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Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. 2: Anatomy of a Blockbuster... by
Martin Wade
See this picture? The scripted response to seeing someone look like this
should be.. "but you should see the other guy," unless the other guy is
Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez. Only in Boxing can this be spun into a
reason to put this child in the ring with that man again, but then again
only in Boxing can a guy who looks like this almost knock out the
man who was destroying him. Boxing has long since become an event sport
and nobody can sell rematches to you like the best promoters and the
fighters with the fan bases to demand them -no matter the reality.
Rematches are often created with the financial ice water blood of Bernie
Madoff and the audacity of a television evangelist -it takes balls to
try to sell you a pre-determined fight again based on a 12th round
knockdown. But then that's why Bob Arum is who he is and you are who you
are, what separates you is a Harvard Law Degree and a set of big ones.
And yet, if anyone is interested, occurrences like this do have a body,
an anatomy that allows them to grow and fester in the coming months.
Let's take a look at all the elements needed to pull off a heist like
this and the reasons why you'll end up buying into the Chavez vs.
Martinez rematch.
The Name Will Suggest you were robbed of a great outcome...
Last week when Chavez Jr. rocked Sergio with that big left hand I'd
already committed myself to dozing off and checking out Jay Pharaoh's
"Obama" impersonation with breakfast. I'm of a "certain age," so when
Martinez went down I jumped up and screamed OMFG!! and right then I
could recall who was in the room with me when his old man caught up to
Meldrick Taylor back in 1990 -let's see it was Coolwood, uhm, Pooky an
nem, well, you get the picture. The name "Chavez" is important, because
those of us who saw it probably described it as closer than it actually
was -so when the people we "told" see the commercial (in 2013) they will
recall an exaggerated water cooler story. "Coronation Delayed" or "The
Son Rises Again," or some kind of crappy title generated to connect
round 12 to the father's legacy, which I am sure you explained to
everyone you told the next day - I know I did. Just know there will be
no clips of Martinez dropping his hands, standing in front of the kid
and whipping his ass with HBO quality commentary.
There's absolutely nothing for Martinez to do, and had he kept kicking
the kid's ass like he was, he wouldn't be in the charmed position he's
in today. We won't demand Mayweather face him (although he just beat a
Cruiserweight) nor will we demand he challenges Andre Ward. Sergio
Martinez is like that sneaky hot chick you can't believe is available
and comes with no crazy ex who can't believe she's gone. Sergio is
accommodating because he's a DiBella fighter; all Bob Arum has to do is
treat him right, throw a little more retirement money his way and
Martine z
won't make it hard. There's a monster in the Middleweight Division
but with "Maravilla" Martinez nearing 38 years of age and Chavez Jr.
being up in the air after this beating, the Golovkin "reign" (and it
will be a reign) is looking like it won't include either man. Martinez
is already doing his part by talking about "next time" and there's
nobody that will call him out for wanting to ruin this kid once and for
all. He said he'd retire Chavez Jr. and ended the fight having to answer
questions about whether he could have went another round. That has to
hurt the Argentinean's pride; the spoiled, undeserving brat pissing on
his masterpiece.
That's how they sell these things, themes are storylines that take a
mismatch into a different stratosphere whereby good fights with no
themes end up on B.A.D. Revenge, the idea that Chavez Jr. "stole" the
show will be played up. The son who should have listened to his father's
lessons who told him to move his hands much earlier -expect more Chavez
Sr. interviews. Martinez will stew on the idea that Chavez Jr. "gave"
him rounds and would have KO'd him, when the truth is he "took" them
from an inferior fighter. The apprenticeship theme will be played up;
Chavez Jr. learned from an experienced "master" and is now ready to take
over.
The "what if" theme regarding Chavez's unique training habits... He may
have been defiant post-fight but trust me somebody is landing under that
bus and there will be new conditioning staff in place to sell this
thing. Chavez Jr. has to know now that the
next conditioning level is
required simply to keep from getting killed at the hands of Mr. Martine z,
so expect Alex Ariza to either be replaced or scape-goated.
The idea of reclaiming what is Mexico's to own, "doing this for my
people" you know all of that "love of country" stuff we eat up... Boxing
fans are romantics at heart, which is why Rocky still makes us misty,
now that we have that bruised and battered image of Chavez Jr. in our
minds we won't want to miss him try to transcend the "great" Martinez.
The next thing better than a back and forth war is a competitive ass
whipping. If you know the other guy is game and he is still coming for
bear like the late great Diego Corrales, you're in. Chavez Jr. joined
that Arturo Gatti club Saturday night and the fact that he was proven so
inept makes him that much more compelling. There were times in Saturday
night's bout when it seemed the kid was going to start rolling down hill
on the smaller man, but Martinez made it a point to put an exclamation
on every fistic sentence. To not quit, and give us what he gave us in
round 12 may have put the emphasis on another trip to the bank for both
men in 2013. For his part, Martinez only started to move late as an
attempt to sadistically drown Chavez, not as a modus operandi. He didn't
skirt away when Chavez pinned him down and started raking him, he stood
his ground and gave the people a look at what a Pound for Pound entrant
looks like up close. Mexican boxing fans are a loyal group, which is why
they continue to support the Marquez vs. Pacquiao series, but when you
don't come to fight they give it up. They want to see action and they
(for the good of all Boxing fans) use their considerable economic voice
to let you know you are appreciated even when you whip one of their
idols. They remind me of African-American crowds when it comes to the
Apollo Theater in Harlem: if you don't bring it they will let you know.
Action is the one ingredient that makes most rematches viable, this is
something even the unhittable Floyd Mayweather is starting to learn. If
we are entertained, we somehow conveniently find a way to forget just
how lopsided the first fight was. I have a feeling the most recent case
of amnesia will wear off the Day after 5 de mayo, 2013.
Two things keeping us from seeing the rematch: Injury and
stupidity
Chavez Jr. added to the growing suspicion that he may just be a screw up
boxing brat when he tested positive for marijuana after the fight. We
should have known... The no-shows, the druggie work out schedule, the
walking around on camera in pink "man-panties." The test result may hold
a one-year suspension for a kid who may well be 230 lbs. by September
2013. Martinez tore a ligament in his knee on the way to the canvas in
round 12 and may have injured his hand as well. He's still holding out
pipe dreams for Mayweather, who can't even get around to fighting a
southpaw who is much smaller so I doubt Sergio will have a problem
waiting for Julio Cesar Jr. But will we
be there when Chavez Jr. decides he may want to be a pro boxer? Who
knows? But if the 470,000 PPV buys of last weekend tell us anything, Bob
Arum is going to find out.
9/23/2012
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