BUENOS AIRES, Oct 23: World middleweight champion Sergio Martinez would like a shot at Floyd Mayweather but said on Monday he would not lose sleep trying to pin down the elusive American.

“Mayweather skirts around things so it’s complicated to focus on going after him,” the 37-year-old southpaw known as ‘Maravilla’ (Marvel) said on his first return home to Argentina since winning the title.

“I must look for my own path and if Mayweather appears, that will be phenomenal,” added Martinez, who beat Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr for the WBC crown in Las Vegas last month.

“For me, there’s no doubt he’s the best boxer in the world. I always want to face the best, it would be a great opportunity for me,” he told a news conference at the Caesar Park hotel in Buenos Aires.

Mayweather is an undefeated fighter with titles in five divisions.

Before fighting again, though, Martinez needs to fully recover from a left hand injury and also have a knee operation.

“My left hand is improving well but it still hurts a bit because I had two fractures that have welded well,” he said. “With my knee, I need to keep working with my doctor to prepare for an operation on Nov 12.”

Martinez, who has emerged at the very top of boxing late in his career after a decade climbing the ladder in Spain, said he expected to be fully fit to fight again next April.—Reuters