Miguel Cotto is facing perhaps the most difficult matchup of his career on June 7 when he steps in the ring with Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez, since he's never fought at middleweight before. While he searches for a historic fourth title in four divisions, Martinez is aiming for a knockout.
Maravilla rips Cotto, calls him "little girl."
"I know I can't be wrong about how I approach this fight, so I'm focused heavily on my strategy," Martinez said. "I'm convinced Cotto is a strong opponent, but I'm the champion and I'll defend my title with pride."
Martinez has shown vicious knockout potential in the past; the most dazzling display came against Paul Williams in November 2011, when he avenged an earlier loss by majority decision by cleaning his clock in Round 2.
This time Martinez said he'll be employing new techniques, owing to the unique challenge Cotto presents. "I'm gradually and thoroughly analyzing Miguel Cotto," Martinez said. "I must sit down with Pablo and Gabriel Sarmiento to finish the strategy for the fight. I have a smaller and lighter opponent than my previous ones. I must adapt correctly to knock Cotto out."
Martinez favorite over Cotto, Freddie Roach calls him a "soccer player"
While Cotto's been fairly tight-lipped throughout the promotion for the June showdown, Martinez has been extremely vocal. He has taunted Cotto by calling him a "little girl" for his demands during contract negotiations, and promised to knock him out by Round 9 as punishment for past slights.
"I not only have dislike for him," Martinez said, "Because of the disrespect I have received from him in all of the negotiations, I will beat the [heck] out of him, and before the ninth round, I will knock him out."
Martinez continued, "It's like Chavez in Venezuela, [Fidel] Castro or [Vladimir] Putin, there are people who like him and many others who dislike him. I think the majority of people for this fight will like Martinez and dislike Cotto. ... The way he treats people, the press ... I love to help people."
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