ZARATE, Argentina — The return of Sergio Martinez to the ring is far from being agreed upon even within his team. But according to his advisor Sampson Lewkowicz, there is at least one date to look forward to: September 16th.
“Sergio has an appointment on September 16th where he will be making a decision about his future” as a professional prizefighter, said Lewkowicz during a press conference in Argentina, destined to promote two fights under his own Sampson Promotions banner.
On that date, Martinez is scheduled to meet with Dr. Allen Answorth, a leading knee and elbow surgeon, to get a “second opinion” on the battery of tests being taken by Martinez.
Depending on the conclusions drawn by Dr. Answorth from those tests and exams, Martinez will likely make a decision to either return to boxing or retire, even though his desire is to continue boxing.
“He is feeling well, but feeling well is one thing and being ready to fight is a different one,” said Lewkowicz, who indicated that Martinez is currently in Spain, resting and pondering his options after losing his undisputed middleweight title in dramatic fashion on June 7th against Miguel Cotto at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“He is at peace. But he is very depressed because he wants to come back and be his old self, added Lewkowicz. “After the fight, he felt very bad. As always, I was in the hospital with him after the fight, and he felt terrible because he felt it wasn’t him who fought (Cotto) on that night, but rather his shadow. But anyone can have an off night, and we hope he’ll have a chance to vindicate himself.”
If Martinez is cleared to fight, he will be seeking to face a top 10 fighter first and then “he will attempt to regain the WBC middleweight title from whoever holds it at that time,” said Lewkowicz.
“He is not thinking about a ‘farewell fight.’ He wants to come back and regain his title, and then retire in all his glory,” concluded Lewkowicz. “Nobody is talking about opponents or fight dates or anything else other than Sergio’s health.”
The official website of Dr. Allen Answorth lists him as an associate orthopedic surgeon at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery, specializing in shoulder, knee, and elbow surgery, and as one of the physicians for the New York Knicks basketball team. He has also worked for the New York Mets, and has served as medical director to the NBA Players Association. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters on shoulder, knee, and elbow problems.
Cusolito-Silva and Saucedo-Barthelemy announced
Lewkowicz also announced a couple of interesting matchups for Argentine boxers under his promotional banner in the next few months.
On October 4th, Emanuel Cusolito (19-1, 17 KO) will be defending his regional title in his hometown of Zarate against Diego Silva (29-3-4, 15 KO), in a long-awaited test for the promising Cusolito, in association with promoters JEB Boxing and Tello Boxing.
Also, Argentina’s Fernando Saucedo (52-5-3, 8 KO) was officially announced as the challenger for the next defense of Cuba’s Rances Barthelemy (20-0, 12 KO), the current unbeaten IBF 130 lb titleholder, tentatively scheduled for September 27th in a venue to be determined in the United States.
