Sergio Martinez knows that he will have a long night in his upcoming showdown with Miguel Cotto, but the Argentinian champion is confident about his chances on June 7th at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
In an interview with BoxingScene, Martinez admitted that his upcoming showdown with Cotto might turn out to be one of the toughest fights of his career, but the reigning WBC middleweight champion said that it motivates him to train harder than he is used to.
"I am facing one of the best boxers out of Puerto Rico. He is one of the best in the history of Puerto Rico and held titles in three different weight divisions. Fighting Cotto motivates me to train," Martinez said.
The 39-year-old Buenos Aires native feels that he'll be more physically ready than Cotto, saying that he is more accustomed to facing bigger and stronger opponents compared to Cotto.
"I think I'll have the physical advantages in my favor, because I have become accustomed to fighting with opponents who are bigger and stronger than me," Martinez said.
Boxing analysts are convinced that the Cotto vs Martinez fight will be a tough one to call, but most of them are pointing out that Martinez's health could be a factor heading into fight night.
Martinez will be fighting for the first time since scoring a close unanimous decision win over Martin Murray in April last year in a fight wherein he was floored in the eighth round of the match.
Martinez sustained a serious left knee injury during the bout and underwent surgery. Experts are expressing concern on how Martinez's knee will hold up, but the veteran Argentinian said that training hard will put him in a better position to overcome possible setbacks.
"My knee has suffered several injuries [over the years] that cause me pain. I am constantly with a bag of ice, I do massages and I use creams. I have not run in a year. The pain is just from walking. But I have to keep training hard because I do not want to lose. Everyone knows in Argentina that I'm going to give everything I have in order to win," Martinez said.
Martinez will put his WBC middleweight title on the line against Cotto, who is looking to become the first Puerto Rican to win titles in four different weight divisions.
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