The insults won't stop pouring in from the Sergio Martinez camp leading up to his June 7 clash at Madison Square Garden with Miguel Cotto, a stoic ex-champion searching for his fourth title in as many weight classes. According to "Maravilla," years ago he was slighted by the Puerto Rican and insulted even further during negotiations.
Gennady Golovkin wants Cotto-Martinez winner?
"He acts like a little girl, like a 16-year-old girl," Martinez said. "If he doesn't get these things then the fight isn't going to happen. It's ridiculous. I just think that he does a lot of things that are ridiculous, not personally toward me, but he has a personality that bothers me."
Martinez is referring to Cotto's insistence on several minor things, including fighting out of the red corner and being introduced second, which are usually perks given to the champion. In this case Cotto enters the fight with more momentum, but Sergio is the WBC middleweight strapholder.
Maravilla predicts KO by Round 9?
That is on top of a previous showing of disrespect in a Mexican television studio, where he claims Cotto mistreated the staff and gave him the cold shoulder. "It bothered me because he is not better than everyone else," Martinez said. "I didn't like the way he behaved. I didn't like his demeanor. If it was just with me, I could understand it. I'm his rival. But it was the way he behaved with everybody."
Cotto has denied Martinez's accusations at every turn, in typical Cotto fashion. "No," he said. "[But] if that is his motivation, good for him." The big talk is coming from Martinez's promoter as well as Maravilla-- "When Cotto is sitting on his ass at the end of the fight, it's not going to matter who was on what side."
Cotto is moving into Martinez's realm, but he's well-known as a rather small middleweight. Martinez is also 39 years old and coming off major injuries. Cotto's trainer Freddie Roach believes he has the game plan to stunt Martinez's speed advantage.
"We will be focused on creating more muscle in Miguel," Roach said. "Sergio is a very talented fighter but I have the right plan to override his speed."
Can Cotto hold off the bigger Sergio? Tell us @SportsWN
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
