Petra Kirsch – Gelsenkirchen
Rising pound-for-pound star Sergio Martinez would pose few threats to headhunting Canadian middleweight contender David Lemieux, according to Lemieux, who believes he would be able to cut the ring off and force the Argentine, who is the current incumbent of the WBC’s Diamond belt, into a brawl.
Lemieux would make Maravila fight in a phone box
Martinez (47-2-2, 26ko) is referred to as a late blooming athlete, however, the claim is a misnomer for ‘Maravila’ has long possessed the ability yet has only recently received the deserved acclaim.
The current king of the 160lb weight class, with his movie star looks, cemented his name within the international boxing scene with a strong stoppage over Alex Bunema to win the interim light middleweight strap in 2008.
Impressive performances against Kermit Cintron, Paul Williams, Kelly Pavlik and Sergiy Dzinziruk followed and now Martinez is the man being pursued by all the contenders at middleweight.
Lemieux (25-0-0, 24ko), a 22-year-old, believes he is the fighter capable of ruining Martinez’s current run. He told Boxing Scene: “I believe that I would break Martinez down and then I would look for an opportunity for a knockout.”
Martinez has an awkward style. He is able to land a number of punches because he shoots from his hip, however, this means that he has a low guard as his hands are often by his waist. His main form of defence is foot speed and head movement. Lemieux has identified this as a weakness in his boxing style.
“He does get him and he’s open for some of my shots. He’s a very good fighter but I think and believe that I would be able to break him down and then finish him off.
“I would cut off the ring and make Martinez fight in a phone booth. I’ve been trained very well and I know how to move; I’m a very good, aggressive fighter. I cut off the ring well and I cut down fighters.
“I would be able to do that against Sergio Martinez. That would be no problem for me.”
Lemieux boxes Marco Antonio Rubio on Friday evening in a WBC Middleweight title eliminator, meaning the winner could be an eventual opponent for Martinez, who is currently the WBC’s ‘Champion Emeritus’.
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