Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez heats up the Big Apple
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 13 Jul 2012
New York ? It was the middle of summer in New York City, and the presence of two of the best Middleweight boxers in the world did nothing to bring down the scorching ninety degree temperature in the city.
They even added up to the summer heat when they faced off against each other earlier today at the Edison Ballroom in Times Square. Both fighters and their team exchanged piercing glances and biting words against each other during the New York leg of their press tour aimed to promote their September 15th fight in Las Vegas.
?Finally, he (Chavez Jr.) said yes,? exclaimed Argentinean Sergio Martinez who has been calling out the son of legendary Mexican fighter, Julio Cesar Chavez for years.
Martinez went further by calling Chavez Jr. a ?chicken? and promised that he will be putting out the best performance of his career on September 15. Martinez was the former WBC and WBO middleweight champ and is on a two year winning streak dating back to April 2010 when he won both titles from then champ Kelly Pavlik.
The younger Chavez who now holds the WBC Middleweight crown responded by calling Martinez a ?ballerina.? He added that Martinez ?runs so much in the ring.? The ballerina reference may have also come from Martinez?s involvement with Argentina?s version of Dancing with the Stars? this year.
Chavez Jr. reiterated that he wanted this fight to prove to Martinez and the world that he is the best Middleweight there is. Martinez previously held the WBC belt before being stripped from him by the organization. The WBC then staked that belt when Chavez Jr. faced Sebastian Zbik of Germany last year which Chavez Jr. won.
Even Chavez Jr.?s legendary father, Julio Cesar Sr. joined in the fray. ?I don?t like Martinez?s style, he is a runner,? he said. He also chided Martinez for talking a lot of (expletive) against his son. ?His style stinks but it works for him,? added Chavez Sr. who is celebrating his 50th birthday today. He was presented with a birthday cake by Top Rank after he made his speech. The crowd then sung Happy Birthday to the Mexican legend.
The heated exchange of words also involved both fighters? trusted camp. Fernando Beltran who co-promotes Chavez Jr. called Martinez a ?clown? during the presser which drew the ire of Martinez?s advisor Sampson Lewkowich who had some choice words of his own against Beltran.
Martinez?s trainer Pablo Sarmiento and promoter Lou Di Bella expressed confidence that their fighter will come out victorious over his Mexican counterpart. ?We will shut his mouth.? Sarmiento exclaimed while Di Bella praised the fight saying that ?this is the best fight that you can make in the middleweight division, Period!?
Both fighters then posed for pictures after their speeches and the mandatory ?stare down? as cameras from the New York based media flashed in this famed venue in Midtown Manhattan.
The fight which will be held at the Thomas and Mack Center will be telecast live on pay per view by HBO. The two fighters will be featured in the network?s various programming leading to their fight, one of which is their HBO Face Off with host Max Kellerman which both fighters proceeded to film right after the press conference.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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