Sergio Martinez Ignoring Critics Ahead Of Ring Return

Six years after his retirement from boxing, Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez will return to the ring on Friday, August 21 to face the Jose Miguel Fandino (15-6) of Spain at El Malecon in Torrelavega.

Martinez previously walked away from the sport in 2014 after being stopped by Miguel Cotto. Many critics have spoken out against the 45-year-old returning to the sport but Martinez is not listening to any negativity surrounding his comeback.

“We are addicted to the approval of others and that is an elementary mistake. The first step to being happy is that we cannot be addicted to the approval of others. Today I like to have the approve of myself and, when they do not approve of me from the outside, I say ‘sorry guys,’ Martinez told Boxeadores.

“I don’t see him Fandino as being that far apart from me in age. Whether he has power or not, it’s something that makes me tense and I like it, because I like the challenge. I think that everything I do, I do it because it is a fantastic challenge…Fandino is a veteran, he is 36 years old. But I am a grandfather, a boxing dinosaur.

“The average life span is getting longer and the average life span of a boxer as well. Boxers have been listening to the same thing for so long… that at 30-something an athlete has to retire. Sure, in the ’70s that might have been the case. Today I have a physical, technical and mental performance that is much higher than I was at 35 years old. I haven’t been in a ring for six years, but my body and mind are working in a spectacular way.” (Transcribed by Boxing Scene)

Are you excited to see Sergio Martinez return to boxing at 45 years of age?