Pacquiao-Margarito: Ted the Bull’s Breakdown and Prediction

Give him [Margarito] one more chance. He is human, he made a mistake. People are worried about me fighting this guy. We are going to give him a chance.

–Manny Pacquiao

It is time for me to show all of the people that I am back and I am good. It’s going to be an exciting fight.

–Antonio Margarito

[W]hen Manny can hit somebody; I usually don’t worry that much about it.

–Freddie Roach

Speed kills.

-Cus D‘Amato

Jerry Jones has ushered in a new era in boxing as 51,000 fans witnessed at Cowboys Stadium last March when Manny defended his welterweight title.

–Bob Arum

These two will go at it on November 13, 2010 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas in what promises to be a competitive fight between two exciting stars with the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight championship at stake.

Pacquiao and Margarito boast a combined record of 89-9-2 (65 KOs) — a winning percentage of 89% and a victory by knockout ratio of 73%.

Breakdown

Quality of Opposition

Manny has fought 10 fights against 5 guys who arguably have a shot at being inducted into the Hall of Fame. But he also fought and beat many other outstanding fighters with great records coming in. If you throw a dart at his list of opponents, you might, for example, hit South Korean Seung-Kon Chae (23-0), Mexican Oscar Larios (56-4-1), Thai Wethya Sakmuangklang (41-3), Thai Fashan 3K Battery (44-7-1), Thai Chatchai Sasakul (33-1), or Colombian Jorge Eliecer Julio (44-3).

Margo has fought at a high level as well. His foes have included Kermit Cintron (twice), Paul Williams, Daniel Santos (twice), Antonio Diaz, Andrew Lewis, Sergio Martinez, David Kamau, and Sugar Shane Mosley who hammered him in January 2009

Both know what it is to be a world champion.

Edge to Manny

Common Opponents

Joshua Clottey, who both fighters beat by UD, but Manny did it somewhat more impressively. This one is a wash.

Miguel Cotto, who both fighters destroyed. Margo’s destruction, however, may have provided an easy footprint for Manny.

The Corners

Monster edge to Manny with the calm and collected Freddie Roach who is as savvy as there is and knows how to get in an opponent’s head better than most. You can bet that Freddie is going over the Mosley beat down in fine detail and looking at those right hands that SSM used with shocking impunity.

Styles

Two aggressors but one, Manny, has far more finesse. Both will take a punch to deliver one and each is a merciless closer once he has his man hurt.

Manny has an offensive whirlwind style reminiscent of the great Aaron Pryor. He possesses an arsenal the qualitative content and completeness to which only Floyd Mayweather Jr. can stake claim-and that claim is becoming more questionable with time. He is tough, durable and mentally resilient. With his in-and-out movement, ability to attack from any angle, effective jabs, fight-ending hooks from both hands, great stamina, and a sound defense, there is little to criticize. However, Manny is susceptible to uppercuts and Margorito’s are much more powerful than those of Clottey. This will be a big danger area for Pac Man.

Margarito, pre-Mosley, was an incoming monster who used a high punch volume and kept the pressure on his opponents until he broke them. His stoppage of Cotto was frightening in the manner in which it was delivered. In fact, Margo actually jogged after Cotto which is a rare thing to see in boxing. His chin, pre-Mosley, was granite-like and that allowed him to keep coming.

Chin

Mosley cracked the granite and once that is done, thing have a way of changing for the worse. Manny has a surprise edge here, but he must avoid Margo’s uppercuts which is to say, he must avoid fighting Margo inside,

Ring IQ

Both are savvy and experienced fighters. Manny follows instructions very well, though his ability to adjust is exemplary. Margo is predictable and lacks Manny’s overall command of the ring. The edge goes to Manny here.

Dimensions

Pacquiao is 5’6 ½” and has a reach of 67″. Margarito is 5’11″ and has a reach of 73″. A big advantage goes to Margarito here, but Pac Man has never let that be an issue before. According to their contracts, neither boxer can be more than 151 pounds at the weigh-in on the day before the fight. That is a concession to Pacquiao, 31, who began fighting professionally in the 108-pound division, and will be trying for a title in his 8th weight class. Margarito, 32, has been fighting at 147 pounds and up since 1996.

Intangibles

Cuts: Manny is more prone to facial cuts and bruises than Margo.

Momentum: Pac Man gets the big nod. He is on a great streak of big wins (Clottey, Cotto, Hatton, De La Hoya, Diaz, Marquez, Barrera, Solis, Morales, and Larios). Margo is coming off of a long and forced lay off with his last win a UD over Roberto Garcia in Aguascalientes, Mexico on May 5, 2010.

Pre-fight hand wrapping issues: The issue has been vetted ad nauseum and I don’t intend to add to it except to say it might be more of advantage for Margarito. Why? Because he may have “redemption” as motivator. As for Pacquiao, I hardly seem him as the type worrying much about what’s in Margo’s gloves. Look at it this way, when a bank that has gone under has been taken over by the FDIC, it becomes a very safe bank. The same holds true for Antonio. In a strange way, he just might be the “cleanest” fighter in the world on November 13.

Home Advantage: There could be as many as 70,000 fans in attendance with most screaming “Mexico, Mexico.” This can only help inspire the Tijuana Tornado who enjoys fighting in front of HIS fans.

Focus: In May 2010, Pac Man was officially proclaimed Congressman of the province of Sarangani (most provinces in the Philippines are politically volatile). These responsibilities can only have a negative impact on his ring work, for it’s difficult to imagine how he can focus in a training camp while attending to the demands of political office.

Mosley Beating: My theory on this one has always been that part of the beating was due to what had occurred in the dressing room before the fight. That may well have done serious damage to Margo’s mental state — being caught and all — and may have set him up for a big beat down; taking nothing away from Mosley’s rocking right hand shots. The point here is that it is easy to underestimate how dangerous Margarito can still be, though some say Margo will seek an appropriate time to go down — and then run off into the sunset with his big payday. To that I say “hogwash.” I just don’t see that happening in front of 70,000 fans.

Outcome

Speed will be the critical variable in this fight. And Manny has the speed (and skills to go with it).But before he prevails with a 10th or 11th round stoppage, he will be rocked several times by a stalking Margo using his heavy hands. Around the 7th or 8th, I see a facially bruised and puffed up Manny finally asserting himself but not nearly as easily as he did with Cotto.

He should begin to go into his signature cruise control late in the 8th canto, positioning a game but confused Margarito for the kill with cumulative in-and-out hooks and shots from different angles. The end will come with a super fast flurry that will snap The Tornado’s neck back mandating the referee to halt the action late in the fight.

Pacquiao will know he was in a real fight this time, enough so that this could well be his swan song. Heck, being a Congressman in the Philippines has to be easier than this.

What do you think?

Margarito climbing mountains in training for Pacquiao!

Three-time world champion Antonio Margarito is running up the mountains in San Bernardino, Ca. in his first phase of training for the mega fight against Manny Pacquiao on November 13.

“Margarito goes straight up – no trails – he runs through brambles and bushes,” said chief trainer Robert Garcia today.

Garcia said he drives Margarito to Mount Baldy, elevation 4,193 feet, in San Bernardino County.

“We need strong legs to beat Pacquio,” Garcia said.

“Antonio runs up the mountain for a hour, returns and then we’re off right away to the El Monte Gym which is nearby. There, Antonio goes into a hard workout – mitts, then heavy bag, jump rope, speed bag, It’s a long, hard workout. No sparring – at least, not yet.”

Garcia said Margarito will break camp at the El Monte Gym at the end of this week and then begin phase two of training in Oxnard, Calif.

“Margarito will spar for six weeks beginning next week,” said Garcia. “This is our game plan and we are right on schedule.”

Pacquiao vs. Margarito on November 13 is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium. Pacquiao vs. Margarito will be available on HBO Pay Per View.

