodnikov is a bit more biased since I actually went on record as saying he'll give Bradley a good fight, but guys like Provod and Murray can do the same as Garcia and prove that they are indeed solid fighters to those that are still unconvinced.

Also wanted to add, a lot of guys hear a European fighters name and automatically think, 'well I haven't heard of him, must be a bum.' It's never that simple. I think too many are selling Murray short. I'm sure Sergio didn't think it was going to be a hard fight, but how many fighters do? Again, nothing wrong with pointing out some possible excuses (I did it) but no reason to sell the other guy completely short. I'll be on the look out for Murray, see if he can follow it up before I write it off as a fluke performance.

Really good post. I sometimes wonder whether people here actually like the sport or have any respect for it outside the mythical world of a p4p top ten list. Its almost like if you are not a 'star' with a massive promoter and tv network behind you, you must be a bum. Its anti boxing and the main reason why about 75% of people posting here are idiots.

[paulf]

Where was his power last night? Man.

He should take a tuneup, a small fight, and see how he feels. It looks like his body just ain't doing what he needs it to do.

[Jloro]

I watched the fight with the sound off because my girl was sleeping. I was surprised that people thought Papa Sergio was having so much trouble. He looked fairly comfortable, and Murray wasn't blocking nearly as much as people seem to be giving him credit for, HBO seems to have been seriously riding Murray nuts, atleast Max was.

lol rewatching it Martinez doesn't look bad, he just got tagged a bit more than usual.
And Kellerman is like a huge Martinez hater lol

[!! Shawn]

lol rewatching it Martinez doesn't look bad, he just got tagged a bit more than usual.
And Kellerman is like a huge Martinez hater lol

He wasn't really getting tagged that clean though, he was taking the steam off of all the shots. I suppose to blood made it look worse, but I don't actually think that was a difficult or particularly close fight.

I mean even Murray felt like he didn't do enough to win, and Max seemed really upset that Murray would say something like that... which was really awkward. I have never seen a Commentator look aggravated when a fighter that ended up on the losing end of a fight disagreed with their biased view of how the fight went, like Max did last night.

[El Angel]

lol rewatching it Martinez doesn't look bad, he just got tagged a bit more than usual.
And Kellerman is like a huge Martinez hater lol

Kellerman has never liked Sergio since he destroyed Paul Williams. Max would go on and on about how avoided Williams was and how he was the next Tommy Hearns until he got stopped cold.

[Em1]

Martinez's recent fights have looked that way because, other than Chavez who had horrible defense, his opponents have not showed up to make a fight. Instead they sit in a shell and wait.

Sergio recognizes his responsibility to the TV Boxing fan not to just win but to entertain. Do any of you honestly feel, with how much faster and smarter he's been than his recent opponents that he couldn't box and coast to a win? Really? Gtfoh. He knows how boring that would be so he's trying desperately to push the action which gives his opponents the openings to land some shots and hurt him.


The only true knock I have on him is his lack of counter punching, specifically last night. Murray was there to be hurt bad, Sergio made him miss about a billion times and he didn't punish the average (yes he's very f'n average) and very slow (more slow than average) Martin Murray.


But Boxing fans love Murray now because despite not coming to win and sitting in a shell, he got gifted some opportunities and landed some big shot.

[Public_Enemy]

It's very hard to say if Martinez is done or not but it is clear that he has slowed down some. It's also important to note that he's been fighting bigger men as of late and he's getting worn down and injured easily. The biggest problem with guys who are elite athletes is their lack of defensive fundamentals. If Sergio is going to continue, he has to sharpen his defensive skills or he's going to get hurt. He can't pull his head straight back trying to avoid punches because he can't avoid those punches like he used to.

Offensively, we need to see more variety from Sergio. You could tell Murray and his team were prepared for everything Martinez had to offer. I liked the jab to the body from Sergio (something Trout should have used against Canelo) but nearly everything else was picked off for the most part. Murray took away the jab and straight left and Sergio couldn't adjust.

I would say back to the drawing board for Team Martinez. When you're on top, you get every fighters' best effort. There's so much tape on Sergio now that guys know his tendencies and since he's on decline he'll have to be sharper.

[speed2kill]

Sergio's fine. He did get hit more than usual. I think his knee is still healing and the rubber soled shoes and damp ring canvas probably didn't do him any good considering his fighting style. That being said, Murray did admit Surg hurt him in the 12th.