On January 21 of 2009, Antonio Margarito lost via ninth round TKO at the hands of Shane Mosley. It was the only time in his career he was ever stopped.
His lack of success with Mosley has been used as a gauge to predict how he will fare against Pacquiao, but there are a few significant differences that should be noted.
Prior to the Mosley fight, it was discovered by Mosley’s trainer, Nazim Richardson, that plaster of Paris objects had been inserted into Margarito’s handwraps. His hands were rewrapped, and the fight went on as scheduled.
The psychological aspect of boxing is extremely important. On that night, Margarito knew that he was in big trouble for what had just occurred. It’s a dangerous thing for any boxer to enter the ring when he isn’t focused on the task at hand. Margarito was at a very significant psychological disadvantage, and Mosley capitalized fully.
The boxer was suspended for fighting in the United States for one year before being denied a license by the California State Athletic Commission.
Texas, which had already been selected as the state that Pacquiao – Margarito would take place, granted Margarito’s appeal for a license.
Pacquiao has stated that he believes that Margarito knew that he had the little surprises in his handwraps. Most boxing fans agree with Pacquiao’s opinion.
Now that Margarito is set to face Pacquiao on November 13 at Cowboys Stadium, he has everything to gain.
The much bigger man will be physically and mentally prepared, and he will give it everything he has in his attempt to upset the Pound-for-Pound king. He will undoubtedly consider a win over the world’s greatest fighter to be his first step toward redemption.
Dale Pippin of Seligman believes that Margarito’s size and power could create problems for Pacquiao.
“He could beat Pacquiao. He’s a lot bigger, and he has a puncher’s chance,” Pippin said.
Margarito is known to have a granite chin, and good power. He’ll most likely come to the ring weighing at least 10 lbs more than the Pacman.
It would be foolish for any pundit to neglect to factor Margarito’s height, reach, toughness and mental and physical conditioning into the equation. He's going to want a win, and he's going to want it badly.
A multitude of great fighters have come to the ring fully confident that they had everything it would take to beat the Filipino warrior, only to be completely overwhelmed by Pacquiao’s speed, power and angles.
Margarito’s resilience and willingness to slug toe-to-toe should make for an exciting fight, but whether he can make it a competitive fight for more than a few rounds remains a question.
Source: Examiner.com