Pacquiao vs Margarito and Other Big Bouts as Boxing Heats up in November

We sit here today approaching the last week of a hot September month. October is right around the corner, so what does this mean for fight fans? Nothing but silence and a whole lot of nothing. Do not get me wrong, there are quite a few fights scheduled for October but nothing that really sticks out. Well actually there is one hot date in October that I really want to see. That date is October 16th when Vitali Klitschko takes on Shannon Briggs, Live from the O2 World Arena in Germany.

As good as I think Klitschko is, I have always felt that Briggs has the ability to shock the World. The key will be conditioning and the mental state must also be at an all time high. Other than this fight, nothing in October really grabs my attention. In this day and age, we have way too many promoters and top fighters for this to be going on. Other than my sons birthday party in late October, in which we will be going to Disneyland for, I will pretty much be free all month long. So if you have a party, a late night cricket match, dinner, a card game, or heck anything else that you want to invite me for, feel free to invite me, I’m all yours.

Now come November, that is a whole different story. In the first week of November we will have JuanMa vs. Rafa, Judah vs. Matthysse, Guerrero vs. Escobedo. Then the very next week we will have the loaded Pacquiao vs. Margarito card, Haye vs. Harrison, followed by Danny Green vs. BJ Flores. Third week of November we will have the explosive rematch between Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams, we will also have a loaded card brought to you by none other than Andre Rozier, it will feature Chin Checker Curtis Stevens, Will Rosinsky, the complete package that is Sadam Ali, and the future problem that is Shemuel Pagan. Then we close out the month with Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Katsidis, and Celestino Caballero vs. Jason Litzau.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a few fighters that tangle in October that I will have a close eye on. Like Tor Hamer, Ismayl Sillakh who I feel will be the future at 175, Dallas Jr., Shawn Estrada, Javi Molina, Kevin Hoskins, Danny Garcia, Lucian Bute, Shawn Porter, Kendall Holt at welterweight, Eloy Perez who I feel is a very good young boxer, Charles Huerta, Randy Caballero, Deontay Wilder, Wilfredo Vasquez Jr., Jorge Linares, David Lemieux, Jorge Diaz vs. Emmanuel Lucero is going to be a shoot out, Glen Tapia, and Povetkin. Other than the solo performances of these very good fighters, only the match up between Klitschko and Briggs gets my attention. Oh and how could I forget the clash between Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar in Anaheim. As I mentioned above, I will already be in Anaheim that weekend in Disneyland celebrating my son’s Birthday, so I just may have to stop by and take a peek.

I am not really a MMA fan, but I am however a Cain Velasquez fan. My good friend went to High School with Cain and are both good friends with one another, and my brother who is a huge MMA fan is the one responsible for getting me into digging Cain as well. Like I said, I am not a MMA follower, so I really couldn’t tell you who will win this clash. But I will go on to tell you that Cain Velasquez is a very good exciting fighter. So in October it will be Klitschko vs. Briggs and Lesnar vs. Velasquez. If you guys feel that there is something that I am missing for the month of October that you feel I should check out, please comment below and let me know. until then I will pretty much be gone till November.

Poor basics will seal Margarito’s fate – Roach

After carefully studying Antonio Margarito’s fight tapes, trainer Freddie Roach pointed to poor fundamentals as a major drawback in the Mexican roughhouser’s style and said the other day his lack of ring generalship will make it easy for Manny Pacquiao to score a knockout in their 12-round bout for the WBC superwelterweight title at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 13.

“Margarito has no control of the ring,” noted Roach. “He has little foot movement. He doesn’t cut the ring off. Instead, he follows his opponent around. I don’t see sound fundamentals. His strong point is a good chin, a better chin than Ricky Hatton. But he quits – something he showed in the Sugar Shane Mosley fight.”

What makes Margarito dangerous is he’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain. And he’s desperate to straighten out his career tainted by a suspension stemming from a finding that his handwraps contained traces of sulfur and calcium to form a hardened plaster in the dressing room before the Mosley fight in January last year.

