It appears Lou DiBella, Sergio Martinez’s promoter, has made it clear that his fighter, middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, will not be facing Manny Pacquiao—mainly due to size differences. Martinez and DiBella refuse to agree to a 147 lb contract weight, which would be required to face Pacquiao. On the other side, Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao’s promoter, will not allow his star fighter to face the much bigger Martinez at 154 lbs (light middleweight). Asking Pacquiao to consistently face larger opponents, Arum believes, would be pushing the limits too far.
Martinez has openly stated that he will not fight at 147 lbs because he understands Pacquiao is too small for him. DiBella has also argued that the fight is not only unfair due to Martinez’s size advantage, but also because of what he sees as Martinez’s superior skills. While the size difference is undeniable, it’s highly debatable whether Martinez actually has better boxing skills than Pacquiao. In fact, if both men were the same size, Pacquiao would likely dominate Martinez easily. Martinez often punches off balance. His impressive knockout of Paul Williams, for example, came largely because of Williams’ careless defense: Williams had his right arm down at his side, leaving his chin exposed as he threw a looping left. He walked straight into Martinez’s full-power left hand.
Looking back at Martinez’s fight with Kelly Pavlik, Martinez’s hand and foot speed were clearly superior to Pavlik’s flat-footed style. However, Pavlik was still able to land hard shots throughout the fight, even knocking Martinez down. That knockdown came not from Pavlik’s power, but from Martinez being off balance while throwing a punch. Pavlik caught him at the right moment, causing him to lose his footing.
For much of the fight, Pavlik was landing consistently and with more power. Still, in the final three rounds, Martinez’s stamina, speed, and precision took over. By the ninth round, Martinez used his quick hands to open a cut on Pavlik, and the heavy bleeding left Pavlik unable to recover. Even so, throughout that fight—and others—it was clear that Martinez frequently throws punches off balance. This flaw robs him of power and leaves him vulnerable. Against Pacquiao, this tendency would be disastrous. Pacquiao thrives on balanced punching, quick combinations, and superior positioning. With his strong legs and ability to deliver power while maintaining balance, Pacquiao would likely exploit Martinez’s weaknesses.
Defensively, Martinez’s main tactic is to circle the ring and rely on movement. Pacquiao’s defense, while not perfect—he can be hit with jabs and uppercuts—is still stronger in exchanges. Martinez, on the other hand, often drops his hands to his sides, which would be a fatal mistake against someone with Pacquiao’s speed and accuracy. Pavlik was able to take advantage of this at times, but Pacquiao’s lightning-fast hands would punish Martinez far more severely.
If Martinez and Pacquiao were the same size, Pacquiao’s superior skills, footwork, and punching balance would almost certainly overwhelm Martinez. But size matters—and Martinez is simply too big of an obstacle. At light middleweight, Martinez would pose a serious threat. Pacquiao could land and score, but Martinez’s size and power might eventually wear him down. On the other hand, if Martinez attempted to drain himself down to welterweight, his stamina and power would likely be severely compromised.
Another factor is weight rehydration. If Martinez rehydrates up to 170 lbs after the weigh-in, it could actually slow him down, giving Pacquiao the advantage. Excessive rehydration weight—like a 23 lb gain—dramatically affects speed and movement. At 154 lbs, however, such rehydration is less extreme and less harmful to performance.
Ultimately, balance is the key difference between the two. Martinez frequently loses his footing and throws off balance, which opens him up to counters. Pacquiao, on the other hand, fights with stability, speed, and precision. If size were equal, Pacquiao would clearly be the superior fighter.
