Manny Pacquiao Vs Antonio Margarito: Don’t Buy the Hype
By Edgar Solorzano
(Managing Editor’s Note: Edgar Solorzano is our newest Feature Writer at RSR. I, along with the rest of the team, welcome him aboard.)
On Saturday, the modern “David and Goliath” battle, Pacquiao vs. Margarito will take place at the Cowboys stadium in Dallas, Texas.
The Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao who has defeated top welterweight fighters like: Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey, will try to defeat “The Tijuana Tornado” Antonio Margarito, who many believe he has a chance to pull off a victory against Pacquiao.
Many fight fans have been saying, “Pacquiao seems distracted on the episodes of 24/7.” Well I believe that Pacquiao is not distracted at all and his work ethic hasn’t changed.
Although Margarito looks great in the HBO 24/7 episodes, don’t believe the hype and think he will defeat Pacquiao. It is true that Margarito has the height advantage and great punching power. But don’t forget it’s been proven before that speed beats power in past fights like: Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley and even the famous event “Rumble in the Jungle” Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman.
What they don’t mention in 24/7 is how Manny Pacquiao broke one of his sparring partner’s nose so bad, he had to leave camp. He has been sparring with great talent like Amir Khan, Julio Cesar Chavez, JR., and Glen Tapia.
I don’t blame 24/7 for trying to make Pacquiao look distracted and get fans to question their fighter. That’s their job, to make the fight look interesting and get fans to buy it. It’s a huge mismatch and the fight will end in the 8th round.
There are four reasons why Margarito will fail to pull off the victory against the Filipino superstar.
Reason #1
Margarito has problems with quick fighters. When he fought Miguel Cotto, Margarito was struggling in the first few rounds and was eating too many punches. Cotto’s speed gave Margarito problems. If the Tijuana Tornado was too slow for Cotto, then how fast will Pacquiao look against him?
We don’t know yet, but I can assure you that the speed will give Margarito problems.
Reason #2
Antonio Margarito offers his chin way too much. Whenever he throws combinations, he leaves his entire face open. Perfect fighter for Pacquiao, the way I see it.
Margarito has no defense and likes to trade punches, that’s a huge mistake if he does that against Pacquiao. If Margarito happens to trade punches against the Filipino warrior, it would be like a cop with a gun against a soldier with a machine gun. Antonio would take way too much punishment that could cause an 8th round TKO.
Reason #3
Pacquiao does not just punch from different angles, but has the speed and stamina of a cheetah, and the heart of a lion. He has fought top welterweight fighters. While Margarito was suspended for a year and later fought Roberto Garcia and won by unanimous decision. Margarito might be a little rusty and it might show on November 13th. Pacquiao shouldn’t have a problem conquering Margarito’s world.
Antonio Margarito only had one fight against an average boxer and now he’s getting ready to face one of the best in the game? Does this make sense? Margarito will fight in the ring weighing maybe around 163 pounds, but like that famous saying “The bigger they are, the harder they fall” Margarito’s weight will only help him hit the ground harder than he’ll hit Pacquiao.
Reason #4
Height seems to be a huge advantage for Margarito, but is it really an advantage when fighting a talented fighter like Pacquiao? Margarito will have problems trying to hit him. Due to Pacquiao’s height, Margarito will have to come down to try to land punches against him and I’m pretty sure Pacquiao will be fast and smart enough to take advantage of that, just like he did against Oscar De La Hoya.
Oscar had problems with Pacquiao’s speed and couldn’t land that many punches, since Manny has great footwork and body movement. Margarito won’t make history but he sure will be part of it, when Pacquiao wins that 8th title.
The list goes on, but the answer continues to be unknown. We will just have to find out and witness history in the making.