"Nobody at 154 or 160 can beat Martinez at this moment. However, Sergei is a very dignified challenger...Like always, Martinez says he will train for this one and then focus on the next one. The only thing on his mind right now is March 12 in Connecticut. He's very devoted for this fight...the problem with middleweight is that there are not too many big names. You either have young guys with no recognition or fighters that are too old, like Winky Wright. It doesn't make any sense. Maybe if the English kid Macklin beats Winky, he'll be our next opponent, or maybe Andy Lee. At a time, we were waiting for Cotto to make a decision, but it appears Cotto has no plans to take any risks," stated Sampson Lewkowicz, world-renowned adviser of middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, as he talked about the upcoming clash with WBO jr. middleweight champion Sergei Dzinziruk, the future plans of Michael Katsidis, and much more.
MJ: How are things going for you and Sergio Martinez?
SL: We have a press conference coming up February 9 in New York for the fight against Sergei Dzinziruk, the undefeated WBO Jr. Middleweight champion. The fight will be televised on HBO.
MJ: How does Sergio feel about taking that particular fight?
SL: We're very confident. Nobody at 154 or 160 can beat Martinez at this moment. However, Sergei is a very dignified challenger.
MJ: Do we know who will be coming up in the future after this next fight?
SL: Like always, Martinez says he will train for this one and then focus on the next one. The only thing on his mind right now is March 12 in Connecticut. He's very devoted for this fight.
MJ: How did negotiations go for this fight?
SL: It's a done deal. There were absolutely no problems; we had a great process with Gary Shaw.
MJ: Right now, it is pretty much universally recognized that Sergio is one of the top three fighters in the world pound-for-pound. Do you think we'll ever get to see Sergio fight one of those other top guys, Mayweather or Pacquiao?
SL: I believe that he will fight Mayweather. I don't believe that Pacquiao will fight him; not because Pacquiao is afraid, but because of the weight difference. One thing is for sure, Sergio is not like the other fighters Pacquiao has been fighting. He will not compromise for Pacquiao at a catchweight for the fight. He would fight at 154. The other guys have killed themselves to make the weight and have lost the fight on the scale. It will not happen with Martinez; he will not sell himself to Pacquiao. He would be willing to fight Pacquiao at 154 for Manny's title, but Pacquiao will never fight Martinez. Sergio is too big for him.
MJ: How do you feel right now about the middleweight and junior middleweight landscape?
SL: Well, the problem with middleweight is that there are not too many big names. You either have young guys with no recognition or fighters that are too old, like Winky Wright. It doesn't make any sense. Maybe if the English kid Macklin beats Winky, he'll be our next opponent, or maybe Andy Lee. At a time, we were waiting for Cotto to make a decision, but it appears Cotto has no plans to take any risks.
MJ: I would love to see Canelo Alvarez or Chavez fight Sergio.
SL: That would be a long time to come; he's too young. That is the problem; they're either too young or too old.
MJ: How many more years will Sergio keep fighting?
SL: At first, he thought he would fight two or three more fights. Now it looks like it will be two or three more years, because there is nobody at his weight that can beat him. He's at the peak of his career. The youngsters can't even keep up with him.
MJ: Are there any other fights coming up for your fighters?
SL: Javier Fortuna will fight on the Martinez undercard in the opening bout of HBO International. We're waiting to sign the contract with his challenger. He'll fight for the youth WBC title. He's only 20 years old and has come out with an unbelievable knockout punch.
MJ: How is Michael Katsidis doing?
SL: We have an offer to fight Robert Guerrero on April 9. We're discussing the details with Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy. It would be on the pay-per-view undercard of Marquez-Morales.
MJ: That will be a great fight. Katisdis is fun to watch. I've always hoped that Katsidis would get to fight Ricky Hatton.
SL: If they say Ricky is ready to come back, we'll see. It would be a wonderful fight. With Hatton, he cannot fight bums. He will fight someone qualified. I believe we'd be ready for that and it would be a great fight.
MJ: Well, thank you for taking the time to speak with FightHype.com.
SL: It's an honor; any time. Thank you very much.