The word defeat does not exist. It is verboten -- at least within the entourage of Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez. The team surrounding the lineal middleweight champion keeps him focused on his goals and provides all the tools necessary for victory every time Martinez gets in the ring.
From the fighter's trainer to his promoter and his business partner, togetherness rules on Team Martinez. There's a shared commitment to winning and a unity that is almost palpable. Every member works exclusively for Martinez, and he works for them. The fighter trusts that each piece of the machinery will hum efficiently so that he can devote himself to his craft.
When my dressing room starts to fill up with people before a fight, Pablo Sarmiento shouts a few orders and I am left alone. And the same happens with everyone in my team. In the same way, when it comes to making a decision, Miguel de Pablos is my right hand -- and my left hand as well. It would be unfair to forget somebody. They are all professionals, because if they weren't, they wouldn't be around me. My victories belong to them, too, for all of what they do. Remember, I am not alone in this, and thanks to them I don't even think of defeat.
Sergio Martinez
Sergio Martinez left his native Argentina a decade ago. His story begins as so many others do: Facing a lack of opportunities in his own country, he decided to try his luck in Europe. And with an address scribbled on a piece of paper in his pocket and a half-empty suitcase, he hopped a plane to Madrid, where he would track down the man he sought at the address: Pablo Sarmiento. That is where Martinez's story took perhaps its most important turn, down a path that would see him become the World Boxing Council's emeritus champion and, eventually, land a fight with the organization's regular titleholder, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
He's a boxing promoter, writer, stand-up comedian, fashion model, spokesperson for women's rights and an anti-bullying advocate. What else? Oh yes, Martinez is also a fighter. And everything else he has achieved has its origins in what he has done with his gloves on.
One day, I told my mother Susana: 'Ma'am, I am bringing money to this house, so I have my right to choose, and I choose to become a boxer.'
-- SERGIO MARTINEZ
Born Feb. 21, 1975 in Quilmes, in the province of Buenos Aires, the 37-year-old champion holds a record of 49 victories with 28 KOs, 2 defeats and 2 draws. Martinez grabbed the WBC middleweight title when he defeated Kelly Pavlik on points in 12 rounds on April 17, 2010 in Atlantic City, N.J., and then became the emeritus champion of the WBC after abandoning his regular title. (Martinez also is recognized by Ring magazine as the linear champion.) He will try to recover the belt that also once belonged to compatriots Carlos Monzon, Hugo Pastor Corro and Jorge Fernando Castro on Saturday, when he will face Mexico's Chavez at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
But behind this great boxer, there is a man. Or, perhaps more appropriately, the other way around.
"One day, I told my mother Susana: 'Ma'am, I am bringing money to this house, so I have my right to choose, and I choose to become a boxer,' and that's how it was. I was playing soccer and I was doing well, but when my uncle Ruben Paniagua started training me, he said I had what it took to become a champion. But even today, I don't know if I chose boxing or if boxing chose me. How is it possible that I had decided to train with all my energy to then go over and hit another man until I took everything away from him, like a predator? But that was my destiny, as a gladiator, and I embraced it."
Marty Rosengarten for Ringsidephotos.com A knockout of Paul Williams transformed Martinez into an instant star in the U.S. and abroad.
In Argentina, people discovered him unexpectedly. He moved to Spain a decade ago, making his debut in Barcelona with a points victory over Alvaro Moreno in a six-round bout in April 2002. That began a title campaign that ended eight years later with the victory against Pavlik.
Even though his most important fights were televised in Argentina, he was practically unknown until a popular TV talk show host, Alejandro Fantino, interviewed Martinez on his show. The interview was scheduled to last 30 minutes, but the response from the audience was so overwhelming that the fighter and host would wind up talking for more than an hour. Martinez's personal story, eloquence and demeanor on camera captivated the audience, and the interview was the snowball that started what has become an avalanche of a career.
The image of the knockout he scored in the second round against Paul Williams on Nov. 20, 2010, in Atlantic City has been replayed infinitely. And when Martinez accepted an invitation to participate in Argentina's version of "Dancing With The Stars," one of Argentina's most successful TV shows, his stock went through the roof. What more could he possibly do? As it turns out, a lot. Saturday's fight with Chavez could turn Maravilla into one of the most popular fighters of his generation.
But for that, he will need a little bit of help.
Here, we take a look at the men and women who make up Team Martinez: an Argentine, two Americans, an Uruguayan, a Canadian, a Venezuelan and two Spaniards. A truly international team behind the man who is one of the three finest boxers on the planet today.
Pablo Sarmiento
Pablo Daniel Sarmiento, born in Las Varillas, Cordoba, is a fundamental piece of the Martinez machine, because his job is to train the fighter and conduct him through Martinez's fights.
Sarmiento, 41, finished his career as a fighter in 2010, leaving the ring with a record of 34-14-2 (16 KOs). He won the IBO junior welterweight title in 2001 after beating Billy Schwer by TKO in 11 rounds. In Argentina, Sarmiento fought virtually everyone in his weight class at 135 pounds. He is the brother of Gabriel Sarmiento, who is currently away from the team.
Pablo, known as "Bones" by most, says it was his brother who "put together the weight routine that explains [Sergio's] huge strength today." He says that it's hard to find a fighter who works as hard and with as much enthusiasm as Martinez, who has never asked how much money there is in a fight -- because what interests him more is glory.
"When he came to me and started training again in Spain, he was already like that," Sarmiento said. "He was an extraordinarily proud kid."
Martinez works out Monday through Saturday. "On Mondays, I get one extra hour of sleep -- that's why I get up at 4:30," he says with a smile.
"But he is also capable of climbing on a wooden plank and balancing himself on the sea for about 15 minutes, or he'll do abs until everyone is exhausted just from watching him," Sarmiento said. "He's a freak. Training a fighter like him is a huge pleasure, although there are times in which he doesn't seem to be human."
Naazim Richardson
Naazim Richardson, best known for his work with Shane Mosley, is the trainer who objected to Antonio Margarito's hand wraps before Sugar Shane's title fight in Los Angeles in January 2009. When Margarito's wraps were removed, an illegal knuckle pad coated with a plaster-like substance was discovered on each hand. Margarito's hands were re-wrapped, and after the fight -- Mosley knocked out Margarito -- both Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, had their licenses revoked in California.
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty ImagesNaazim Richardson, the man behind the career of great champions like Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins, among others, is now part of Team Martinez.
But Richardson also is a fine boxing tactician, up there with the best of them. And on Saturday, he will officially join Team Martinez, serving as a hand wrap inspector of sorts. A little bit of gamesmanship on the part of Martinez? Perhaps. But Richardson also could be a sounding board for Sarmiento and, because English is his native tongue, possibly serve as a spokesperson for Martinez's corner during any interactions with the referee or officials.
Born in Philadelphia, Richardson left home at the age of 14, served a few stints in jail, and then boxing rescued him. He is now a committed Muslim. He had a coronary injury that left half of his body paralyzed for a time. Richardson became Bernard Hopkins' coach when the fighter parted ways with his original trainer, Bouie Fisher. Richardson says he learned a lot from working with heavyweight and former cruiserweight champ Steve Cunningham, who favors intelligent boxing over brute force.
Richardson also trains his sons, Rock and Tiger Allen, his nephews Karl and Mike Dargan, as well as MMA star Badr Hari.
Many people call him "the boxing Yoda." With his gloomy eyes, salt-and-pepper beard and calm demeanor, Richardson brings seriousness, professionalism and character to Team Martinez.
Sampson Lewkowicz
[Martinez] is getting ready to test the pay-per-view waters, which he never faced, but he is still a star. And whatever happens, Martinez is already a huge star.
-- SAMPSON LEWKOWICZ
Sampson Lewkowicz is an Uruguayan who has been living in the United States for the past 40 years. Living in Las Vegas and with multiple connections in the world of boxing, he is now Sergio Martinez's adviser.
Always upbeat, always smiling, always talkative, Lewkowicz is the man responsible for bringing Manny Pacquiao from the Philippines to the United States. He was a fan of Dogomar Martinez (a legendary Uruguayan fighter in the 1950s) and Uruguay's popular soccer team, Nacional. Lewkowicz's first world champion was Argentina's Rodrigo Barrios.
AP Photo/Richard DrewSampson Lewkowicz is responsible for bringing Sergio Martinez from Spain to the U.S.
Today he has nearly two dozen fighters, including Martinez. "When he lost to Antonio Margarito, they gave him $900 after arriving in Buenos Aires," Lewkowicz said of Martinez, who fell to Margarito by TKO in February 2000. "With me, he has already reached a million in each fight."
Lewkowicz remembers having doubts about Pacquiao because Filipino fighters have rarely found great success away from home, often arriving in the United States a little too late in their careers. Finally, Lewkowicz had the fighter booked for a few fights in America, and the rest is history.
As for Martinez, Lewkowicz said: "He is getting ready to test the pay-per-view waters, which he never faced, but he is still a star. And whatever happens, Martinez is already a huge star."
Lou DiBella
Lou DiBella, born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and with Italian roots, is the head of DiBella Entertainment, Martinez's promoter. DiBella graduated from Harvard Law School, owns a minor-league baseball team in Virginia and was a powerful executive at HBO until he decided to part ways and follow his own path as a promoter. Talkative and flamboyant, he played himself in the last movie of the Rocky saga, "Rocky Balboa."
Craig Bennett/FightWireImages.comPromoter Lou DiBella, right, has enjoyed watching Sergio Martinez become one of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
He was part of Hopkins' team when "The Executioner" defeated Felix Trinidad in the final fight of the middleweight tournament organized by Don King at New York's Madison Square Garden in 2001. DiBella's biggest joy from that fight: Trinidad's victory was so certain that a trophy had already been engraved with his name, and the plaque had to be redone after Hopkins finished Tito in the 12th round.
DiBella, who also represents a number of current and former champions in Lucas Matthysse, Andre Berto and Gabriel Campillo, among others, has a no-nonsense approach that has benefitted Martinez since the fighter arrived in the U.S. The promoter remembers seeing Martinez in the ring for the first time. Lewkovicz, who believed he had a star in the fighter, sent tapes of Martinez in action to most American promoters.
