Since everyone has got an opportunity to digest and get their frustration out concerning the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito (nobody likes this fight—I really don't like it, you don’t, like it, and your dog doesn’t like it either—Margarito is an unlicensed cheater and Pacquiao is one of the top two fighters in the world); most people are labeling this a sideshow, but I’m going to provide a different view of this. I’m not a fan of this fight but I will put that aside and think rationally.
The first positive originating from this is the face we don’t have to see Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto II. No one wanted this, and frankly it wouldn’t have gone much different.
Now if you look around at potential opponents, why not Margarito? At welterweight there aren’t any fighters I may wish to see him fight.
Shane Mosley, maybe, but he is tied up with Sergio Mora. Andre Berto is an exciting choice but he is too young and green at this point.
Timothy Bradley is a superb choice and I would love to see that fight. Undeniably that would be a top notch fight.
We wont be getting a Bradley fight, and we will be getting a Margarito fight. So lets look at the fighters themselves.
Margarito is 5’11” with a 73” reach, and the fight will be contested at 150 pounds. Pacman is 5’6 1/2” inches tall and has a 67” reach. That gives Margarito a big time height and reach advantage. The height and reach is the biggest difference Pacquiao will have to overcome in his career.
In the grand scheme of things this doesn’t mean much due to Margarito’s fighting style. He doesn’t use that advantage and he wont start against Pacquiao. The speed factor without a doubt goes to Pacquiao and power is up for debate. Was Margarito’s power solely from the concrete wraps or does he still have decent power?
He put down tough guy Roberto Garcia in his last fight but couldn’t put him away. That is the biggest question for most fight fans. If he has power left in the gloves like he showed before he may be able to get the respect of Pacquiao. Even if he does hit Pacquiao cleanly the chances of hurting him badly are slim.
Who has the better chin is up for debate. Pacquaio has been knocked out before but that was a long time ago. Margarito used to have the best chin in boxing before getting destroyed by Mosley. He has never been hurt outside of that fight and its fair to say that he probably can take a shot from Pacquiao.
So Pacquiao has every conceivable advantage, but he will be fighting one tough S.O.B. in Margarito. He will have a tough time making him quit, and frankly, this will be a give-and-take affair for 12 rounds.
How Pacquaio will respond to a war is up for debate. He has been mowing over opponents lately and hasn’t faced much resistance since fighting Juan Manuel Marquez.
Again I don’t promote this fight and I certainly don’t think it should have been made. When you really look at it though, why not Antonio Margarito?
credits: bleacherreport.com
No comments:
Post a Comment