“There are countless ways of achieving greatness, but any road to achieving one's maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.” – Buck Rodgers
Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol– Right from its very inception up to this very day, the Pacquiao-Margarito super welterweight showdown has been met with harsh criticisms from fans and critics alike. Perhaps it is understandble, considering the fact that this encounter, though expected to be an explosive pugilistic affair, is still a very huge letdown and step down from the titanic Pacquiao-Mayweather face-off that fell through. It would have been a matchup between two of the best fighters that the sport has to offer – arguably the most important boxing spectacle to date. Everybody wanted it. Pacquiao’s camp was eager for it to happen. Mayweather, for his part, hinted an eagerness to take the challenge, although he made extreme demands, probably with the presumption that Pacquiao won’t take it. The Pinoy boxing idol and congressman gave it a go, but Mayweather suddenly had a change of heart… or was it really what his heart told him all along? … that he never really wanted a piece of the Pacman. Or better yet, he never really wanted to be torn into pieces by the Pacman.
This brings us back to Antonio “Loaded Hands” Margarito, Bob Arum’s plan B. Before he fought Sugar Shane Mosley, Margarito was touted as among the welterweight limit’s most dangerous fellows. In a not-so-distant past, he was even known as the “avoided one”, conidered by many, including Mayweather’s camp, as a high risk low reward proposition. Then the embarrassing handwrap controversy was exposed. It also didn’t help his cause either when right after the disconcerting discovery, an old, over-the-hill fighter in Mosley humiliated him into a crushing knockout loss that practically made him look a whole lot guiltier than he would be had he won that bout. Later on, he was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt by the licensing commission and had his license revoked, suspended for a year. He came back early this year and won. The Tijuana Tornado is now on a comeback trail. He wants redemption… he wants his fearsome image back!
Of course, there is no better way to achieve that than to beat the best. This is a major opportunity that Arum and Pacquiao are giving to Margarito. Apart from its monetary perks, which is expected to be a career high for him, he will now have the chance to finally stop Pacquiao’s Mexicution ways and win back the adulation of his countrymen. Nevertheless, this isn’t going to be a walk in the park for Margarito.
In a perfect world, Margarito ought to be the odds on favorite, but with Pacquiao in the picture, it’s almost impossible to imagine a perfect world. Pacquiao will climb the ring as the naturally smaller guy, but much considerably faster, better conditioned and more cunning. The Filipino firebomb has bullied and demolished bigger guys inside the squared circle and Margarito will most probably be no different. He can wish for an upset, but it is foolish to expect Pacquiao to slack down on him. He ought to know by now how disciplined and focused a fighter Manny Pacquiao is. The fighter he’ll trade mitts with isn’t going to be just good… he is expected to be great!
The winner of this encounter is going to be crowned as the WBC light middleweight king, which could be Pacquiao’s 8th world title in as many weight divisions. Margarito doesn’t deserve this shot… we all know he doesn’t. Pacquiao probably deserves a pass for his status alone as the sport’s top dog. But we could care less about these sanctioning bodies. They’re just for promotional purposes, anyway. So forget all the criticisms… forget all the indignation towards Mayweather and his unwillingness to take the challenge… forget all the comparisons... forget all the flak! Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is running the show and for sure we are all in it for a wonderful treat of fistic extravaganza!
Source: http://www.bukisa.com
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