Sergio Martinez, a middle-aged former middleweight champion, wants to fight again.
Martinez is training in Spain, hoping to make a comeback on June 6 in Madrid, RingTV.com reported.
“I need it, I want to do this comeback,” Martinez (51-3-2, 28 KOs) told The Ring in a story published Thursday. “I want to check my feelings in the ring and feel the punches again. Then, we will see [what I can do].”
Martinez has been retired for about 5½ years. He lost to Miguel Cotto, failing to answer the bell for the 10th round in his last bout June 7, 2014 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
“Boxing is my life,” said Martinez, who will turn 45 on Feb. 21. “Everything was wrong in my last fight against Cotto: training camp, the injuries, my knee. Now, I am feeling really good and my knees are better. All these years of rest were very good for my knees and elbows.’’
There had been talk that Martinez would fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in mid-November. But Chavez decided to fight Daniel Jacobs instead, losing on Dec. 20 in Phoenix in a bout that ended with angry fans tossing debris into the ring after Chavez quit after five rounds.
“I was training to do the rematch against Chavez, but he let me down at the last minute,’’ said Martinez, who won a wild 12-round decision over the Mexican in September 2012 in Las Vegas. “Since then, I’ve been training for a fight.
“None of the big names want to face me, and this is why I will make a comeback in a small show in Spain. We don’t have too much of a budget but, for sure, the opponent will be a tough one.”