Sergio Martinez is the New Middleweight Champion!
Argentina’s Sergio Martinez is the new Middleweigh Champion after beating Kelly Pavlik by unanimous decision in a rousing 12-rounder. The scores were 115-111, 116-111, and 115-112. Pro Boxing Fans had it 115-112. The bout was really a tale of three fights.
The first 3-4 rounds were dominated by Martinez, whose speed and movement confounded a stale-looking Pavlik, who struggled to find answers. Pavlik was cut, missing wildly, and getting schooled by Martinez and his quickness.
Pavlik’s pressure became more effective around the 4th and 5th round. Pavlik timed him with a few rights and seemed to be getting his legs under him. By the 6th, Martinez’ effectiveness seemed to be fading gradually with each minute.
In the 7th, Pavlik caught Martinez with a right and put him down. He appeared to use his left hand to steady Martinez’ head in order to land the punch, and Martinez was off-balance. Nevertheless, it underscored the changing of momentum. By the 8th, Pavlik who was once lost appeared to be found, as he picked off Martinez’ punches and was even outboxing his foe. Pavlik was looking as complete as he ever has against a skilled opponent.
In the ninth, the fight turned suddenly and drastically as a sizzling left opened a gash over Pavlik’s right eye. Blood cascaded down Pavlik’s face as Martinez appeared to have wind blown into his sagging sails. He battered Pavlik around the ring. What a turnaround.
In the 10th through 12th rounds, the pattern Martinez set in the 9th continued. A few times, Pavlik looked like he had to be talked out of quitting by his corner, but to his credit he soldiered on, often with a mask of blood impeding his vision. Though he tried, Pavlik was unable to once again reverse the momentum, though he deserves credit for doing it once and making it to the final bell with a Henry Cooper-like amount of blood on his face.
With the win, Martinez punches his ticket into the upper-elite in boxing. He showed tremendous resolve to turn the fight around with the momentum so squarely against him. Great win for Martinez, and for Pavlik–it’s back to the drawing board.
The highly anticipated Kelly Pavlik vs. Sergio Martinez bout for Pavlik’s WBC and WBO Middleweight titles took place this Saturday evening and was televised as the headline bout on the HBO card for the evening. The fight represented Pavlik’s first real challenge at middleweight since he won the titles against Jermain Taylor (the rematch and the Hopkins fight were fought above 160 lbs). Martinez on the other hand was eager to finally validate his strong efforts against big fighters with a big win.
Thanks for checking in with ProBoxing-Fans.com for the Pavlik vs. Martinez results, a big day with two of the biggest names at and around 160 lbs competing against one another. Keep checking in for more of the latest boxing news, previews, results and all of the complete fight coverage you need, and stay tuned for an update to the middleweight division rankings later in the week.
