WBO strips Martinez of title -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez was feted in a ceremony at the WBO's Puerto Rican headquarters on May 11, when he was presented with his new title belt. Those good feelings did not last long.

Martinez, who took apart Kelly Pavlik to win a unanimous decision and the lineal championship on April 17, has been stripped of his WBO version of the 160-pound title.

In a letter Saturday to Martinez and his handlers, WBO president Francisco "Paco" Valcárcel informed him of the sanctioning organization's decision.

"I learned a while ago that these organizations don't give you a belt," Martinez said. "They loan it to you. When they elect to take it back, they take it back. I thank them for the opportunity to win it and to hold it, but there is nothing I can do about it if they want to take it back. They can match whoever they want below me [for the vacant belt], but in my view, that winner can't truly call himself a champion."

Lou DiBella, Martinez's outspoken promoter, wasn't as diplomatic as his fighter about the decision.

"My attitude is f--- 'em. F--- 'em. He is the people's champion at 160 pounds," DiBella said. "He is the lineal and only legitimate champion."

Martinez still holds the Ring magazine middleweight title and WBC belt at middleweight, as well as the WBC's version of the 154-pound junior middleweight title. He has not yet determined in which weight class he will fight.

However, the WBO said it would no longer wait for him to decide and cited its rule governing the situation: "A WBO champion who wins a non-WBO championship in a weight class that is different than the weight class in which he holds his WBO championship must decide within 10 days of the non-WBO championship which title in which weight class he will retain. No WBO champion may hold a non-WBO championship in a weight class that is different from the weight class of his WBO championship."

"We have so many bad decisions in the ring and now we have another bad one outside the ring," said Sampson Lewkowicz, Martinez's adviser. "I understand they have bylaws, but there must be an exception for an exceptional champion like Sergio 'Maravilla' Martinez."

The rule in section 15 of the WBO's bylaws is one for which there has typically been an exception made when a fighter asks for one in order to allow more time to decide which title he will keep.

"What's troubling is that they have a rule that gives them the right to make an exception, but here, for whatever reason, they elected to strip Sergio even though there is no contender who has been sitting there waiting and waiting for his chance," DiBella said. "A lot of the guys in their top 10 aren't even available to fight for the title. I don't know what their rush was.

"Look at their ratings and try to rationalize their behavior. All you can do is conclude that this is another ratings organization who doesn't give a s--- about boxing and shoots itself in the foot."

Lewkowicz said the WBC has not forced the issue yet. He added that Martinez's decision about which weight class title to keep will depend on his next opponent and HBO, which has backed Martinez's recent fights, although the network has not made his next fight a priority.

Martinez (45-2-2, 24 KOs), who is from Argentina and lives in California, has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the event that he does not fight Manny Pacquiao.

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

If Mayweather-Pacquiao Doesn't Happen Next, A Fight With Middleweight Champ Sergio Martinez Would Be A Brave Move For "Money" -- Eastside Boxing

By James Slater, Eastside Boxing

"It's possible," Floyd "Money" Mayweather said at the Shane Mosley post-fight press conference when asked if he would fight middleweight king Sergio Martinez.

"Absolutely I would fight [Kelly] Pavlik first, and then, Mayweather second," Martinez said to FanHouse this week..

The fight we all want to see remains the same as it has been for the last year or so now; Mayweather-Pacquiao. However, if the fight that couldn't be made in March of this year once again succumbs to severe problems in getting itself signed, the two men will have to go, once again, in separate directions (at least until late this year or early next, when maybe, just maybe, they will have reached a compromise). And Mayweather stepping into the direct path of 35-year-old middleweight champion of the world Sergio Gabriel Martinez sure would force fans to sit up and take notice - maybe even forget all about Manny Pacquiao; for a while at least.

Martinez, who must first honour his commitment to give Kelly Pavlik a rematch (as stipulated in the contract that was signed before the fight that saw the tough Argentine take "The Ghost's" title in a great battle), but after that he is free to fight who he wants - and the southpaw has made it clear he'd fancy some "Money."

