“Martinez is on the cusp of greatness, can he do it?”
On March 12, HBO will broadcast a risky but intriguing middleweight title match between champion Sergio Martinez, and highly talented but relatively unknown Sergiy Dzinziruk. I say risky because HBO is still reeling from a disappointing styles clash that happened last month in the 140 pound unification match with Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley. Some of that negativity has subsided due to Nonito Donaire’s sensational KO of Fernando Montiel last Saturday. But another dull matchup, especially coming on the night Top Rank airs its Cotto-Mayorga PPV for Showtime, will have HBO on its heels again.
The Manny Pacquiao debacle aside, I see HBO really trying to make “the best fight the best.” Isn’t that what we want? What we have to realize is sometimes that doesn’t produce the most exciting fights. Martinez fights are good when his opponent goes after him (Pavlik, Williams), but there’s no guarantee Dzinziruk, a methodical fighter with an excellent jab, will take that approach. Lou DiBella, who’s co-promoting this fight with Gary Shaw, was very critical of the Bradley-Alexander matchup. If this fight turns into a stinker, a lot of the blame will go his way.
Personally, I think balance is the key. I like matchups like this where you don’t know for sure how the fight will go, and fights like Cotto-Mayorga where you have a favorite, but know it’ll be exciting for however long it lasts. We don’t want to start blackballing fighters with niche styles (your Winky Wrights and Cory Spinks of the world) who earn title shots but aren’t the most exciting.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 