Sergio Martinez planning comeback, eyes winter fight with Kerman Lejarraga

Today in “Bad Ideas.”

Former middleweight king Sergio Martinez, who turned 45 in February and has not fought since a rough 2014 loss to Miguel Cotto, is planning a comeback with a specific target in mind. After a potential tuneup fight, he wants a crack at fellow Spaniard Kerman Lejarraga in “December or January.”

Yes, I’m aware “Maravilla” is from Argentina, but he fights out of Madrid.

Martinez (51-3-2, 28 KO) stated on Instagram that he’d “very much like” a fight with Lejarraga (30-2, 24 KO), calling the latter a “very strong” boxer and highlighting the clash of styles. He’s confident that the fight would draw a large crowd whether in Madrid or Lejarraga’s hometown of Bilbao, though he acknowledges that they’d have to work out a mutually agreeable weight since Lejarraga campaigns at 154 and Martinez hasn’t made that weight in over a decade.

That said, he’s “certain” that the two sides can hammer out a deal if they sit down.

There are worse comeback targets than Lejarraga, who’s still rebuilding after getting blown away by David Avanesyan for the second time and has the aforementioned size disadvantage, but this is still asking for disaster. Certain styles can hold up against physical decline, like George Foreman’s plodding slugging or Bernard Hopkins’ spoiling, but Martinez is a slickster with two shot knees. While Lejarraga isn’t Miguel Cotto by any stretch of the imagination, we’ve already seen what happens when Martinez can’t move properly against an offensive powerhouse.

Leave the comeback to Maidana, Sergio.