Sergio Martinez did what was expected Saturday night, and retained his WBC middleweight title. What wasn’t expected was the difficulty he had in doing so, as he was sent to the canvas several times by the English fighter.
All three judges agreed, scoring the fight 115-112 in favor of the champion, who was fighting at home for the first time in over a decade. Overall, it was the 53rd victory in 5 fights for Martinez, and the first loss in 27 fights for Murray.
It was a huge event in Argentina, which turned out 40,000 people for the fight, which took place at a soccer stadium in Buenos Aires. While the fighters were offered the protection of a canopy, the fans had no such luck.
“Thanks Argentina. Thanks for following me. I love you a lot,”‘ Martinez told the fans from a ringside microphone.
Despite Murray dropping Martinez, it was likely that the judges went in the direction of Martinez because Murray was not very effective early. Murray came out very defensive, covering up frequently, until a big right hand late in the third finally caught Martinez.
Feeling a little more adventurous, Murray opened up in the fourth, starting to be more offensive, while still effectively covering up. In the sixth, he even started to taunt the champion ater he pinned him against the ropes.
In the seventh, Martinez began to make his own adjustments. Much less dancing, and more boxing seemed to be the plan.
In the eighth, the crowd fell silent as Murray used a nice combination to put Martinez on the canvas.
In the tenth, it was more of the same, as Martinez again tasted the floor. Martinez would go down again in the eleventh, but the referee ruled it a slip rather than a knockdown.
Sergio Martinez has been suffering from an injured right knee prior to the fight. With his age, it is worth speculating how many more fights he has left in him.
