Filed under: WBC, WBO, Boxing Video, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive, Top Rank Promotions
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos. Former southpaw WBC middleweight (160 pounds) king Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 knockouts) has been declared the WBC's Emeritus Champion. In addition, the WBC has elevated to the status of full champion, Germany's Sebastian Zbik (30-0, 10 KOs), whom it has mandated to face Mexico's junior middleweight (154 pounds) and middleweight contender, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KOs), in his first defense.
Named the FanHouse Fighter of the Year for 2010, Martinez's situation developed as a result of commencing with an HBO televised, March 12 bout opposite Ukranian-born southpaw WBO junior middleweight king Sergei Dzinziruk (37-0, 23 KOs) of Germany that will take place at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.
Martinez-Dzinziruk will be for the WBC's "Diamond Belt" and the right to face the winner of Zbik-Chavez, if that fight comes to fruition, for the full crown, yet again.
Martinez is coming off of a Nov. 20, second-round knockout of rival southpaw Paul Williams (39-2, 27 KOs) that avenged a disputed, December, majority decision loss during which both fighters were down in the first round.
Williams was rated No. 3 in most pound-for-pound lists behind six-time titlist Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) and eight-division champ Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), who is the current WBO welterweight (147 pounds) and WBC junior middleweight champion.
The win over Williams preceded Martinez's unanimous decision win that dethroned Top Rank Promotions' Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) as then-WBO and WBC king. Already the WBC's junior middleweight titlist, Martinez had given up that crown to move up in weight.
Pacquiao has a May 7 defense of his WBO belt opposite three-division, five-time champion, Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs).
What does Martinez think of Pacquiao? FanHouse caught up to Martinez recently while he was in trainign at The World Crown Sports Club in Oxnard, Calif.
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