"When I saw the tape, I knew Sergio was going to be a great fighter for us," DiBella said. "I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to sign him."
Miguel Angel De Pablos
"I've been friends with Sergio for so long that I cannot precisely indicate since when we are working together," said Spain's Miguel Angel de Pablos, who is Martínez's commercial partner and long-time friend.
"I had a small insurance firm. I met Sergio when he was starting out in Spain, and today, among other things, we are partners in a boxing promotion company, Maravilla Box Management. We are thinking about expanding little by little, because if there is something that characterizes us, it is that we have our feet on the ground and we don't have delusions of grandeur."
Although De Pablos, 37, lives in Madrid and Martinez lives in Oxnard, Calif., they are in touch nearly every day via Skype. "We also have a clothing line, which is our corporate image and which has to do with Maravilla Box and a star that Sergio adds to every one of his autographs," De Pablos said. "For now, it's in a test run. We make sweatshirts, polo shirts, T-shirts, and later we will see how to produce the demand to justify a greater production.
"Officially, Sergio has no sponsors, especially because, although he is a big star in the U.S., he is only known within boxing circles, and not in the mainstream. We know who we are and where we come from, but Sergio is not yet the massive star that he could be one day -- although his popularity is growing. The American market is not easy, we know, but Martinez continues to grow."
Raquel Cortazar
Dr. Raquel Bordons Cortazar has been defined by Martinez as "my savior. She performs magic. She is the best in Europe, and she gets requests from all over the world. She lives in Madrid, just like Miguel Angel."
Cortazar, 42, is a physical therapist specializing in osteopathy, with a project for a doctoral thesis in cranial and visceral osteopathy. She has a professional practice in Pinto-Madrid, Spain, where she has worked for the past 20 years after having worked at the IMSALUD (National Health System), along with her other job as a university professor in osteopathy.
AP Photo/Tim LarsenSergio Martinez has been working with Dr. Raquel Bordons Cortazar, who assists in the recovery process after fights.
"I met Sergio about a year ago at the Centro Bordons, where I conduct research on babies with visceral and cranial injuries, as well as working through osteopathy in different types of injuries," Cortazar said. "Since then, my professional relationship with Sergio has evolved to the point of joining him during the last few training camps and in the recovery process from his last few fights, performing specialized treatments for his articulations, visceral and cranial areas, in order to facilitate the adaptation of his body to the rigors of his athletic activities. For example, we performed some corrections in his articulations before and after his fight with Darren Barker."
A serious injury to Martinez's left elbow (remember, he's a southpaw) was discovered before last October's fight with Darren Barker: technically speaking, a neuritis in the median and a dislocation between the radius and the humerus, among other things. Cortazar was instrumental in the work performed on the elbow to help see Martinez through that difficult fight.
"To me, Sergio is a person of great physical qualities, which represents a challenge for me," Cortazar said. "I have to commend his capacity to recover after the treatments, which are very tough. And he writes very well, also. He is truly a remarkable person."
Ana Georgina Baeza
Ana Georgina Baeza, 27, who has been Martinez's secretary for the past year, coordinates training camps, among other duties. Born in El Centro, Calif., Baeza was working for the government in a welfare office before she met Pablo Sarmiento and eventually landed her current position with Team Martinez. She shares a house with Martinez and Sarmiento in Oxnard, and she's a big boxing fan who counts Oscar De La Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez among her idols.
"Obviously, I am not talking about the kid," said Baeza, referring to Chavez Jr. -- the son of the legend, and Martinez's foe on Saturday.
Peter Hapak for ESPN The MagazineSergio Martinez's team has also helped the fighter raise his profile outside the ring.
"I receive no less than five to 10 requests for interviews every day, and generally I don't consult with Sergio because I know his schedule," Baeza said. "I try to satisfy the requests of the media without interrupting their training schedule -- and much less in this stage, so close to the fight."
Baeza says the most interesting request yet came from ESPN The Magazine, which asked Martinez to model nude in front of the camera for its Body Issue.
"But I was not there when the pictures were taken," she said.
Martinez never rejects an interview, unless there is a schedule conflict. "Recently, they asked me to bring him to a TV show to explain his punching technique, and we had to say no because it would have taken too much time," she said. "Right now, all he can think about is his fight. This is what consumes his entire time, even when he sleeps."
Dr. Roger Anderson
Dr. Roger Anderson and his son Todd run a training and fitness center in Oxnard, where Martinez lives. Back in 1988, young prospects Fernando Vargas and Robert Garcia -- who is now the head trainer for Nonito Donaire and Marcos Maidana -- started training at a facility close to the offices of Dr. Anderson, a chiropractor. They consulted him after suffering pain, but their involvement with him didn't end there.
"I started to give them orientation in nutrition and general training, and finally they both became world champions," Anderson said. "That opened a lot of doors for me."
Now, at 64, Anderson has 40 years of experience that he's bringing to bear in the service of Martinez.
Nathan Lewkowicz
Nathan Lewkowicz, Sampson's son, is the press and sponsor coordinator. His job is not easy: Martinez has a great number of interview requests every day.