Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

**atomicpoet** · Posted On: 9/14/2012 5:40pm

I was hesitating about posting about this now, simply because the fight hasn't happened yet. However, it's almost guaranteed to be THE best PPV event this year.

Why? Well, there's no doubt Sergio Martinez is one of the best fighters right now, but more than that, there's this: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is a big f*cking heel.

This is a guy who, on the last episode of 24/7 completely blew off Freddie Roach's training sessions, sleeps in until 6PM(!), then saunters about in pink speedos as his legendary dad tries to give him important advice on how to beat Martinez.

Then there's Martinez. He's training like crazy to beat Chavez Jr. and is taking all this quite seriously. I'm utterly convinced that Martinez is going to give Chavez Jr. the mother of all beatings. I'd be shocked — SHOCKED! — if Chavez Jr. is able to make it to the final bell.

Of course, I've been saying that for the past year, and yet Chavez Jr. continues to win all his fights. Maybe I'm wrong. Then again, Chavez has never fought anyone of Martinez' calibre. If he wins, I'll be quick to stop doubting him and will eat all my words.

EDIT: I should also mentions when this is happening.

Time: September 15th, 2012 @ 6PM
Broadcaster: HBO
Where: Las Vegas

***Tranquil Suit*** · Posted On: 9/14/2012 6:07pm

Your undying fanboyism for Martinez keeps bafflling me.

**atomicpoet** · Posted On: 9/14/2012 6:13pm

Originally Posted by Tranquil Suit

Your undying fanboyism for Martinez keeps bafflling me.

Wouldn't say it's undying. Gennady Golovkin recently impressed me, and could give Martinez trouble. Also Daniel Geale just unified two titles. No matter how you slice it, the Middleweight division is attracting more talent.

More interesting to me would be if Martinez went up a division for a showdown with Andre Ward. Ward completely dismantled Light Heavyweight champion Chad Dawson last week with a 10th round TKO.

This fight, however, is going to be good — simply because it's easy to love Sergio Martinez and easy to hate Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 9/15/2012 8:16am

Poet

Thanks for the OP. I checked my Cable options here in London and - incredibly - it's a PPV option. So I'll be buying it. Although the time difference means it airs 2AM-5AM. I shall be in bed. If I stay up, it'll ruin my Sunday. I shall probably catch the Repeat.

Another fluke was that a Preview was also aired on cable last night featuring Martinez and JCC Jnr. Hmm, he left Freddie standing in the gym. Had Chavez forgotten his manners??

I've now had a very brief look at Martinez and he's Tough but ships a lot of big punches.

Out on a limb, I think I'll go for Chavez, based partly on his fight against Andy Lee.

Cheers for the OP as a 'Heads Up' :-)

**Eliada** · Posted On: 9/15/2012 3:52pm

It's really hard to like Chavez Jr. He's hand-picked very little competitive opposition for the vast majority of his career and still complains about people not taking him seriously. His last outing against Andy Lee, the stoutest competition he's ever had, saw him flailing about, taking too many hits (at least he proved his chin was world-class!) and finally using his natural physical gifts to win via stoppage.

Junior is an undisciplined, low-skill, very powerful fighter. One couldn't fault him for it if he dominated all competition, but he's yet to face the best of his division. He'll certainly face the best tonight. I'm not a huge Martinez fan, but as a fan of skill over power (Andre Ward is my favorite fighter), I admit it would give me a great deal of personal pleasure to see Chavez Jr. pummeled.

**atomicpoet** · Posted On: 9/16/2012 12:51am

Just... wow. Saw this fight with five friends, and every single one of them thought this fight was just epic.

Sergio Martinez re-affirmed his pedigree as the third best P4P fighter in the world (although Andre Ward might also be). For 11 1/2 rounds, Martinez totally schooled Chavez. He danced, dazzled with combos, and completely schooled Chavez. It was almost a shutout.

Almost. In the last half of Round 12, Chavez knocked down Martinez and hurt Martinez like he had never been hurt before. I, for one, though this was going to be it. Chavez was going to knockout Martinez. But somehow, Martinez got to his feet, fought the rest of the round. Chavez almost put Martinez away, but Martinez stayed on his feet.

The fight was a unanimous decision for Martinez, but he came very close to losing it.

