Ring Magazine #1 Pound for Pound boxer Manny Pacquiao will battle as Antonio Margarito at a catch weight in the Jr. middleweight division
Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao Antonio “The Tijuana Tornado” Margarito
51-3-2, 38 KO’s VS. 38-6, 27 KO’s
5’6 ½, 144 ½ pounds, 31 yrs. old 5’11, 150 pounds, 32 yrs. old
General Santos City, Philippines Tijuana, Mexico
Strengths: Strengths:
Southpaw Style Aggressive style
Speed Chin
Two handed power Hunger/Desire
Weaknesses: Weaknesses:
Can be outboxed Defense
Outside distractions Inactivity
- Pacquiao is coming off a 12 round unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey in March. He has won 12 fights in a row, dating back to 2005.
- Margarito is coming off a 10 round unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in May. Before that he was knocked out by Shane Mosley in which it was discovered before the fight that his gloves had been inserted with illegal knuckle pads.
This fight came together after the biggest fight in boxing, Manny Pacquiao versus Floyd Mayweather fell through for a second time. Antonio Margarito, who is promoted by the same promoter as Pacquiao, Top Rank, was an easy choice as a replacement for the company.
Margarito was known as one of the most feared men in boxing until his unforgettable night against Mosley. He was in everyone’s pound for pound list, and was coming off a huge knockout win over previous unbeaten Miguel Cotto. The hand wrap scandal has put a huge question on Margarito’s past. How long has he been fighting with illegal hand wraps? That question will probably never be known, but Margarito can silence his critics with a win against Pacquiao.
Pacquiao is known as the “Mexican killer,” due to his tendency for knocking off Mexican fighters such as Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, and Marco Antonio Barrera. Margarito will be the biggest Mexican that the Filipino has entered the ring against.
Despite the size advantage for Margarito, who weighed in six pounds heavier, and could be fifteen pounds heavier on fight night, I don’t see Pacquiao having much trouble with him. Margarito is an aggressive, come forward fighter, which plays right into the hands of Pacquiao. Add to that the propensity to get hit and the speed at which Pacquiao’s shots will come, I see Margarito folding as he did against Mosley. Margarito simply hasn’t been active enough, and hasn’t seen the speed of someone like Pacquiao. This is going to give him fits. I see Pacquiao stopping Margarito in the tenth round. After which, he and trainer Freddie Roach will again call out Floyd Mayweather, and hopefully, for boxing’s sake, that mega fight will happen.
Castro's Kingdom 