Sergio Martinez vs Brits

[Autobarn]

looks like he can't get a TV date or a top opponent, despite being an HBO regular and the middleweight champion of the world.

the biggest prospects have all been given world title shots elsewhere (golovkin, n'jikam, pirog, jacobs). julio cesar chavez jr won an exciting elim for martinez, but will likely fight more elims, vs guys like zbik.

paul williams is dropping down to welter. pavlik can't make middle any more, so he didn't invoke his rematch clause for martinez, but now he can make middle, at least if he gets a fight with chavez jr, whose trainer feels he isn't ready. martinez can't tempt any of the big names, like mayweather, mosley or cotto. this isn't anything new, as the middleweight champ often has to stick around a long time for the big ones (see hopkins, hagler, etc).

so who will fight martinez? we have good, marketable fighters in britain. i recall jamie moore wanted him, for a WBC elim or International fight, when martinez was waiting for vernon forrest and the WBC 154 belt. ryan rhodes beat moore in a stunning elim fight for martinez, but martinez was forced to vacate most of his titles (incl WBC 154). so it's not happening.

what about barker, lee and macklin? would the barker-macklin winner go for martinez? how about andy lee? would brian peters want to tempt martinez over to ireland - martinez struggles with tall fighters, doesn't he. peters can deliver top super bantams like poonsawat and cordoba. obviously the middleweight champ on good money is another matter entirely...

seems a bit sad really. remember the good old days when sibson and minter challenged real champs? even eastman did it. obviously there are so many options these days with so many titles.

[markp]

looks like he can't get a TV date or a top opponent, despite being an HBO regular and the middleweight champion of the world.

the biggest prospects have all been given world title shots elsewhere (golovkin, n'jikam, pirog, jacobs). julio cesar chavez jr won an exciting elim for martinez, but will likely fight more elims, vs guys like zbik.

paul williams is dropping down to welter. pavlik can't make middle any more, so he didn't invoke his rematch clause for martinez, but now he can make middle, at least if he gets a fight with chavez jr, whose trainer feels he isn't ready. martinez can't tempt any of the big names, like mayweather, mosley or cotto. this isn't anything new, as the middleweight champ often has to stick around a long time for the big ones (see hopkins, hagler, etc).

so who will fight martinez? we have good, marketable fighters in britain. i recall jamie moore wanted him, for a WBC elim or International fight, when martinez was waiting for vernon forrest and the WBC 154 belt. ryan rhodes beat moore in a stunning elim fight for martinez, but martinez was forced to vacate most of his titles (incl WBC 154). so it's not happening.

what about barker, lee and macklin? would the barker-macklin winner go for martinez? how about andy lee? would brian peters want to tempt martinez over to ireland - martinez struggles with tall fighters, doesn't he. peters can deliver top super bantams like poonsawat and cordoba. obviously the middleweight champ on good money is another matter entirely...

seems a bit sad really. remember the good old days when sibson and minter challenged real champs? even eastman did it. obviously there are so many options these days with so many titles.

Martinez would easily outclass all of them.

[Autobarn]

there's some good fighters in britain and ireland. i'm sure they could do a few things against martinez, a small middleweight albeit an exceptionally quick on.

for instance martinez is not a puncher, so it's not like andy lee would get his head knocked off. and obviously martinez struggles - at least in the middle stages - when he fights tall middleweights.

it's a bit sad IF they're all queueing up for sebastian plodding sylvester.

[banjo]

Martinez is too quick and skillfull for any British or Irish Middleweight or Light Middleweight at the moment and while there's other easier "world title" options for them out there they'd unlikely be lining up to take on Martinez.

[palooka]

Martinez didn't do too badly last time he boxed the top British men. He'd have the measure of any of our top guys now as well.

[Autobarn]

my main concern is: will any of them step up and fight the middleweight champ, if givne the opportunity?

i think at 154 the current rhodes could have been competitive, as would jamie moore a couple of years ago - these would have been good fights.

let's look at barker v macklin. which of these two would be more likely to fight martinez?

obviously, one of the concerns might be, being made to look ordinary on a big platform. clearly it is understandable if the winner preferred to go for sylvester...

[dutchie]

I was talking to Emmanuel Stewart after Andy Lees last fight and he said they were going after Martinez,Lee has the following and with it deff on tele peters will have the money with a sell out show,would be great if it came off.

[Barry big balz]

I was talking to Emmanuel Stewart after Andy Lees last fight and he said they were going after Martinez,Lee has the following and with it deff on tele peters will have the money with a sell out show,would be great if it came off.

We will soon find out who is the best british middle after macklin and barker face off, I cant wait for that one! The winner of that has a real chance at martinez (if they chose that route) because of the likely high ranking after EBU battle and macklins current high rating with all top four Belts. As for lee he will have to earn it by beating high ranking boxer or buy it by collecting all those international titles like pirog did to gain a high ranking. There is always a chance to get a voluntary but i just dont see it.
On other news lees team got the call from sturm to see if he was interested and lee said yes but sturm then chose marco antonio rubio as his next opponent.( Lee ranked 10th by the WBA)
Before he even steps up to any of these champs he needs to make sure his stamina is 100% for a 12 round fight then maybe he has a chance to dislodge one of these top class middles.

[Feargal....]

I was talking to Emmanuel Stewart after Andy Lees last fight and he said they were going after Martinez,Lee has the following and with it deff on tele peters will have the money with a sell out show,would be great if it came off.

Thomond park or O2
Hope you're not lying

[markp]

Martinez would beat Lee very easily.

[Barry big balz]

Martinez would beat Lee very easily.

Please elaborate..........

[Autobarn]

I was talking to Emmanuel Stewart after Andy Lees last fight and he said they were going after Martinez,Lee has the following and with it deff on tele peters will have the money with a sell out show,would be great if it came off.

i hope so. lee has enough size and talent to give martinez a few problems. i'm not saying he can win, but with martinez unable to secure an opponent or a TV date, now is the ideal time to make the man an offer. i don't think anyone doubts lee's potential, despite his terrible setback vs vera. on the right night he can deliver, and i think he's better doing it at home vs a blown up light middleweight (rather than a natural middle with power or strength/pressure on his side). of course, martinez is one of the fastest natural light middles i've come across in recent times, and may be the most fluid combination puncher in the whole sport. so it's a massive task for lee, but one that his backers would hopefully believe in and push for. i think the fight is a great idea.

[Autobarn]

Martinez would beat Lee very easily.

martinez does have problems vs tall fighters and andy lee can certainly fight tall. i would pick martinez to win, but lee is the bigger man, is focused on using his reach (unlike, say, paul williams) and could surely have his moments. make the fight, i say. no one else seems to be stepping up for it, and i don't want to see martinez pushed into a challenge to super middleweight monster, bute, in order to get his next HBO payday.

[Barry big balz]

Emmanuel and lee calling out martinez http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=23913&more=1

[markp]

Martinez would beat Lee very easily.

martinez does have problems vs tall fighters and andy lee can certainly fight tall. i would pick martinez to win, but lee is the bigger man, is focused on using his reach (unlike, say, paul williams) and could surely have his moments. make the fight, i say. no one else seems to be stepping up for it, and i don't want to see martinez pushed into a challenge to super middleweight monster, bute, in order to get his next HBO payday.

Martinez is better than Lee in every department. He wouldn't lose a round. Lee can't handle pressure as we saw against Vera, a career journeyman. Belgecham almost flattened him and had him out on his feet at the end of their 10 ROUNDER. Had it been 12, Lee woulnd't have made it. He has stamina and chin issues as well as not being able to fight inside and not being able to handle pressure. Martinez would have a field day. Macklin would beat Lee too in my opinion.

[Barry big balz]

Martinez would beat Lee very easily.

martinez does have problems vs tall fighters and andy lee can certainly fight tall. i would pick martinez to win, but lee is the bigger man, is focused on using his reach (unlike, say, paul williams) and could surely have his moments. make the fight, i say. no one else seems to be stepping up for it, and i don't want to see martinez pushed into a challenge to super middleweight monster, bute, in order to get his next HBO payday.

Martinez is better than Lee in every department. He wouldn't lose a round. Lee can't handle pressure as we saw against Vera, a career journeyman. Belgecham almost flattened him and had him out on his feet at the end of their 10 ROUNDER. Had it been 12, Lee woulnd't have made it. He has stamina and chin issues as well as not being able to fight inside and not being able to handle pressure. Martinez would have a field day. Macklin would beat Lee too in my opinion.

Maybe your right but you have to give lee credit for chasing the no.1 guy and not the weaker title holders.

[whiskey]

Emmanuel and lee calling out martinez http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=23913&more=1

I read that whole piece and unless im going blind, he (manny steward i add) didnt call him out at all. Just offered excuses how his fighter got demolished.

For me, Lee aint proved nothing. He aint proved he's even the best in Ireland, let alone the UK and Europe.

With likes of Barker, Macklin, Hassan N'Dam, Felix Sturm, Golovkin, Gevor, Zbik, Pirog and even Karmazin all line up ahead of him from this side of the atlantic.

Because the harsh reality is, he is a lad who came home empty handed from the Olympics and got flattened by a C-level fighter.

He needs to kick on and fight people for fame, instead of being known for just having an association with free-loading Steward.

[kellybluegloves]

Emmanuel and lee calling out martinez http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=23913&more=1

I read that whole piece and unless im going blind, he (manny steward i add) didnt call him out at all. Just offered excuses how his fighter got demolished.

For me, Lee aint proved nothing. He aint proved he's even the best in Ireland, let alone the UK and Europe.

With likes of Barker, Macklin, Hassan N'Dam, Felix Sturm, Golovkin, Gevor, Zbik, Pirog and even Karmazin all line up ahead of him from this side of the atlantic.

Because the harsh reality is, he is a lad who came home empty handed from the Olympics and got flattened by a C-level fighter.

He needs to kick on and fight people for fame, instead of being known for just having an association with free-loading Steward.

He was stopped on his feet while still throwing punches, that's hardly a demolision job.

So who's ahead of him in Ireland?

The reality of the situation is, he is a very talented fighter with a lot of potential and again, he's never even been put down nevermind flattened.

[kellybluegloves]

Martinez would beat Lee very easily.

martinez does have problems vs tall fighters and andy lee can certainly fight tall. i would pick martinez to win, but lee is the bigger man, is focused on using his reach (unlike, say, paul williams) and could surely have his moments. make the fight, i say. no one else seems to be stepping up for it, and i don't want to see martinez pushed into a challenge to super middleweight monster, bute, in order to get his next HBO payday.

Martinez is better than Lee in every department. He wouldn't lose a round. Lee can't handle pressure as we saw against Vera, a career journeyman. Belgecham almost flattened him and had him out on his feet at the end of their 10 ROUNDER. Had it been 12, Lee woulnd't have made it. He has stamina and chin issues as well as not being able to fight inside and not being able to handle pressure. Martinez would have a field day. Macklin would beat Lee too in my opinion.

That didn't happen Belgecham caught him alright but Lee was in no danger of being flattened! He wasn't knocked down, he wasn't even hurt that much. Look at his reaction at the end of the fight, it was clear he was fine. And Lee's chin is not questionable btw, he has never been down in his pro career and he spars with Wlad Klitschko ffs, you really think Steward would let him anywhere near Wlad if he had chin issues?

I think Lee has a good chance against Martinez, he's the bigger stronger man, has more power, a good chin, awkward southpaw style, a good height and reach advantage, not to mention very good skills. Lee has the best chance to beat him out of all the other Irish/British middleweights.

[crusader]

Lee is nowhere near Paul Williams level. I don't think it was the height Martinez struggled with, as Williams didn't use that advantage at all. It was probably Williams nonstop punching. The fact that Martinez struggled with Williams (I thought SM won by three points) doesn't really translate into Martinez struggling with Lee. Martinez would humiliate Lee, Rhodes, Barker, Macklin, etc.

Would Martinez really consider these opponents unless they were his mandatories? They are virtually unknown in the U.S, aside from Lee, whose reputation was badly damaged in front of a large American audience. Martinez will probably fight Angulo before he takes on the previously mentioned fighters.

[markp]

Lee is nowhere near Paul Williams level. I don't think it was the height Martinez struggled with, as Williams didn't use that advantage at all. It was probably Williams nonstop punching. The fact that Martinez struggled with Williams (I thought SM won by three points) doesn't really translate into Martinez struggling with Lee. Martinez would humiliate Lee, Rhodes, Barker, Macklin, etc.

Would Martinez really consider these opponents unless they were his mandatories? They are virtually unknown in the U.S, aside from Lee, whose reputation was badly damaged in front of a large American audience. Martinez will probably fight Angulo before he takes on the previously mentioned fighters.

Agreed. I had Martinez beating PW by 2 points, but I was being very kind to PW. Other than that, I totally agree with your post... you said it a lot nicer than I ever could have!

[doctor]

the man was robbed of greatness in my eyes No 1 wanted any part of him and he was ducked and sidelined by all quarters its quite a shame, he could have had a much stronger resume i'm quite sure he would have beat mosely,trinidad,Oscar, Vargas,forrest and may be wright at 154 but none of them would give him the time of day

[Autobarn]

Lee is nowhere near Paul Williams level. I don't think it was the height Martinez struggled with, as Williams didn't use that advantage at all. It was probably Williams nonstop punching. The fact that Martinez struggled with Williams (I thought SM won by three points) doesn't really translate into Martinez struggling with Lee. Martinez would humiliate Lee, Rhodes, Barker, Macklin, etc.

Would Martinez really consider these opponents unless they were his mandatories? They are virtually unknown in the U.S, aside from Lee, whose reputation was badly damaged in front of a large American audience. Martinez will probably fight Angulo before he takes on the previously mentioned fighters.

martinez did not have a name fighter for a TV date. only since yesterday when he said he'd go back down to 154, despite having vacated the title, has martinez-angulo looked a maybe. lou dibella obviously has a hard-on for the fight, and the WBC may let martinez and angulo fight for the vacant title. so it looks like apotential TV date, but will angulo's promtoer really allow it to happen? it certainly is an alright fight, since angulo stopped julio and destroyed alcine. before that, you'd think now would have been the time for an ambitious promoter to make an offer for martinez to come over.

[dutchie]

Martinez would beat Lee very easily.

martinez does have problems vs tall fighters and andy lee can certainly fight tall. i would pick martinez to win, but lee is the bigger man, is focused on using his reach (unlike, say, paul williams) and could surely have his moments. make the fight, i say. no one else seems to be stepping up for it, and i don't want to see martinez pushed into a challenge to super middleweight monster, bute, in order to get his next HBO payday.

Martinez is better than Lee in every department. He wouldn't lose a round. Lee can't handle pressure as we saw against Vera, a career journeyman. Belgecham almost flattened him and had him out on his feet at the end of their 10 ROUNDER. Had it been 12, Lee woulnd't have made it. He has stamina and chin issues as well as not being able to fight inside and not being able to handle pressure. Martinez would have a field day. Macklin would beat Lee too in my opinion.

hOW YOU COULD SAY lEE HAS STAMINA AND CHIN ISSUES,BEATS ME,HE HAS NEVER YET BEEN PUT ON THE CANVES ,HAS ONLY LOST 5 ROUND OF BOXING IN HIS WHOLE CAREER,AND THE BELGECHAM FIGHT,LEE WON 9 ROUNDS OUT OF 10 AND YOU QUESTION STAMINA,STRANGE INDEED'

[markp]

If you watch the last round of the belgecham fight, Lee is out on his feet in the closing seconds and almost gets done. Vera is not a power puncher but stopped Lee. In that fight he also showed stamina issues. I am running off facts here guys.

As for sparring with Wladdy... well its only sparring. In a real boxing match, Lee would be KO'd as soon as Wlad decides.