“If he wins (over Pacquiao), all of a sudden, he’s up there,” said Roach. “I think he got away with just a slap on the wrist for his loaded handwraps. The sentence was kind to him. Of course, he knew his handwraps were loaded. How could anyone not know he’s weighed down by a brick? Luis Resto and Panama Lewis served three years in prison and were banned for life when it was proved they conspired to pad handwraps in the Billy Collins fight. I’m assuming Margarito used loaded handwraps when he knocked out Miguel Cotto. Margarito came back from his suspension last May and is now fighting Manny – that’s getting off lightly.”

Because Margarito is known for his dirty tricks, Roach said it wouldn’t be smart for Pacquiao to stay on the ropes and invite the Mexican to bang away. Pacquiao used the rope-a-dope trick on Cotto who took the bait, abandoned his left jab and bore in only to absorb a brutal beating en route to a 12th round technical knockout loss in Las Vegas last year.

“Margarito’s an in between a Cotto and an Oscar de la Hoya,” said Roach. “Manny won’t fight him like he did Cotto. Margarito’s a dirty fighter. He’ll do whatever he can to win. He’ll throw low blows, butt and elbow. Manny’s watched tape, too. We compared notes about his habits and we observed the same things. We’ve talked about our gameplan and we’ll develop it as we go along in training camp.”

Roach said he has nothing against Margarito but didn’t appreciate his comments about Pacquiao during a recent press conference in Dallas.

“He likened his handwraps issue with (Floyd) Mayweather’s accusation of Manny taking performance enhancing drugs,” said Roach. “Wait a minute. Margarito got caught. Manny was accused but nothing was substantiated because he doesn’t do drugs. There’s a big difference between his issue and Manny’s. When I mentioned the Tijuana Tornado would get downgraded to a tropical storm, he stared me down.”

Roach said Margarito’s 4 1/2- inch height advantage doesn’t worry him.

“Size doesn’t win fights,” he explained. “Speed kills and Manny’s just too fast for Margarito. It’s easier to bring down a bigger guy than a smaller guy or someone who’s your size. Margarito’s not a mover. Besides, we still don’t really know if he can punch. I’ve talked to three guys who’ve sparred with him and they’re giving me different impressions. Rashad Holloway sparred with Margarito and broke his eye socket. One guy, Zavala, swore Margarito can’t punch after sparring with him but another guy, the Scottish kid Craig McEwan, told me he hits like a hammer. Whatever, we’ll be ready. Margarito is a volume puncher, he’s no Joshua Clottey. He’ll keep Manny busy.”

Roach said he expects the first four rounds to be explosive.

“We’ll see a very competitive first four rounds,” he said. “Margarito will come out attacking. Then, Manny will start breaking him down with his power and speed. He won’t be able to handle Manny’s speed. He’ll begin feeling Manny’s power and remember, he cuts easily. Manny will go on to beat him up badly. I think it’ll be over by the eighth round.”

Margarito, 32, is coming off a unanimous 10-round decision over Roberto Garcia for the vacant WBC International superwelterweight crown in Aguascalientes, Mexico, last May. Garcia was floored in the first round and was never in contention as the judges scored it 100-88, 99-90 and 99-89. Margarito’s record is 38-6, with 27 KOs compared to Pacquiao’s 51-3-2, with 38 KOs.

Pacquiao, 31, has won his last 12 fights, eight inside the distance, and hasn’t lost since dropping a decision to Erik Morales five years ago. If he beats Margarito, Pacquiao will set a new record by capturing his eighth world title in eight different divisions.

Pacquiao Margarito 24/7 (Face Off with Max Kellerman)

Manny Pacquiao will face-off Antonio Margarito for a super welterweight title bout on November 13, 2010.

After Pacquiao’s impressive win over Joshua Clottey on Pacquiao vs Clottey last March and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s win over Shane Mosley on Mayweather vs Mosley last May, talks and negotiations for the possible mega fight between the current and former pound-for-pound king circulated again.

Unfortunately, Mayweather seemed uninterested with that fight for now as his camp ignored the Money Time Countdown last July. Because of this, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito were the top candidates as Manny’s next opponent.

