Sergio Martinez Survives Late Scare Against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Photo by Anna john for StiffJab.com
by Gautham Nagesh
One middleweight titlist showed Saturday night on HBO Pay Per View that he is the true champion. The other proved himself worthy of the biggest name in Mexican boxing.
Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez cemented his greatness by surviving a last-round knockdown to win a unanimous decision against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Martinez seemed on his way to a one-sided victory, when Chavez caught him with a right hand against the ropes in the 12th and followed with a combination that sent the Argentine to the mat.
Sergio rose on unsteady legs, but refused to hold as Junior desperately tried to close the show and re-create his father’s legendary late stoppage of Meldrick Taylor. Somehow, Sergio found the will to survive the onslaught and make it to the final bell. His victory was well-deserved, but the late rally helped Junior save face and will prompt calls for a rematch. After this bout somehow delivered on the massive hype, count me among those that would buy a ticket to that fight.[[MORE]]
Before the final found, Martinez had put on a master clinic on how to fight a larger man. Dancing, boxing, moving side to side while pecking with his jab, Maravilla looked a cut above his younger foe. Chavez occasionally bullied Sergio into the ropes and unloaded with his heavy hooks to the body, but mostly it was Martinez landing at will and pecking with the jab in-between. His speed was just too much for the much larger but slower Mexican. Chavez never got off first, and wasn’t busy enough to win any of the first 11 rounds.
But those facts will likely be forgotten in light of the final round, which saw Martinez continue to take risks instead of contenting himself with a clear points win. Chavez rewarded him for his courage with a straight right hand to the face, followed by a combination that had Martinez leaning through the ropes. A left hook to the chin followed and Martinez went down; had the knockdown come earlier in the fight, a stoppage would have almost inevitably followed.
As a result, all eyes will be on the future and Junior’s stock will remain as high as it was before his first loss. Nor should Chavez’s reputation be diminished, considering what a massive step up in competition Martinez was compared to Andy Lee or Marco Antonio Rubio. After looking cautious and reticent for the majority of the fight, Junior acquitted himself like a fighter at the most pivotal moment. The kid has heart, and that can never be questioned again. If the two should meet again, I give Chavez a much better shot at winning.
But let us take a moment to appreciate the genius that is Martinez, the rare professional athlete that appears to have peaked in his mid-thirties. The late knockdown is less evidence of decline than of his indomitable fighting spirit, and unwillingness to send his fans home unhappy. Sergio didn’t deliver the knockout he promised, and after this fight, I’m not convinced anyone at 160 can stop Chavez. Junior is simply too big. But Martinez did thoroughly out-box him, and deserves his long-awaited moment in the sun. Hopefully the fame and fortune he has been seeking will finally come Sergio’s way.
A so-so undercard on paper ended up delivering unexpected thrills, particularly in the co-feature matching Miguel Beltran and Rocky Martinez for the WBO 130-lb strap. Unfortunately, this riveting contest was decided by referee Russell Mora’s decision to deduct a point from Beltran for hitting behind the head. Mora had warned Beltran earlier in the fight, but the decision was questionable at best, and changed the result from a majority draw to a split decision win for Martinez. Regardless, both men brought everything they had for the full 12 rounds. Any fight fan would look forward to a rematch.
Middleweight Matthew Macklin made short work of Joachim Alcine, hurting him with a right hand near the end of the first round. Alcine went down and was never able to recover, succumbing with roughly 30 seconds left in the opening stanza. Macklin was fighting for the first time since his St. Patrick’s Day loss to Martinez in New York, and showed he’s still very much a contender in the middleweight division.
Super bantamweight titlist Guillermo Rigondeaux looked surprising vulnerable in the PPV opener against Robert Marroquin of Dallas, but still scored two knockdowns on his way to a unanimous decision. The larger Marroquin caught the Cuban with a left hand in the third round that almost sent him down, but Rigondeaux recovered and put Marroquin down in both the 5th and 12th rounds. The Cuban Olympic champion remains a gifted stylist, but he can be hit with left hooks and showed his chin isn’t completely untouchable. That could spell trouble in a division loaded with great left hooks, especially the one belonging to rival Nonito Donaire.
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