After witnessing the KO of the Year by Sergio Martinez, one would believe he is guaranteed to get a mega-fight. Well, maybe not so fast. After beating Kelly Pavlik and taking the Middleweight title, Martinez had a hard time getting another fight. After Pavlik turned down the option for an immediate rematch, many names were tossed around, but HBO only wanted to see Martinez fight a rematch with Paul Williams. Williams and his camp seemed very slow to sign on for the rematch. After HBO basically told both men to fight a rematch or don't fight again this year, the deal got done and the rematch took place this past weekend. After putting on a performance that was considered by many to be one of the best fights of 2009, people were expecting that same type of fight again in the rematch. Martinez, who felt like the decision last year was taken from him, decided to become his own judge, however, when he landed a clean, vicious left hook to the face of Paul Williams. The once self-proclaimed "most avoided fighter" went down face first with his eyes wide open, but no movement from his body. It was at that time Sergio Martinez proved he was a true boxing star and a force to be reckoned with. But who or what is next for Sergio?
The options for Sergio Martinez are not as plentiful as he would like. The first two names that come up whenever a huge fight is mentioned are Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Both would have to move up in weight to fight Martinez, who would be the naturally bigger and stronger man. Mayweather could claim a title in his 6th division if he won while Pacquiao could claim a title in his 9th division. The history is there for both fighters if they won, but is the risk of fighting Martinez too great for both men? Martinez is not going to be the easy picking, made-to-order fighter that both men have been accustomed to fighting in recent years. Martinez is not slow or against moving his head in order to not get hit like Ricky Hatton and Antonio Margarito. Martinez is in good condition and wouldn't be fighting in a weight division he doesn't belong in, like Juan Manuel Marquez and Oscar De La Hoya. Martinez is not weight drained and full of ring rust, like Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley. Martinez is the legit middleweight champion and he does not plan on just laying down for the sake of saying he lost to either Mayweather or Pacquiao. He is not coming just to get a payday. Sergio Martinez wants to show he is the best fighter in the world and I'm not sure Mayweather or Pacquiao really want to see him in the ring.
Martinez has even stated he would fight at super middleweight for the right deal, however, most of the best in that division are tied up with the Super Six World Boxing Classic Tournament, and Lucian Bute just signed a deal with HBO's rival network Showtime. Felix Sturm and Sebastian Slyvester, two of the other middleweight titlists, are not big draws in the United States and I doubt either would want to fight Martinez. Both are content holding their belts hostage in their country and making good money fighting mandatories and bums. The only middleweight titlist left is WBO middleweight titlist Dmitri Pirog, who KOd young prospect Danny Jacobs to claim the vacant WBO title in July. Pirog essentially came out of nowhere when he KOd Danny Jacobs, sending a shock through the middleweight division. A fight between Martinez and Pirog would be an action-packed fight, but it still wouldn't net Martinez the super payday he deserves. However, with a new year coming up and a fresh budget, HBO should be able to muster up a good payday for Sergio Martinez. It would be nice to see HBO give a Lou Dibella fighter not named Berto a great payday that he actually earned and deserves. Well, the pressure is on HBO because Martinez has done everything asked of him and more. Martinez fought the rematch HBO begged for against the reluctant Paul Williams and scored what will likely become the KO of the Year. Martinez supposedly took the shorter end of the money as well. Not to mention, he was placed in the opponent's corner during the fight and announced first, which is total disrespect to the champion. Even through all of the disrespect, Martinez remained humble and professional while getting the job done. Now he deserves to be treated like the champion he is. The only question that remains is what is next for Sergio Martinez?