Martinez-Chavez delivers atmosphere ranking with just about any in sports

Wow, who needs Floyd and Manny?

It goes to show you that when the correct matchup is made, boxing still can deliver nights such as Saturday, when the Thomas & Mack Center hosted a championship bout whose atmosphere could have passed for a World Cup soccer match.

The biggest fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao might ever stage together is who gets to call 50 Cent his BFF come the holiday season, but that doesn't mean the sport can't continue discovering ways to be relevant.

This was such a time, energized by the passion and ear-splitting craziness of Argentine and Mexican fans.

They're all nuts.

Sergio Martinez is also every bit like the eighth-grade bully who taunts and toys and beats the snot out of someone on the playground before stealing the iPod from a backpack.

He instead snagged something worth far more to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Martinez dominated Chavez to the point where even the opinions of Nevada judges couldn't alter the outcome, although I'm sure Timothy Bradley was somewhere thinking the fight would be scored a split decision.

It was unanimous and beyond one-sided for most of 12 rounds, the WBC world middleweight title won by Martinez on scores of 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110. Chavez was the champion hoping a 47th win against no losses and a draw would finally allow him to escape the shadow of his legendary father.

Problem: You can't win a fight without throwing a punch. It took Chavez nearly eight rounds to grasp the concept.

Make that 46-1-1 and without a belt.

"The speed was the difference," said Freddie Roach, trainer of Chavez Jr. "I told Chavez to go and exchange with him every round. He couldn't catch him. I knew Martinez was a good fighter but didn't know how good until tonight. Chavez can do better. This was a good lesson. I asked him to let his hands go sooner. I told him before the 10th round that he better start fighting or I would stop it."

It might have been viewed as bad business to hold two championship fights within blocks of each other on the same night, but I have to believe no one from Top Rank or the sold-out gathering for Martinez-Chavez was complaining at evening's end. Down the street at what was reportedly a papered MGM Grand Garden, Canelo Alvarez retained his 154-pound title with a fifth-round knockout of Josesito Lopez. He knocked Lopez down in the second, third and fourth.

It was apparently more one-sided than Ricky Hatton's 61-year-old father assaulting the former champion outside a health and fitness center, which has to be an erroneous report given the younger Hatton's idea of fitness is downing the most pints of Guinness than anyone else in the pub on a given night.

But if Alvarez-Lopez was more a blowout than even expected, Martinez-Chavez saved the night locally.

Not for its drama. There was little.

For the emotion of those standing throughout. For the flurry of punches over the last three rounds. It was electric.

"He was tougher than I expected," Martinez said. "He showed great heart. It's great for boxing that I'm a champion because I'm willing to fight anyone. It was tough for Julio to have his first loss. We're two professionals. If he wants a rematch and the public wants a rematch, we'll do a rematch."

Please. Do it.

I have always ranked my favorite Argentine athletes this way:

1. Manu Ginobili.

2. Lionel Messi.

3. Zaira Nara. The model and actress qualifies because she dates a soccer player. Trust me. Google her. She qualifies in all the best ways.

But the list might change now. Martinez was terrific to watch, confident and charismatic and so impressive early in the fight and then to hold on when wobbling in the 12th.

This was as good a fight over the last half as you could hope given the wide margin on the scorecards.

"I was 20 seconds from knocking him out," Chavez Jr. said. "I started too late. I started in the eighth round. I wanted to fight like that the whole fight, but it didn't work out that way."

No matter. It was enough to make the night a success.

No Floyd in the ring. No Manny. No BFF of 50 Cent.

I'm guessing Zaira Nara approved.

So should everyone else.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on "Gridlock," ESPN 1100 and 98.9 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.