Martinez, Chavez trade insults before title fight

They're usually mild-mannered and respectful. But it's clearly evident that Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. do not care for each other.

The two fighters, who will meet for Chavez's WBC middleweight title Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center, spent Wednesday ripping each other at Wynn Las Vegas. Their managers joined in the fun, which made for an entertaining scene in an attempt to lure fans into buying the HBO Pay Per View (the fight is sold out).

"I will cut him up very slowly," Martinez said through an interpreter. "One thing is I'm very patient.

"I hope someone will feel sorry for him and stop the fight because I will not stop."

Chavez (46-0-2, 32 knockouts) said when guys such as Martinez talk that much trash, it can only mean one thing.

"He's scared," Chavez said through his interpreter. "He says a lot of things that aren't true. He's jealous of my stature."

Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KOs) grew up poor in Argentina, and he continues to point out that Chavez came from affluence because of the success his father had in the ring.

"He never had to work for anything," Martinez said. "He had everything growing up.

"When I go into the ring, there's no social issues. You're not rich or poor."

Chavez said if Martinez's goal is to distract him, it won't work.

"I'm never going to lose my focus," he said. "I'm plenty motivated. But I do want to shut his big mouth."

Martinez remains a 2-1 betting favorite at the Wynn Race and Sports Book, but Chavez will be making more money. He's to receive a base purse of $3 million, while Martinez's purse is $1.4 million.

Martinez knew he had to take less money to get the fight and the chance to win back the belt he was stripped of in 2011 after refusing to fight Sebastian Zbik.

"It's not about the money; it's about being the best fighter," Martinez said.

Lou DiBella, who promotes Martinez, said if Chavez wasn't who he was, this fight wouldn't be taking place.

"Chavez doesn't get this fight if he's not Chavez, and he doesn't get the belt if he's not Chavez," DiBella said. "All fighters care about the belts. That's what they work for. If Sergio wins Saturday, he's bigger than the belt."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.