Martinez vs Cotto: Keys to Victory, Four to Explore, Official Prediction

06/07/201406/07/2014 Vivek Wallace

Tonight, the collective attention of the fight public will be planted squarely on Puerto Rican warrior Miguel Cotto and his newly-found Argentinean nemesis, Super Middleweight Champion, Sergio Martinez. Although these two men will enter the ring alone when the bell sounds, they’ll both carry two proud nations on their back when they do. While the Argentinean base is thriving on the strength of a solid Matthysse victory months ago and a strong performance from Maidana; the Puerto Rican contingent will do so with a heavy dose of anxiety. The last time Miguel Cotto took center stage at the Madison Square Garden, it was a humbling defeat to Austin Trout. This time around, he has a much more dangerous foe as he attempts to make history in the deep end of the ocean. As we get closer to the first bell, we examine the chances of both men:

SERGIO MARTINEZ (KEYS TO VICTORY)

Cotto vs. Martinez: Will Martinez float like a butterfly and sting like a bee?

06/07/201406/06/2014 Vitali Shaposhnikov

When a fight like Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez is right around the corner, boxing fans brace themselves for not only a tremendous fight, but a bloody war as well.

Both fighters are thrilling, both have a burning desire for victory, and both are willing to fight each other’s fight. Having said that, there are some clear stylistic and strategic differences in both men, and I believe that it will be the style of boxing that will win this fight for Sergio Martinez.

While we all know Cotto to be an extraordinary warrior with a heart unmatched my most, he is still the type of boxer that requires there to be a brawl, or at least a few power exchanges now and then. Don’t get me wrong, he is as experienced and smart as any, but his hunger and aggression often belittles everything else.

Cotto vs. Martinez: Will Sergio punch his ticket to Canastota with a win over Miguel Cotto?

06/06/201406/06/2014 Chris Carlson

So many questions linger in the lead up for the HBO PPV battle between Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez broadcasting live from Madison Square Garden this Saturday night.

Will Cotto’s face hold up under constant fire from accurate combination punching of Maravilla? Can Martinez make it through a whole fight without his knee flaring up? Is Sergio Martinez’s career already Hall of Fame worthy or does he need to secure a win against Miguel Cotto to help him get over that hump?

Age is more of a factor for Sergio but physically even with Martinez’s recent string of injuries, Miguel’s fighter body may be the more shopworn of the two having engaged in many brutal wars over the years.

Are Mayweather & Pacquiao hoping Cotto beats Martinez?

05/28/201405/28/2014 Alexander Caldwell

Miguel Cotto’s chances against Sergio Martinez are probably slim. Martinez is likely too big and too skilled for Cotto, who never really shined at any point during his campaign north of 147. Cotto has had an exceptional boxing career and is surely a first ballot future HOF’er, but he is clearly on the downside and Martinez has the type of style that will befuddle Cotto. The boxing pride of Puerto Rico is biting off more than he can chew. If Martinez’s stamina is even close to what we are accustomed to seeing from him, this fight could be an absolute nightmare for Cotto where he endures a prolonged beating and may not even survive to see the final bell.

But who knows? This is boxing and one punch can change a fight, right? Maybe Martinez will show his age. Perhaps his long career has taken its toll and recent injuries will impact his performance. Or maybe Freddie Roach will have a magical ace up his sleeve, or perhaps Cotto will even have something left in the tank for a change over the last few rounds should he make it that far. There is even the possibility of a freak accident, a bad/controversial decision, or a botched call by the referee. Anything can happen in boxing, so maybe we shouldn’t be too quick to write Cotto off just yet.

Sergio Martinez media conference call quick quotes

05/20/2014 DiBella Entertainment

NEW YORK, NY / MIAMI FL (5/20/14) – World Boxing Council (WBC)/The Ring middleweight champion and Argentina’s favorite son, SERGIO “Maravilla” MARTÍNEZ, along with promoter Lou DiBella, held an international media conference all earlier today in anticipation of his upcoming world title defense and the most eagerly anticipated boxing event of 2014 against three-division world champion and the Pride of Puerto Rico, MIGUEL COTTO.

