The consensus prediction in the boxing world is clear. Manny Pacquiao will win over the towering Antonio Margarito easily. And as usual, Pacquiao’s speed will be the decisive element to fork in that relished eighth title belt in eight different weight classes. But with all the physical advantages stacked against the Fighting Pride of The Philippines (height, reach, and size), will the Pacman have it easy?
It might be easy for a lot of people to say that Pacquiao cruised through bigger, taller, and stronger, opponents. Margarito may a tough hombre for sure. But this writer does not think that Margarito is a walk in the park. There is a valid reason why Floyd Mayweather and several others avoided the Tijuana Tornado.
And for Pacquiao to take on this man is perhaps the Pacman’s greatest challenge yet, greater than the kind of challenge Mayweather could bring to the ring, if that fight should happen. Margarito has an impending need for redemption and a win over Pacquiao might, just might, bring him to the limelight again and prove his doubters wrong.
Sometimes, a fight is often won by the one who wants to win the most. There is no shred of doubt that Pacquiao wants this victory; an eighth title in as many weight classes is a boxing feat that will stay unconquerable for a long time, unless if the boxing powers add a few more divisions.
“I think it will be a good fight,” Lorne Scoggins of 8 Count News and Examiner.com told this writer.
Margarito has been in the ring with big hitters and has shown the ability to absorb tons of punishment as well as dishing his own brand of beatdown. The kind of big shots he took from power punchers such as former welterweight champions Kermit Cintron, Paul Williams, and Miguel Cotto did not stop the Tijuana Tornado from his tracks. And these guys are no mere heavy hitters.
Shane Mosley was able to stop Margarito. But arguably, the stoppage can be mainly attributed to the fact that Mosley’s trainer found out about the doctored handwraps, an event that could and likely took Margarito off from his focus and determination.
According to Scoggins, Margarito “won’t be psychologically messed up because he just got caught with plaster in his wraps.”
Against Pacquiao, Margarito will go all out and try to go and do something nobody has done since Erik Morales faced the Pacman for the first time in 2005. Margarito is desperate for a win. And in most number of situations, a desperate man is a dangerous man.
“I think this will be his last chance,” Scoggins added.
“He will meet Pacquiao head on.”
Source: http://filipinoboxingjournal.com
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