"This is another way to excuse himself from putting Manny Pacquiao in danger," remarked Sampson Lewkowicz, advisor of middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, who recently responded to comments made by promoter Bob Arum suggesting a same day weigh-in for a proposed bout with Manny Pacquiao at a catchweight of 150 pounds. According to Arum, the fact that Martinez could potentially rehydrate up to 175 pounds on the day of the fight puts Pacquiao at a severe disadvantage, causing him to take too much punishment from the naturally bigger opponents. It's a fact that Arum took note when Pacquiao faced Antonio Margarito at a catweight of 150 pounds last year and since then, they've made a team decision to avoid taking any fight over the 147-pound welterweight limit.
Never one to turn down a challenge, however, both Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach, have stated that they would be more than willing to face Martinez at that same 150-pound catchweight, but Arum has made it clear that the only way it will happen is with a same day weigh-in. "Let's go to a commission, and not necessarily this [Las Vegas] commission...maybe New York, maybe Texas, wherever, and say, 'Both fighters want to do the fight and they want to go back to the old days and we'll weigh in on the day of the fight, at 150,'" Arum would explain in an interview with BoxingScene.com. "If he wants to do that, we can start talking."
Unfortunately, it's a condition that's not even worth talking about according to Martinez's advisor, Lewkowicz. "I'm very surprised because fighting on the day of the weigh-in, he would put in danger the health of the fighters. The boxer doesn't have time to recoup himself. I cannot understand that he doesn't care for the human being. I will never do something to hurt my kid," Lewkowicz explained in a FightHype.com interview, noting that the main reason why same day weigh-ins are no longer done is because back in the "old days", as Arum called it, far too many boxers were getting seriously hurt after severely dehydrating themselves to make weight. Simply put, it's a position that Lewkowicz has no plans of putting his fighter in.
"I don't believe though that money can buy the health of a fighter and as an advisor, I believe to put the life of my fighter in danger for money is totally wrong. Sergio Martinez doesn't need Manny Pacquiao. He has a date in March, and we're looking forward to fighting in March, so thank you, but no thank you Mr. Bob," Lewkowicz continued, making it clear that he has no plans of putting Martinez in that kind of situation, no matter how much money he could make.
That being said, Lewkowicz also believes that, despite Arum's proposal, Pacquiao himself would have no problems facing Martinez at the 150-pound catchweight even without a same day weigh-in. "Bob is an excellent promoter and Manny has good advisors around him. Look where Manny is now. But you cannot forget something very important, Manny, with his advisor, is his own man and maybe he'll overrule Bob," he added. "After the fight, I would not be surprised if Manny Pacquiao calls out Martinez in the right way and Bob would have no choice but to accept the fight. Pacquiao is scared of nobody."