WBC Bumps Martinez, Names Zbik Middleweight Champ
The WBC announced Tuesday that Sergio Martinez has been named Emeritus Champion, which is essentially a polite way of taking his middleweight championship belt without giving him a real explanation.
To hear the WBC tell it, this is an honor bestowed upon Martinez thanks to his conquests of Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams over the past twelve months. From the WBC’s rulebook:
“Such recognition is for life and will only be bestowed upon a present or past WBC World Champion of extraordinary prestige, reputation, stature, and everlasting legacy in the sport.”
Does that really sound like Sergio Martinez? We love the guy - we essentially named him the top fighter of 2010. But does he really have an “everlasting legacy in the sport?” That’s a stretch. Martinez is still at least a couple big title defenses from cementing himself as one of the all-time greats.
So what’s the meaning of all this? Well the last paragraph of the release provides a hint:
With Sergio Martinez designation as Emeritus Champion and Ambassador of Good Will and Peace, WBC interim champion Sebastian Zbik, from Germany, becomes the WBC world middleweight champion, who must face the mandatory contender Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.
The release indicates the real issue isn’t Sergio Martinez, it’s ensuring Julio Cesar Chavez gets a title shot. As interim belt-holder and mandatory challenger, Zbik is entitled to a shot at the WBC middleweight belt Martinez took from Pavlik last year. But Chavez and his famous last name loom large behind him.
As someone who has been in that position and was forced to wait, Martinez is sympathetic to Zbik’s plight- at least if you listen to his agent and advisor Sampson Lewkowicz, who told Stiff Jab last month that Martinez would prefer to fight Zbik next.
The holdup? According to Lewkowicz it’s not TV, it’s HBO. He said premium cable network is insisting Martinez fight undefeated Ukranian junior middleweight and WBO belt-holder Sergei Dzinziruk next after dismissing the Zbik fight. The Martinez-Dzinziruk fight will take place at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut on March 12.
Ordinarily Martinez would be given a year after Zbik was named mandatory challenger to make the fight happen, but for whatever reason the WBC has elected to act before October. To a large degree the move is meaningless; knowledgeable fight fans almost universally recognize Martinez as the middleweight champion.
Some believe the WBC’s real motivation to give Chavez a title shot without forcing the son of a Mexican legend to face a real test before earning a paper championship. There may be something to that theory; with a famous name and the potential to draw huge crowds in Mexico, there’s no doubt the WBC would like to see Chavez prosper.
But the move could just as easily be motivated by a recognition that Martinez is now a legitimate draw in his own right and no longer needs to lean on sanctioning bodies or their matchmakers to create interest in his bouts.
As the top fighter in at least two weight divisions (junior middleweight and middleweight), Martinez can pick his opponents without having to worry about about justifying his status as an elite fighter.
Which also means Martinez and his handlers are more likely to favor fighters like Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito who can bring some name recognition in their own right. Chavez would bring that element, but he has yet to prove he is capable of fighting at the championship level.
Lewkowicz has said Martinez would be happy to face the winner of Zbik-Chavez, an exciting prospect and assurance for anyone suspicious the Argentine is ducking Zbik. Odds are allowing the fight to marinate a few extra months will do little to dim its appeal.
Which means as usual, the only side that came out of today’s announcement worse off was the WBC, which accomplished little besides once again calling into question the legitimacy and relevance of its own world championship.
Update: WBC President Jose Sulaiman sends along the following explanation:
The main reason of the unanimous appointment by the Board of the WBC is because he was expecting it, also that he has been the most respected and greatest latino champion in many years, as well as for his great 2010 year defeating 2 great opponents and becoming BOXER OF THE YEAR .
Apparently, the TV for which he is committed did not allow him to fight , under their contract, his mandatory defense against the interim champion Zbik, from Germany, which is a violation of the WBC rules for champions, and hurting MartÃnez on an action for which he should not be blamed, was nit what the WBC wanted; he has been a glory of the WBC and we want to keep his as such.