Floyd received much credit for "stepping out of his comfort zone" and accepting a fight with the dangerous and physically strong Shane Mosley, and he would receive an absolute ton of credit if he took a fight with Martinez - either at 154-pounds in a non-title affair (Floyd has won enough belts already, and as he said, any new titles would only "gather dust") or, even more so, up at a full 160-pounds. But as calculating and as smart as he remains despite having shown some serious cojones both in accepting to fight and then in the actual fighting of "Sugar," Mayweather would perhaps see a fight with even as small a middleweight as Martinez as too big a risk.

Also, though Martinez may be more of a 154-pounder than a fully-fledged middleweight (although as he showed against Pavlik, Martinez is more than capable of cutting it at 160), he is also a southpaw. Would the 33-year-old great want to get it on with a lefty? There really would be a lot for Mayweather to think about with regards to the taking or the not taking of this fight. The hitting power of Martinez, for a big example. Would Mayweather, if he were cracked by Martinez the way Shane Mosley cracked him, be able to survive? Of course, it's more than possible that "Money" would bulk up to around 155 or so, and put on yet another master class - one that would leave Martinez looking and feeling foolish. After all, it's unlikely Mayweather would lose too much, if any speed up at 155.

There is a lot for both men to like about this fight. Martinez would likely get the biggest payday of his whole career, and Mayweather would get the chance to make even more history ( at the very least, even if the middleweight title were not on the line, a win would earn Floyd some serious respect). Sure, we still want to see Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao a lot more than we do Mayweather Vs. Martinez, but, as was the case last Saturday, we would get a damn fine consolation prize if Mayweather took this big risk of a fight in the meantime.

And what would Manny Pacquiao think about it?

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Floyd Mayweather may snub Pacquiao to fight Martinez -- BBC Sport

BBC Sport

Floyd Mayweather has said he could be tempted to step up to light-middleweight to fight Sergio Martinez instead of taking on Manny Pacquiao.

A proposed fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao scheduled for 13 March fell through, since when both fighters have added further wins to their records.

And after beating Shane Mosley on Saturday, Mayweather said fighting Martinez could now be an option.

"I thought about it. Right now, I don't know what I'm going to do," he said.

Martinez's manager, Lou DiBella, told the BBC he doubted that a super-fight between American Mayweather and Filipino Pacquiao would occur, with the boxers unable to agree on the drug-testing programme or financial split.

DiBella argued that it made more sense for Mayweather to fight Martinez, who recently defeated Kelly Pavlik for the WBC and WBO middleweight titles but is a career light-middleweight.

However, Mayweather, who is now unbeaten in 41 fights, said that a fight with Pacquiao could still occur if an agreement could be met on random drug-testing.

After the fight with Mosley, Mayweather said: "If Manny takes the [blood] test, we can make the fight happen."

Pacquiao is preoccupied with a different fight altogether - he is campaigning to be elected to the senate in his homeland of the Philippines.

The election is on 10 May and the 31-year-old is unlikely to make any announcement about his fighting future before that contest is over.

Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said: "I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. What I'm concerned about right now is Manny winning the election. If the fight doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. We're not going to be dictated to."

One option for Pacquiao would be a fight with WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto, who pulled out of a fight with Mosley in January after the earthquake which devastated his parents' homeland of Haiti.

Berto, a big puncher, stopped Carlos Quintana last month to retain his title, and he relishes a fight with Pacquiao.

Berto said recently: "He lacks defence. He's easy to hit, but he sets a pace that's a little too much for his opponents and he's incredibly strong, also, so he always tends to outwork and outpunch his opponents."

The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is the one the fans want to see and could be the most lucrative fight in history, with each fighter potentially picking up purses of $25m.

But DiBella said: "If both fighters are demanding 50% of each other then it makes more sense for both of them to take a fight with someone where you can get 80 or 85%.

"Mayweather-Pacquiao is clearly the most enormous fight out there but it wouldn't surprise me if they don't go in another direction."

DiBella said he anticipated Arum would seek to put Pacquiao in with another Arum-promoted fighter, either Antonio Margarito or Yuri Foreman, assuming they win their upcoming fights.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk