Sergio Martinez vs Miguel Cotto Press Tour Hits NYC In Blue Suede Shoes

Photos by Will Hart for HBO

by Sarah Deming

NEW YORK–The press tour for Sergio Martinez’s June 7 middleweight title defense against Miguel Cotto hit Madison Square Garden Tuesday morning.

Martinez fans draped with Argentine flags mingled peacefully with those in Puerto Rican do-rags; it was the first sunny day in New York City for a while, and everyone seemed too happy to fight.

Inside, the usual suspects were livened up with a dose of DiBella prospects – we spotted Heather Hardy, Christopher Galeano, Frank Galarza, and Gabriel “Tito” Bracero – out to support their famous Argentine stablemate.

Todd duBoeuf of Top Rank (who are co-promoting with Miguel Cotto, DiBella, and Sampson Boxing) introduced representatives from the Garden and HBO Pay Per View, and became the millionth person we know to rave about “True Detective”.

Bob Arum showed undiminished mouthspeed delivering a lecture on the Garden’s history, and Mauricio Sulaiman said he was designing a new meaningless title belt in honor of the match, his first as President of the WBC. The Tecate Girls looked good in their sexy pirate garb.

Miguel Cotto, who is attempting to be the first four-division Puerto Rican champ, spent much of the time bent over a pink cell phone, texting. He kept his speech brief and generic, expressing enthusiasm for training camp, wishing Martinez luck, and saying that the fans would be the real winners.

Sergio Martinez maintained his #1 ranking on our Best Dressed List in an understated sports coat/ turtleneck/ expensive jeans ensemble elevated by suede loafers in robin’s egg blue. In their remarks, Lou DiBella and Mauricio Sulaiman had both emphasized the champion’s excellent inner qualities. For example, during a recent audience with the pope, the only thing Martinez requested was a blessing for the dying Jose Sulaiman.

After expressing his gratitude in English, Martinez switched to Spanish so he could complain mildly about Miguel Cotto’s insistence that he would not fight unless he, Cotto, entered the ring last and was announced last, despite being the challenger: “I can imagine maybe on June 7 he’ll ask for rose petals or he won’t fight.”

Martinez’s height advantage was obvious in the stare-down, which featured nice intensity but ended in a handshake and hug.

“It’s all about the money,” said the old timer next to me, who believed Martinez’s superior size and boxing skill would make light work of Cotto. This was the prevailing opinion, but there were dissenters, and not all of them wore Puerto Rican do-rags.

Cotto looked good in his last fight, while Martinez did not. Cotto will enter energized by his new collaboration with trainer Freddie Roach and at home in the arena where he has sold over 120,000 tickets in his career.

Meanwhile, the superb, 39-year-old Martinez could start his decline at any time. Perhaps he already has. A Fight News reporter told us the knee injury Martinez sustained from the Chavez, Jr. knockdown has kept him from running for a year. If that’s true, he might need to do some running in the Garden.