Lou DiBella says he was “weirdly at peace” during the thrilling 12th round of last Saturday’s middleweight championship fight between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Las Vegas. Martinez dominated the first 11 rounds, then was hurt and knocked down early in the 12th and looked as if he might be stopped.
DiBella, Martinez’s promoter, should have been horrified watching his star on the verge of losing a fight he easily had won. But DiBella insists he was not on the verge of a breakdown as Martinez battled back on wobbly legs to survive the round and recapture the WBC middleweight championship at the Thomas & Mack Center. A replay of the fight will be shown on HBO at 9:30 Saturday night. If you watch one round of boxing all year, watch the 12th.
“I wasn’t dying,” DiBella said this week. “I was very in the moment. I was watching Sergio and thinking how proud I was to be his promoter. He didn’t hug and hold. He got up, half out of it, and started slugging away and throwing bombs, continuing to fight like he was fighting for his life and his career. That was inspiring.”
Martinez’s victory means there’s another lucrative pay day ahead for him and DiBella Entertainment, the New York-based promotional company that continues to hold its own against the giants of the boxing industry, Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.
Perhaps part of the reason DiBella actually could enjoy the finish of Martinez-Chavez is after a dozen years in the business, he has developed a track record that goes beyond one fight or even one fighter. Along with establishing Broadway Boxing as a well-known brand on the East Coast, Martinez is the latest of a number of champions DiBella has groomed. They include Jermain Taylor, the late Leavander Johnson, Andre Berto, Randall Bailey and Paulie Malignaggi.
“We’ve been able to stay in business at a time where the business is really dominated by the guys that have [Manny] Pacquiao and [Floyd] Mayweather,” DiBella said. “We’re like the little engine that could. We’re just always chugging along.”
Martinez and Chavez appear headed for a rematch, though Chavez faces disciplinary action from the Nevada State Athletic Commission after a post-fight drug test came up positive for marijuana. Martinez also will need time to heal after breaking a bone in his hand and suffering a knee injury that could require surgery.
It’s all part of the ups and downs and uncertainties of a business DiBella has been at the forefront of since serving as the head of programming for HBO Sports. From fighters who did not reach their potential to fighters jumping to another promotional company, DiBella has learned to live with the disappointments of being a promoter as much as the successes.
“Saturday night was a great success,” DiBella said of the Martinez-Chavez fight. “Sergio’s going to be a money maker for fights to come. But I still have to keep looking for the next young guy to come and take care of all the other guys I have under contract and make sure they get their opportunities. It’s not an easy business. But it’s the one I’ve chosen.”
DiBella Entertainment, along with East Coast promoters Star Boxing and Gary Shaw Productions, are putting on a tripleheader next Saturday at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (21-0, 14 KOs) of Worcester, Mass., will headline against Jason Escalera (13-0-1, 12 KOs) of Union City, N.J. HBO’s Boxing After Dark will televise. Tickets remain on sale.
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Fans are encouraged to attend Monday’s press conference to announce the Dec. 1 WBA super middleweight title fight between Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto and champion Austin Trout of Las Cruces, N.M. The fight is set for Madison Square Garden. The press conference will be at El Museo del Barrio on Fifth Ave. at East 104th Street, with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. Showtime will televise the bout. Tickets go on sale Tuesday.
george.willis@nypost.com