By Miguel Rivera

The tension is rising between WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (51-2-2-, 28KOs) and Miguel Cotto (38-4, 21KOs). They will battle on June 7th at New York's Madison Square Garden.

In several recent interviews, Martinez has openly complained about Cotto's numerous demands during their drawn-out negotiations. Among them, Cotto demanded a catch-weight of 159-pounds, first billing in the promotion, for Martinez to be situated in the challenger's corner, and for Martinez to have the first ring walk.

Martinez claims that Cotto was refusing to go forward with the match unless his terms were met.

Cotto is not disputing that he made numerous demands in the negotiations. He says Martinez is the "B-side" of the promotion, which is why he is not entitled to walk out second or have his name in the top spot of the promotion.

"Boxing is a business. When I had to fight Manny Pacquiao and [Floyd] Mayweather, I was the B-side of the equation. [In this fight] here, Sergio is the B-side of the equation. The one who is going to sell the tickets is [the A-side] and that is me," Cotto said.