Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez delivered a masterful, marvelous performance in his 12-round victory over Julio Caesar Chavez, Jr. last night in Las Vegas.
Sure, Chavez notched a knockdown in the final round and nearly pulled out the win, but Martinez clearly outclassed him - and at times embarrassed him - by winning the first 11 rounds by a wide margin.
Afterward, there was talk of a rematch, possibly at Cowboys Stadium, though Chavez did absolutely nothing to warrant another chance at fighting for a title so soon. He should be forced to fight another contender or two to prove himself first.
If it does happen, however, here's hoping that Atlantic City would get a shot at hosting it.
Yes, Boardwalk Hall is not big enough to handle the 20,000-plus fans - it seats only about 13,000 for boxing since undergoing a $90 million rennovation - but there is a venue that would be perfect.
Bader Field.
Caesars Entertainment executive Don Marrandino has expressed interest in holding a big fight there. It has already shown it can handle large crowds, having hosted the Dave Matthews Band caravan in 2011 and a series of Phish concerts this year.
Next spring or summer would be the perfect time for Marrandino and Caesars Entertainment consultant Ken Condon to bring a mega-fight back to Atlantic City.
PUNCHLINES: Boxing returns to Atlantic City on Sept. 29, when Somers Point middleweight Patrick Majewski (19-1, 13 KOs) headlines a card at Resorts Hotel Casino against Latif Mundy (10-4, 4 KOs). An interesting junior-middleweight co-feature will feature a pair of local fighters in Galloway Township veteran Shamone Alvarez (21-5, 12 KOs) and Atlantic City's DeCarlo Perez (7-2-1, 2 KOs).
Vineland promoter Diane Lee Fischer Cristiano is holding a card at Tropicana Casino Resort on Oct. 12.