Below are a few quick notes from the call. A complete transcript to follow.

SERGIO MARTINEZ: My knee is feeling great and I have been running in the mornings. I haven’t felt this good in a very long time.

Boxnation to show Martinez vs Cotto live

05/16/201405/16/2014 BoxNation

LONDON (May 16) – This summer’s eagerly anticipated showdown between superstars Sergio Martinez and Miguel Cotto will be shown live and exclusive on BoxNation.

‘The Channel of Champions’ has once again proved its punching power by landing the mega middleweight world title clash on June 7th at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York.

This follows an incredible 2014 which has seen the world’s best boxing channel air a host of leading matchups including Floyd Mayweather’s toe-to-toe superfight with Marcos Maidana, plus Manny Pacquiao’s sensational ring return against Tim Bradley.

The addition of Martinez’s defence of his WBC middleweight crown against a rejuvenated Cotto, to the BoxNation calendar, offers fight fans the chance to see two of boxing’s biggest names go at it in a genuine 50-50 fight.

Sergio Martinez Miami Media Day Quotes

05/13/201405/13/2014 HBO Boxing

NEW YORK, NY / MIAMI FL (5/13/14) – World Boxing Council (WBC)/The Ring middleweight champion and Argentina’s favorite son, SERGIO “Maravilla” MARTÍNEZ, opened up his Miami training camp yesterday and held an intense, two plus hour open media workout before a throng of media ahead of his upcoming world title defense and the most eagerly anticipated boxing event of 2014 against three-division world champion and the Pride of Puerto Rico, MIGUEL COTTO.

SERGIO MARTINEZ:

“This training camp has been tremendously efficient. Everything has exceeded all of my expectations.

Will Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez Decide Canelo’s Next Rival?

03/10/2014 Vitali Shaposhnikov

This past Saturday night, Alfredo Angulo (22-4-0) stepped inside the ring with the hope of proving to boxing fans as well as himself, that he is ready to face and beat top competition, eager to confirm that by defeating Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (43-1-1). The outcome was something that most boxing fans did not see coming: an absolute physical as well as psychological domination of Angulo by Canelo.

Not only was Alvarez able to land solid combinations all night long, he got nothing in return from Alfredo, who seemed to struggle to deliver anything of value from bell to bell.

Martinez-Cotto official for June 7th – Cotto goes for history!

02/21/201402/20/2014 James Slater

While we fight fans must sit and endure Floyd Mayweather’s silly games of not doing the right thing and announcing who he will fight next, another great fight was today announced as official: middleweight king Sergio Martinez will, as has been expected for some time, face former 140-pound, 147-pound and 154-pound ruler Miguel Cotto.

The fight will take place at a 159-pound catch-weight, just a pound below the middleweight limit, and will take place at Madison Square Garden during the weekend of the annual Puerto Rican Day parade. So, Cotto can expect a ton of fan support and fight fans can expect a potentially explosive fight that will go out on HBO pay-per-view, but can Cotto realise his dream of making history and become the first Puerto Rican fighter to win world titles at four different weights?

Cotto-Martinez a done deal for June 7th!

02/20/2014 Jeff Sorby

It's official @RealMiguelCotto will face @MaravillaBox June 7 @TheGarden. #CottoMartinez

— Sergio Martínez (@maravillabox) February 20, 2014

It’s finally a done deal; WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KO’s) will be defending his title against 33-year-old former three division world champion Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KO’s) on June 7th at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Cotto vs. Martinez is projected by some to be the biggest fight of 2014. I’m not sure that it’ll be the biggest fight of the year, but it’ll definitely be a top five fight as long as they put a decent undercard with it. I’m not holding my breath at that happening.