Although Cotto won his third world title in as many divisions on Cotto vs Foreman last June, Margarito was chosen as Pacquiao’s opponent because it would be perceived as a more competitive bout and Manny has already defeated Cotto once on Pacquiao vs Cotto. Antonio is coming off a win at Margarito vs Garcia after being suspended for more than a year because of a hand wrap controversy that occurred before the Margarito vs Mosley bout.

The super welterweight fight is just a few weeks away but before that, these boxers officially sat down on a Pacquiao-Margarito face-off with Max Kellerman interview to hype their upcoming match.

On this teaser interview, both camps’ trainers are present. Margarito was asked about his awareness about the incident with the hand wraps. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach also predicted that Manny will knock out him inside of eight rounds, check Antonio’s reaction to this.

Watch Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito Face Off with Max Kellerman Video

Manny Pacquiao Day 2 Training (Photos)

Breathtaking images of the seven division world champion in training for his coming super-welterweight championship fight against Mexican Antonio Margarito. Day 2 of Pacquiao’s training was at the Elorde boxing gym in Del Monte in Quezon City.  Photos by Wendell Rupert Alinea.

Manny Pacquiao Day 2 Training Photos

King Pacquiao rolls on

He’s an actor, a singer, a guitar player, an elected congressman, and oh yea, a seven division world champion.  Not too bad for a kid that used to sell cigarette’s on the streets of General Santos City for a living.  Pacquiao has risen from nothing, to the top of the world and he’s done it through very hard work and dedication.  Now that he is on the top, there are a few folks out there who want to knock him off.  Pacquiao is the king of the hill, and until someone can step up and knock him off he will stay king of the hill.

The road to the top has not been all easy.  Manny had to square off against Mexico’s toughest warriors, IE Morales, Barrera, Marquez, and Mexican American Oscar De La Hoya. Instead of praising his achievements his critics look for negativity and write about that.  They will write that De La Hoya was a shot fighter instead of praising Manny for soundly defeating him.  They will write that Manny uses steroids, instead of praising him for his hard work in the gym.  Pacquiao just keeps on rolling.

When Pacquiao ran for office the first time he was soundly defeated.   He showed the true sign of a champion and instead of giving up he ran again. Victory was at hand with his second attempt, and now he is an elected Congressman.  I find it absolutely amazing how anyone can bad mouth this guy.  The people that bad mouth Manny Pacquiao are nothing but grade A losers. One of my favorite sayings, and one that I live by is “success breeds hate” and it’s so true.  When someone succeeds, that’s when the envious attack.  Those who hate want to be at the level of those they are hating on.  When people are jealous, they can’t stand the fact that they have not succeeded themselves, so they attack those who have.

Pacquiao has done nothing but succeed for many years now.  He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, and he has not let his fame and money get to his head.  Whenever I read an article from someone that remotely hates on Manny Pacquiao, I immediately shake my head and say, ’another hater, success breeds hate, and haters are a dime a dozen.’

Pacquiao keeps on rolling.  He fights again in November against Antonio Margarito, a fight that most insiders say he will win.  Floyd Mayweather Jr is still on his radar, but the blip isn’t as bright as it used to be. Manny doesn’t need Floyd Mayweather Jr.  He can retire anytime he wants to at this point and have enough money for several Pacquiao family generations.  He’s a calm and collective type guy outside of the ring, and a two handed wrecking machine inside of the ring.  He keeps on rolling, and the Pacquiao train doesn’t look like it will stop anytime soon.

Antonio Margarito Training Tough in Phase One of Camp

Three-time world champion Antonio Margarito is running up the mountains in San Bernardino, Ca. in his first phase of training for the mega fight against Manny Pacquiao on November 13.

“Margarito goes straight up – no trails – he runs through brambles and bushes,” said chief trainer Robert Garcia today.

Garcia said he drives Margarito to Mount Baldy, elevation 4,193 feet, in San Bernardino County.

“We need strong legs to beat Pacquio,” Garcia said.  “Antonio runs up the mountain for a hour, returns and then we’re off right away to the El Monte Gym which is nearby. There, Antonio goes into a hard workout -  mitts, then heavy bag, jump rope, speed bag, It’s a long, hard workout.  No sparring – at least, not yet.”

