Sergio Martinez and Kelly Pavlik each lived up to their nickname in a brutal fight that Martinez won to capture the WBC and WBO middleweight titles.
Martinez was “Maravilla,” the marvelous one, slicing up the unified champion over the course of 12 hard-fought rounds at Boardwalk Hall on Sunday. The relatively unknown challenger from Argentina, with the dashing smile and Hollywood looks, shone brightly on the biggest stage of his blooming professional career.
Pavlik looked a shadow of the proud, blue-collar boxer who burst onto the scene by defeating Jermain Taylor nearly three years ago.
Back then, Pavlik was the next big thing.
Now it may be Martinez.
“He looks like a movie star, start with that,” his promoter, Lou DiBella said. “He’s a great looking guy, women love him. He could be a poster boy for the sport, and he’s incredibly pleasing to watch. He’s a terrifically entertaining fighter, and some of that is showmanship.”
Much like Pavlik, Martinez came from humble beginnings.
His father was a metal worker, putting in long hours and moving the family from place to place to ensure food was on the table. The young Martinez finished elementary school before getting a job to help support the family.
He was an exceptional soccer player and a world-class cyclist but he put those ambitions aside when he was 20 years old, lacing up boxing gloves for the first time and immediately realizing he had found his calling.
In just five weeks, Martinez was winning amateur bouts, and in two years he was a pro.
“Probably it was one of the most poor places of Argentina, which is a third-world country, where I grew up,” Martinez said through a translator. “I chose boxing because I realized I would be better in that sport than any of the others.”
The late start in the sport means that, despite being 35, Martinez hasn’t been in the same number of bruising battles as many of his contemporaries.
That’s why DiBella believes his best years are still in front of him.
Martinez made just shy of US$1 million against Pavlik on Saturday night, and probably won’t make under seven figures any time soon. His effervescent personality is endearing in a sport that latches on to charismatic individuals, so it’s reasonable to expect Martinez to become the same kind of attraction that fellow Argentine middleweight Carlos Monzon once was.
“Being in boxing, it gives you a chance to dream about days like today,” Martinez said late on Saturday night. “This is the dream of every boxer, and today I accomplished my dream. And I never stopped dreaming to be a world champion. Always I knew I would be a champion.”
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