As Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez prepare to do battle at Madison Square Garden on June 7, a lot of focus is on how much Cotto has left in the tank after his many wars. Martinez, however, is the older fighter with severe injuries he's rebounding from.
Cotto calls Martinez a B Side during HBO Face Off
To his credit, "Maravilla" has worked very hard to overcome the hand and knee ailments that plagued him in a tough fight against Martin Murray in Argentina, and claims he'll be in tip-top shape vs. the Puerto Rican.
"My knees are feeling great. I have been running in the mornings on the treadmill," said Martinez. "It's been a great camp and I am feeling great and haven't felt this good in a long time. The recuperation was very painful. I was on crutches for nine months, and it is very hard to come back from that."
His torn meniscus was not the only problem that he has had to overcome to get ready for this major bout. "It is not easy to prepare for a fight when you have some of the ailments that I have when preparing for a world championship fight. I struggle with joint pains, knee pain and shoulder pain," Martinez said.
Cotto happy with not dropping as much weight
"Without my physical therapist, Dr. Raquel Bordons, I would not be able to train today and probably would've had to retire due to my injuries. Because I train six days a week for an average of eight hours a day, I am always in constant pain."
The injuries began in a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2012, in which he broke his hand, and tore multiple ligaments in his knee. Those maladies lingered into the Murray fight, which he said contributed to his less-than-stellar showing.
Those shouldn't serve as excuses for him on June 7 though if he steps in the ring and is beaten. "This is the road that I chose, and I enjoy the achievement of coming back from something like this," Martinez said defiantly. "Everything is going to be fine come fight time. Right now, I am just the same as when there were no knee problems. I have overcome all obstacles."
Martinez has also promised to knock Cotto out in under 10 rounds.
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