This was in so many ways similar to Chavez Sr.'s fight with Meldrick Taylor. The only difference, of course, is that Martinez got to finish the fight whereas Taylor did not. Martinez got to finish the fight, win, and get the recognition that has eluded him for years.

Bar none, this was the best PPV fight I've seen in years.

**Eliada** · Posted On: 9/16/2012 12:31pm

I think Andre Ward would shut Martinez down. I hold him over Manny Pacquiao easy.

It was an absolutely incredible fight. Martinez methodically picked Chavez apart. Whenever Chavez somehow managed to get inside, Martinez fought his way out. Whenever Chavez managed to get Martinez to the ropes (some scary business right there - we all saw what he did to Andy Lee, even though he was losing!), Martinez pushed Chavez back with clean combinations, often actually getting the better of the exchanges.

And, of course, the twelfth round. I don't know about you, but I smelled an upset. When I saw Martinez slow down, I knew he was gonna pay. When Chavez caught him with that right hand and followed with the left hook, I thought it was over, but Martinez fought on like the champion he is.

Great fight.

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 9/16/2012 3:59pm

Poet

Yeah, Agreed, mate. Martinez was very elusive and showed great footwork allied to a very good jab. In R1, he landed a textbook Left down the middle to land flush in JCC Jnr's Face, as Martinez moved Right. For those unaware, Martinez is Left Handed.

It looked like Martinez broke the nose of Chavez right at the end R4. Ouch. He later profited from it by landing 2 x punches to aggravate the injury in about R6, when unusually Chavez retreated. He spent most of the fight moving forward and crowding to take advantage of his greater size over Martinez. It made me think of Rosario v Chavez but not this time...

R12, yep, Martinez was 'Gone'; the Right wobbled his Legs and the Left put him on the canvass. I thought it was over. Chavez made a mistake in forcing Martinez to the floor, as it gave him Recovery Time and ate up the seconds. Chavez was focussed on his Right Hand but his Left might have finished Sergio, who was absolutely 'Open' and vulnerable for the only time in the Fight.

Still, a great exhibition and a worthy winner in Martinez. Chavez showed courage and that he could punch going into the last round.

Fight of the Year? Dunno, Roman Martinez v Miguel Beltran might get the vote. Especially with that 1 point deducted against Beltran for that punch to the back of Rocky's Head after the earlier warning from the Ref.

**Eliada** · Posted On: 9/16/2012 6:06pm

Martinez vs. Beltran was one helluva undercard. Those are some tough fuckers for sure. You could see their mutual respect growing as the fight went on, culminating in their hug/glove-touch to begin the final round. That kind of sportsmanlike display is rarely seen today. It was very moving (or maybe I'm just a sap for fistic friendship). My money's on Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez for Fight of the Year, tho'. I think I preferred Ward vs. Dawson, but very few other fight fans seem to favor technical exhibitions over grudge matches.

Major props to Martinez for fighting his way out of a bad situation. He didn't clinch, he didn't run, he didn't purposely burn up the clock, even when he was forced to the ground. He fought like a man (albeit a smart man), hammering Chavez Jr. with hard combinations from awkward angles even while struggling to regain consciousness.

In the post-fight conference, Chavez has stated that his game plan, rather than his lack of training, lost him the fight, and that he didn't intend to change anything. For that stupid comment he lost all respect I'd gained for him during the fight.

Good match, happy ending.

**atomicpoet** · Posted On: 9/16/2012 9:49pm

Just want to say this. While I've seen a lot of great fights during the past few years, most of them are rarely seen by the mainstream fight audience. No, most of the fights people see are non-competitive Pacquiao or Mayweather exhibitions where something controversial happens.

Count me thrilled when Martinez, a man on the same talent level as Pacquiao and Mayweather, fights in a competitive grudge match, wins convincingly, and without controversy.

This is a reminder that there's more to boxing than Pacquiao or Mayweather, and that other fighters deserve some attention every now and then. Hell, other fighters might offer more entertainment value than the Big 2.

There's some tremendous talent bubbling below the radar; guys who cannot fight Mayweather or Pacquiao because they're in different weight divisions, or they still have to through their proving grounds to prove they're legitimate. There's also guys who aren't talented but still put on a great show.

Hopefully, this fight will whet the public's appetite for something different from the usual fare.