Cotto vs Martinez Fight Date, Preview & Updates: 'Fight is Huge' for Sergio Says Promoter

On Saturday, Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto will face Argentine boxer Sergio Martinez at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, in a bout to dethrone the latter as the WBC World Middleweight champion.

According to Martinez's promoter, Lou DiBella, the faceoff is considered "huge" for reigning champ Martinez because he is out to fight the "most proven" pay-per-view boxer and the biggest fighter he has ever fought, Boxing Scene reported.

Martinez is most known for his early second-round knockout against two-time welterweight titleholder Paul Williams, and a 12-round unanimous victory versus Mexican fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. But Boxing Scene noted that despite these achievements, Martinez is still not "universally recognized" as compared to Cotto who has fought against icons in boxing, like Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. This, according to DiBella, is what Martinez needs as a motivation in beating Cotto and proving to the world that he can outshine a world-class fighter.

"In terms of Sergio's legacy I'm not going to pretend - this fight is huge," DiBella told Boxing Scene.

But Cotto's camp, on the other hand, has another concern during the fight, one which does not involve the ability of both fighters but can greatly affect the outcome of the match.

ESPN said in a report that Cotto's camp questioned the New York State Athletic Commission's decision to allow Martinez to wear a knee brace during the fight. But the commission ruled that it was fine for Martinez to wear the non-metal sheath on Saturday as it is not "bulky."

In a fight last September 2012 against Chavez, Martinez  tore ligaments in his right knee -- an injury which, according to ESPN, the fighter continuously tries to heal and recover from.

In an interview with ESPN, Martinez said that despite him wearing a knee support, he is 100 percent ready for the game and that he is "perfectly healthy."

"After this fight I will sit down with my team and we will discuss the future.I have one fight left with HBO and I am 100 percent going to fulfill that. So for anyone saying that this is my last fight, they are wrong," he told ESPN.

For Cotto's trainer Freddie Roach, Saturday's fight is a sure-win for his fighter, claiming that Martinez is already a "ruined" fighter.

A report by Bad Left Hook quoted Roach as saying "Sergio is in over his head on this one. We worked on fighting southpaws and have it down to a science now. Miguel will have no trouble with Sergio's style. Working opposite Miguel with Manny Pacquiao gave me great insight to Miguel's flaws."

But on who will really wear the WBC Welterweight belt after the last sound of the bell on Saturday will still be determined by both fighters' determination and attitude on the ring.