"Mayweather would make more money to fight Martinez than Pacquiao because Lou DiBella and I would never request 50-50. Mayweather is a true champion and he will take the fight. My thoughts are he will take the fight if it's on the table because he will want to prove that's he's number one, and beating Martinez would prove that he's number one. I believe it's a fight that could happen. It will never happen against Pacquiao, not because of ego, but because Martinez is much bigger and stronger. Martinez vs. Pacquiao would be a mismatch. By the way, if Mayweather vs. Pacquiao ever happens, Mayweather would win," stated world-renowned adviser Sampson Lewkowicz, who's adamant about the fact that a clash between undefeated pound-for-pound champion Floyd Mayweather and middleweight king Sergio Martinez is bigger, better, and more financially lucrative than Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. You don't want to miss what else he had to say as Lewkowicz gives us an update on a number of fighters and shares his opinion on why Miguel Cotto will never step foot in the ring with Martinez, as well as why he thinks Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. could be in for an upset. Check it out!
MJ: How's it going, Sampson? How is everything going for Sergio Martinez right now?
SL: Sergio is always "maravilla", working very hard. He's taking this fight as seriously as he took Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams, and everyone else he's fought. He will not take any chances where something could go wrong because he really puts his effort into training. He's a real professional.
MJ: Did you hear about the recent issues with Chavez's fight against Hearns in Mexico? It was just made official, so he only has about four weeks to prepare. He wasn't in training camp for it and now he'll be without trainer Freddie Roach.
SL: That is a typical example of a fighter being born on a silver plate and not truly loving the sport. I'm sorry to say, but that is the difference between Martinez and others who have been born on a silver plate. Many others fighters who don't have the pedigree name will train harder.
MJ: Supposedly this fight with Hearns will be the same night as the Mayweather pay-per-view, that also has Canelo and Morales being televised on the card.
SL: Honestly, I cannot understand this move, and I know that Bob Arum is not a happy camper at this moment. Bob Arum is a master at what he does and would have nothing to do with that.
MJ: It's too bad they haven't taken a fight with Martinez.
SL: I believe it would be an excellent fight if he trained for a full eight or ten weeks. He would cash in if he's fighting for the money, otherwise, I don't see what he's fighting for.
MJ: Is the Chavez fight what you're targeting for Martinez after this next fight?
SL: I can tell you my personal opinion. If he succeeds against Hearns, and then sixty days later he needs to fight again against Manfredo, most likely in March, it would be Manfredo against Martinez. Manfredo would knock out Chavez because he would not have time to prepare himself for back-to-back fights. He's not used to that. Watch out with Hearns too.
MJ: What's the latest with Michael Katsidis? I've heard him mentioned about being matched up against Erik Morales down the road.
SL: Well, Morales needs to beat Matthysse. Maybe the winner will go against Katsidis because the network loves the way Katsidis fights. All of his fights are good fights and people enjoy paying to see him. I've never seen Michael Katsidis in a bad fight, regardless of the result.
MJ: Oh yeah, he's fun to watch. How does he feel at 140 pounds?
SL: My understanding is that he feels very strong at that weight.
MJ: What's the latest with Chris John?
SL: Chris John was supposed to fight in Singapore, but with the problems in Indonesia and the festivities of Ramadan, we pushed it to December. He'll now probably be fighting in Indonesia or Japan.
MJ: Will he look to unify the belts?
SL: If it's a good offer. He's making excellent money in Indonesia, so there's really no reason to come to America and fight for small change.
MJ: I'd love to see him fight against Yuriorkis Gamboa.
SL: The opportunity was once there to fight; he was the mandatory, but the money was not there. Why should we fight Gamboa when we can make the same money fighting in Indonesia?
MJ: Tell us what's going on with some of your other fighters.
SL: Javier "El Abejon" Fortuna will defend his youth WBC title in the Dominican Republic on September 24th, and a special attraction will be Julius Jackson, John Jackson, and Samuel Rogers from the Virgin Islands. Another one that will be there is the KO artist Alexander Brown from Colombia. He's 12-0 with 12 KO's.
MJ: We're starting to hear there's optimism about a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight happening. Do you think it will happen?
