By David P. Greisman

Eddie Mustafa Muhammad (Martinez): “Sergio should outpoint him. Macklin’s a strong kid, but I just think Sergio has a lot of experience and he’s fought the better opposition. It’s going to be a rough fight. Sergio’s not going to walk through this guy. He’s going to give it all he’s got, but I just don’t see him beating Sergio.”

Ronnie Shields (Martinez): “I like Martinez. I think he wins by decision, though. I’ve seen Macklin only a few times. Sergio didn’t look too good in me in his last fight, but still it’s hard to beat this guy, man, because he’s so confident in what he’s doing. He’s going to come on late again, but I just don’t see him knocking this guy out. I think a clear unanimous decision for Sergio Martinez.”

Sam Garcia (Martinez): “Sergio Martinez keeps rolling. I think Matthew Macklin is a tougher fight than Barker, and I think that he beat Felix Sturm, but I think that Sergio Martinez is just too athletic. He’s on a roll. I think he’ll get past Macklin in a tough fight, and I think Macklin will make a good account of himself. I’d say Martinez by decision.”

Henry Ramirez (Martinez): “Sergio Martinez. Sergio is one of the top three or four pound-for-pound fighters in the sport right now. He’s on a great run the last two or three years. I don’t see Macklin posing any threat to taking that belt. I think he’s going to stop him, probably in the eighth or ninth.”

John Scully (Martinez): “I think it’s probably a better fight than people expect. Right now they just expect Sergio just to be so dominant. I think Macklin is definitely going to come to fight and make it a tough fight on Sergio. At the end of the day, I can’t go against Sergio at this point. I would say [he wins] a decision. I think Macklin's tough enough to suck it up and make it through. I think it’ll be a good fight. I don't think it's going to be one-sided, necessarily, but I still have to go with Sergio. 

“I just think some guys just reach that point where they're just not destined to lose. He's in a groove, in a rhythm, flying high off his last few fights. He's just been looking good. I know someone in his camp. They say he trains extremely hard, is very disciplined and devoted to the game and hasn’t let success get to his head at all. I think he realizes he’s in that mix where potentially he could be fighting a Pacquiao or a Mayweather down the road or somebody of that stature. He’s not going to let that go.”

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter at twitter.com/fightingwords2 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fightingwordsboxing, or send questions and comments to fightingwords1@gmail.com