With a mega world title fight between Pacquiao and Margarito on the fast-approaching November horizon, it's getting close to put-up-or-shut-up-time for these two warriors that will step into the squared circle. Or to quote what Roger Mayweather said to me a couple days ago, "It ain't about what you say you can do . . . it's about what you will eventually do and prove."
On November 13, broadcasting live on HBO PPV, Manny Pacquiao will go for a record eight titles in as many weight divisions when he squares off against the dangerous and former world champion Antonio Margarito for the coveted WBC junior middleweight title belt from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
"He's (Antonio Margarito) training like a monster right now," said Robert Garcia (Margarito's trainer) before boldly predicting to me his fighter would win with an, "11- Round knock out."
He's not the only one that now believes Margarito will be the victor on November 13. "If Margarito keeps Pacquiao cornered and throws uppercuts along with roughing him up on the inside, Margarito should knock his ass out," said Roger Mayweather (undefeated former world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s Uncle and trainer).
Mayweather added, " Manny can't be allowed in the middle of the ring; if Margarito wants this, he's gonna have to work him on the ropes and get him there with lots of jabs and pushing and shoving him and oh yeah, it also helps if Manny aint got that sh*t in his system."
When this fight was first announced, I agreed with what Dan Rafael (ESPN.com) now describes this fight as being, "not enough to make the fight with 'Cheato' all that attractive."
However, now I believe Rafael and others sharing his view are just ignorant and short sighted about whats to come.
If war is the place for evil, then on November 13th Cowboys Stadium will be the Devil's playground where these two warriors will do the evil that men do to one another.
Make no mistake about it; these two combatants are going to fight like dogs of war. Not even the rabid Filipino fight fans (who on occasion let their blind loyalty get in the way of sometimes sound judgment) would disagree that neither fighter will ever be known as a well rounded pugilist; rather, what they are and will definitely display on November 13 is their renowned reputations for brutally assaulting their opponents with malicious intent.
I thoroughly believe that Margarito is a live horse in this match up. He is longer, leaner,bigger, and more importantly, focused on this task of beating Manny Pacquiao.
"We've been watching a lot of Manny's fights and know exactly how to attack him. Right now Manny is considered "The Man", but he's also kinda overlooking us," said Garcia.
"We have been especially interested in his fights with (Miguel)Cotto and (Juan Manuel)Marquez."
It should be noted that in the Cotto fight, though Manny won, he suffered a busted eardrum and took heavy shots to the head. After the fight, he looked just as beat up as Cotto did and Cotto is far smaller than Margarito.
Right after Garcia said this to me, he looked at me with a cold demeanor and emphatically claimed, "This isn't going to just be a win for Margarito, this is going to be a f**king beatdown we put on him (Pacquiao). A bigtime beating is what we got for Manny Pacquiao."
Consider this?
Antonio Margarito was cast aside ever since his hands were found to have been illegally wrapped by his former trainer, Javier Capetillo, on the night he was facing Shane Mosley in January 2009.
He served a suspension that lasted well over a year and his comeback fight was a ten- rounder against a nondescript fighter named Roberto Garcia from Texas which left many people wondering if Margarito was finished.
How lucky can Margarito be now?
Getting the assignment to face Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the equivalent of hitting the Powerball Lotto in boxing.
Margarito, in my opinion, isn't going to let this chance pass him by. There's no way Antonio lets this opportunity skate by him by letting the wind blow his golden ticket out of his hands before he can cash it in.
In an interview I did with Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, he told me he wasn't all that confident about picking Margarito as Manny's next opponent.
"Well at first, I wasn't, and to some degree, even now that comfortable with fighting Margarito, but Manny wanted this fight and I saw how he handles some other big guys and so I went with it, but those other guys aren't Antonio Margarito."
Roach continued, "Antonio brings size and power, but he also knows how to box and use his jab when he's focused and I believe he's focused for this fight against Manny; he has to be."
In fact, Robert Garcia told me that come fight night, "Antonio will probably rehydrate about twelve pounds."
Roger Mayweather added, "Look, Manny fights at weights that are in between recognized weight divisions like 143 instead of 140 or 147."
"It's like a lot of people say my nephew is scared of Manny. Really? Lil Floyd fought Oscar De La Hoya at 154, but Oscar came into the fight at around 165. Oscar never hurt my nephew. Floyd out-boxed and outgunned Oscar that night so what is there to be scared of from Manny Pacquiao when they fight at 147?
If Manny fights Floyd at 147, he's gonna get the same that 41 others before him got-a loss. Manny can't outbox or out think my nephew in the ring. He doesn't have my nephew's head movement, defense, or hand-speed. He just moves forward with very little side to side movement. He's gonna get his ass whooped by Floyd, but before that, if Margarito can keep the fight chest to chest and Manny on his heels, then Margarito should be able to lean on him and use his weight and strength to wear Pacquiao's legs down."
I think that strategy rings true. The problem with that is, Manny and Freddie can come up with a plan to counter that. But it's the intangibles that make this fight a dangerous one for Manny.
When Antonio Margarito enters the ring in November, he will slide through the ring ropes looking to prove something. His name and record will be introduced from the dramatic bellowing of Michael Buffer's voice only to be drowned out by the crowd's serenading of boos and cat-calls as his body of work is and has been questioned since the Mosley fight.
So what does he fight for? Probably not the green belt. He's probably fighting for pride, restoration of his name, and family.
These are three things Freddie can't strategize for and Manny can't hit with blazing speed and rapid power. These intangibles come from the hearty and mind and like Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya did in June of 2000, Margarito is going to go "soul searching."
Kelly Ferguson, a former Army boxer and strategist added this:
"It's not what you say you're gonna do, it's about how you do what you said you'd do when it comes time to do it."
Well on November 13, Mayweather and Ferguson along with the "millions watching from around the world" will see just what Pacquiao and Margarito have as they set out to prove that their actions will speak louder than their words.
In a side note of silliness, according to Rhonda Lee, meteorologist from KXAN in Austin, Texas, Freddie Roach may have misspoke when he valiantly stated that. "the tornado(Margarito) has been downgraded to a tropical storm" because though taking a direct hit from a tornado is very devastating and lethal, a lingering tropical storm would cause severe flooding, damage, and bring torrential rains which could prove to be fatal and most definitely be very destructive.
Perhaps the miscalculations in the Pacquiao camp has already begun, eh?
Lastly, be on the look out for hot junior welterweight prospect Jesse Vargas as he next enters the ring on September 30 at the Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Sporting a record of 11 and 0 with six wins by way of knock out, this fighter has his trainer gushing with pride.
" He's got hand speed, great defense, and has been fighting guys weighing 170 pounds and outclassing them."
"He's an all around well schooled fighter and he IS the next big thing in boxing," said his trainer Roger Mayweather.
"Also, light middleweight, Omar Henry. He's undefeated with 10 wins and 8 of them by KO." "He's got speed and power and people will definitely be seeing more of him."
I agree. Omar Henry was trained for a good while by my good friend, Jay Johns out of Savannah's Boxing Gym in Houston, Texas.
If Henry is improving under the tutelage of Mayweather, it's because Jay Johns created the ferocity, technique, and foundation for Omar Henry first.
For this, Roger Mayweather owes Johns.
Source: boxscorenews.com