SL: It will never happen, never. My explanation of why it will never happen is because the ego of both camps is too high to give up stuff. Mayweather will want at least a 50-50 split and to have some control of the promotion. I don't believe it would be acceptable for Pacquiao or his team. There are other issues, like the Olympic testing and the lawsuit. Like Sergio Martinez would say, "At the end of the day, in a big fight like that, we're supposed to have that kind of testing."
MJ: Why doesn't the Nevada Commission start doing those kinds of tests?
SL: Because, first of all, it's very costly. It would only be correct for fights on pay-per-view that would sell 1 million plus buys. You can't do it on a regular championship fight on HBO because it's very expensive. For this high-profile of a fight, the fight of the century, everything needs to be done correctly. I believe there's nothing wrong with doing the Olympic tests, but I believe Pacquiao is clean. In this high profile of a fight, I believe there's no reason not to do the tests.
MJ: I'm really impressed with this card for the Mayweather vs. Ortiz pay-per-view. They've really put together an outstanding card.
SL: Yes, it's a great card, but I can guarantee you that for much less, he could have Martinez vs. Mayweather and it would do the same numbers. Mayweather would make more money to fight Martinez than Pacquiao because Lou DiBella and I would never request 50-50.
MJ: Do you think Mayweather will ever take a fight against Martinez?
SL: Mayweather is a true champion and he will take the fight. My thoughts are he will take the fight if it's on the table because he will want to prove that's he's number one, and beating Martinez would prove that he's number one. I believe it's a fight that could happen. It will never happen against Pacquiao, not because of ego, but because Martinez is much bigger and stronger. Martinez vs. Pacquiao would be a mismatch. By the way, if Mayweather vs. Pacquiao ever happens, Mayweather would win.
MJ: Mayweather fighting Martinez would be a great fight and prove a lot. I believe it would be a tougher fight for him than fighting Pacquiao.
SL: You cannot ask a former 105-pound fighter to fight Martinez at 154, but Mayweather was a junior lightweight. To be at 154 for him would be okay and he would not be much smaller than Martinez. Knowing the way Mayweather is, he'll take the fight if it's on the table. Right now, he has other options, but very soon there will be no other options.
MJ: Do you think the winner of Cotto vs. Margarito would be a possible fight for Martinez?
SL: If Margarito wins, I guarantee you that it'll be very easy to make the fight. If it's Cotto, Martinez feels Cotto will be afraid to take the fight. It would make an excellent pay-per-view, but Cotto has his own agenda, to fight whoever he wants and not who the fans want. In order to be like Tito Trinidad, you need to fight Martinez. If he wants to go to another level, he needs to fight Martinez and not recycled fighters. If you see his record and who he's fought, it's nothing to be too proud of.
MJ: I wouldn't be too surprised that if Cotto wins, he gets matched with Chavez for Cotto's next fight.
SL: But if Cotto wins, Chavez needs to beat two fighters and then he will fight ten-rounders because the belt belongs to Martinez and the challenger. That I know is a fact because [Jose] Sulaiman and all the WBC committed themselves with Sergio Martinez fighting for the title that he gave up to avoid going to court with the WBC.
MJ: I'll tell you what, Mayweather talks a lot about how people are never the same after fighting him, but Martinez can say the same after watching how Kelly Pavlik and Paul Williams have fared in the ring after losing to him.
SL: You can even go a little bit further and add Kermit Cintron and Alex Bunema. They haven't been the same after fighting Martinez.
MJ: It's been great talking to you, Sampson. Do you have anything else to tell the fans?
SL: Don't forget about "El Abejon" Fortuna from the Dominican Republic. This is my baby and he'll be a world champion. Being very straight to you, I'm very excited to see him fight. What the sport needs is new blood, and God willing, he'll open eyes next year.
MJ: What's your timetable for bringing him along?
SL: I hope to have a meeting very shortly with ESPN and Shobox for next year to showcase my stable, that is Fortuna, the Jacksons, and a few others. I have some other undefeated fighters and I want to throw my hat in there as a promoter. Next year, I'm preparing myself to be an active promoter on the networks.
MJ: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us.
SL: Always a pleasure.