Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez's pre-fight hype has begun as "Maravilla" shifts the attention to the demands of "Junito" referring to the famed boxer as a diva while he also said that he's going to win via ninth round stoppage.
The same happened during their appearance on HBO Face Off hosted by veteran analyst Max Kellerman.
The two fighters came face to face amidst the back and forth tirades between both camps. For the Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez pre-fight encounter, "Maravilla" had the bigger axe to grind, as he lambasted Miguel Cotto's pre-fight demands.
These demands reportedly include getting announced second and having top billing given that he is the champion. For "Maravilla," such demands are "hurting the history of boxing."
"In order to fight Miguel Cotto, I accept, I say yes," Martinez explained. "He has made demands that a diva would make. The red corner, coming last into the ring, being introduced last into the ring, and a lot of other things."
"If these aren't diva demands, then tell me what you'd call them," he added.
For the said Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez match controversy, "Junito" defended himself by saying that he had used the same arrangements when he fought bigger-named fighters such as Manny Pacquiao in 2009 and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2012.
"It's simple, there's an equation: side A, side B," Cotto answered. "How many times have you fought in the Garden? I've fought in the Garden nine times, all sell-outs. And I've been fighting on Pay-Per-View."
The Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez pre-fight heated war of words carried on, as both fighters continued to attack each other's personal accomplishments. But the more punctuating retorts came from "Maravilla," who predicted a ninth round stoppage.
"The fight won't go past the ninth round, and I'll win by a knockout," Martinez boldly stated.
The spotlight slightly shifted when both Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez asked for interviewer Max Kellerman's prediction for the Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez fight.
The veteran HBO analyst had a definitive, yet still very vague answer.
"I think he's correctly favored in the fight," said Kellerman, referring to Sergio Martinez. "But I think the fight, once upon a time, you would have been the favorite (referring to Miguel Cotto), then you would've been the big favorite (referring back to Martinez)."
"Now, it's a very interesting, competitive fight," he added.