Garcia said Margarito will break camp at the El Monte Gym at the end of this week and then begin phase two of training in Oxnard, Calif.

“Margarito will spar for six weeks beginning next week,” said Garcia. “This is our game plan and we are right on schedule.”

Pacquiao vs. Margarito on November 13 is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium. Pacquiao vs. Margarito will be available on HBO Pay Per View.

Pacquiao spotted training in Quezon City

It’s almost hard to believe how much intrigue a possible clash between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather has lost in recent months. Floyd has seen his life spiral out of control in well-documented fashion while Pacquiao is now focusing on a November 13th date with Antonio Margarito in which he will challenge the Tijuana fighter for the vacant WBC junior middleweight championship of the world.

Pacquiao was recently spotted working out with trainer Freddie Roach at the Elorde Gym in Manila’s Quezon City in the Philippines. Having not seen his charge for roughly half a year, Roach came away pleased with his fighter’s mindset during their light training routine.

“We had a very good start,” Roach told GMANews. “We didn’t rest in between rounds. Manny already knows what to do with that guy (Margarito).”

Roach arrived with two of Pacquiao’s sparring mates, New Jersey-based prospect Glen Tapia and Michael Media, who were also present at the gym. The team will make their way to the mountains of Baguio City to begin full preparation either Wednesday or Thursday.

Recently while in Las Vegas, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum advised Roach that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. would not be making the trip to the Philippines as expected. However in recent days it has been reported that the 24-year old Sinaloa, Mexico fighter will indeed be coming to camp, just a few weeks later than the rest of the crew.

As for the Las Vegas-based Mayweather, people are still up in arms over his recent struggles, including a Ustream tirade against Pacquiao as well the recent dilemma he faces after being charged with various counts of larceny and assault after the mother of three of his children, Josie Harris, claimed the fighter physically attacked her in front of his children on September 10th.

Pacquiao and Mayweather are obviously in different places right now in their lives and come mid-November we will have a better understanding of both of their futures. Mayweather’s court date is scheduled for November 9th while Pacquiao meets Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas just four days later.

Margarito braces for mega bout

If his training and choice of sparring partners is any indication, Antonio Margarito is preparing for his fight November 13 showdown with Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao like never before in his career—hoping his hard work would lead to a big upset win over the Filipino pound-for-pound king.

Margarito, who trains very hard like Pacquiao, is “already in great shape” having started his preparations for Pacquiao in the second week of September, according to his chief trainer Robert Garcia.

Garcia said the Oxnard, California-based Margarito would have no problem making the 151-pound catch weight for his Pacquiao fight since he stays fit in between fights plus the fact that he always trains very hard.

“Good thing about Margarito, the first thing I did was weigh him Monday after training and he’s weighing 159,” Garcia told veteran boxing writer Chris Robinson of examiner.com.

“So he’s only got 9lbs to lose for his fight. That’s very good. It’s like a pound a week and that’s a great advantage for Margarito.”

What really excites Team Margarito is the confirmation that reigning world middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 25 by knockouts) has agreed to help prepare the three-time Mexican welter champ for the biggest fight in his boxing career.

Martinez—35 and a power-punching southpaw like Pacquiao—holds the World Boxing Council and World
Boxing Organization middleweight titles. The Argentine slugger is rated seventh in the Ring magazine’s elite Top 10 best boxers, pound-for-pound.

“I’m very close to Sergio Martinez’s camp and he is such a great person and they offered to help us out with whatever we need,” said Garcia, a highly respected ring tactician.

He added that Team Margarito is lining up four other sparring partners for the Mexican-American brawler, a former three-time world welterweight titlist and the first fighter to beat Martinez in their February 2000 encounter.

Garcia said Team Margarito hopes their fighter would be able to trade leather with the Argentine champ at least twice a week to boost both fighters’ preparations for their coming fights.

He said Margarito has been taking regular morning mountain runs for two weeks followed by visits to the gym to build up his stamina and in preparation for formal training camp next week in Oxnard, where Garcia runs a gym.