With the announcement that he plans to return with another fight in his homeland, don't read this any other way; the writing is on the wall for Sergio's career. We are entering the end days,
How does Sergio want to check out of the sport? He led a nomadic career from Argentina, to the UK, to Spain before finally seeing his star rise in the US
Sergio will be 39 years old the next time he laces up his gloves. He's coming off of surgery, after coming off of surgery. His body is betraying him, and with a unique style that is based upon awesome reflexes, a dodgy knee is a death knell for Martinez' ability to compete at the top level.
The speculation has been that Sergio could end with one last megafight. He is contracted to neither Top Rank or Golden Boy, so has leeway in picking hiss opponent. Although he has built a career on HBO, if he were to jump ship to Showtime for a final farewell that would not be a massive surprise, nor one that many could begrudge him. Fighters primetime, moneymaking years can usually be counted on one hand.
A rematch with Chavez Jr? I don't think so. Martinez remains a small middleweight, whereas Chavez looks set to move up to 160lbs and be fed to Andre Ward at some point in the not too distinct future.
Floyd Mayweather? Martinez has claimed in the past he would drop weight for that fight, but at 39 years old, with all he's been through in the ring, will he be willing to drain himself for one last admittedly huge payday, on top of the surgeries he is trying to overcome? I doubt it, though I'm sure would like that fight more and more these days.
The most realistic option is Gennady Golovkin, who has hardcore boxing fans drooling with his shuddering power; even his jab looks like it hurts his opponents. Does 39 year old Sergio Martinez want to end his career being KO'd by the new top dog in the division? As merely a stepping stone in piling a few more passengers onto the Golovkin hype train? Probably not.
If he fights in Argentina again, don't expect much in terms of an opponent. Last time out, Martin Murray was chosen as the lamb to the slaughter, but he forgot to read the script and knocked down Martinez and arguably won the fight. Expect a much safe pick this time.
Presuming comes through that unscathed, I would see his career ending with a title fight, with the weakest challenger available. Darren Barker just won his first world title against Daniel Geale, and would be a tempting pick for Martinez and his promoter Lou DiBella if he can defend his belt.
Enjoy it while you can, as 2014 will be the last in Sergio's career.
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