Has the boxing world forgotten about Antonio Margarito’s assets?
For their 13 November bout in Dallas, Texas, Manny Pacquiao will be the favourite against Antonio Margarito. This is due to Pacquiao showcasing tremendous skills and defeating boxers he was never supposed
to beat—notably Oscar De la Hoya and Miguel Cotto—since they were bigger on paper and looked more posed to win.
But Pacman still devastated them, including a host of other star fighters, rightly earning the pound-for-pound number one title in the world. He’ll look to defend that against Margarito, and will have
his work cut out for him. But before people write Margarito off as too slow for Pacquiao, his assets need to be evaluated critically.
The fact is that Pacquiao, who has faced incredibly stiff competition and come out the better man, has not faced the sheer power of a fighter like Margarito. Margarito spent most of his time in the welterweight
division, but he hits like a middleweight.
Aside from his power, Margarito has a few other assets that will give Pacman trouble. His legendary endurance, aggression, and rock solid chin.
All of these traits have been on display since the early days of his career and can be pointed out in any number of fights. However, a great example is in his fight with Cotto. On that occasion, Margarito
faced a boxer with formidable power. Cotto was also notably faster than Margarito because he throws straight stiff punches while Margarito looks to throw wide hooking punches. But even with Cotto’s power and speed, he wasn’t able to capitalize on Margarito
in a way that truly mattered.
Cotto outpointed Margarito in the early rounds of the fight, and won rounds. But ultimately Margarito’s aggressive approach and his nonstop pursuing of Cotto caught up with him. Margarito showed that
winning rounds isn’t the same thing as winning a fight unless it goes to the score cards. By the later rounds Margarito swarmed Cotto and showed him to be a very limited fighter.
Some fans have said that Pacquiao’s bout with Margarito will be similar to when he met De la Hoya because both fighters are visibly taller than Pacquiao. Indeed, Pacquiao is only 5ft 6in, and Margarito
5ft 11in, making him almost a full head taller. But the similarities with De la Hoya stop at height. Margarito is a completely different fighter than De la Hoya, and as such Pacquiao will have to fight a different fight.
For one, it’s safe to say Margarito will not topple over from Pacquiao blows. He has shown he has a rock solid chin, and that even when being devastated with punches won’t quit (against Mosley for instance).
Against Cotto, it was almost as if Cotto was punching air. He would hit Margarito convincingly, but Margarito would just keep approaching him.
Another factor to consider in this fight is that Margarito gets better as fights go on. He is a slow starter, whose endurance becomes visible later on. If Pacquiao is to have trouble in this fight, one
can almost bet it will be in the later rounds, when his speed and freshness have diminished a bit and Margarito’s never-ending pursuit begins to frustrate. This part of the fight is where Margarito has his best shot at shining. He will look to take Pacquiao’s
legs out from under him with his body shots, which work like putting money in the bank for later.
Margarito has shown time and time again he won’t quit in the ring, so even if he isn’t able to dominate because he lacks the speed, he definitely has the chin and devotion to withstand Pacman’s hardest
shots. Unless the referee jumps in because Pacquiao is getting deadly combinations off, this one will go all the way.
Tags: