It’s been a while since I’ve been able to break down a major prize fight, but the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world will step through the ropes on Saturday night as Manny Pacquiao takes on Antonio Margarito in Dallas.
Most everyone knows Pacquiao because of the fact that he’s won 8 different world championships in an unbelievable career. You’ve probably heard of Margarito, but for the wrong reasons as he was in the headlines a couple of years ago for trying to sneak in a plaster-like substance into his hand wrappings before his fight against Shane Mosley. He was caught, forced to re-wrap his hands and subsequently lost in an upset to the smaller Mosley. Margarito was then suspended from boxing for a year because of cheating.
So, there’s plenty of incentive and hunger for Margarito to try and pull off the upset against Manny. Before the suspension, he was one of the most feared fighters in the world because of his aggressive, no-fear style that would eventually wear down his opponents. After the suspension, he seems to be a shell of his former self because of the shame, embarrassment and ridicule that came with cheating.
When talking about Manny Pacquiao, we can safely say that for the first time in his career, he may be coming into this fight slightly unprepared as his focus has been his political duties back in the Phillipines and signing off on many commitments that come with his world-wide celebrity.
All fighters show so much hunger as they make their way to the top and try to make this big dollars, but many of those who make it to the big time to cash in big checks eventually lose that hunger and it reflects in their fighting as they don’t seem to have the killer instinct that they once had. Could Pacquiao be falling into this trap? Looks like it, but I think he’s got an opponent on Saturday night that’s tailor-made for him.
Pacquiao has a distinct advantage when it comes to overall speed, be it hand speed or foot speed. He always has this advantage, but it’s clearly evident this time around. Margarito is someone that will consistently come forward, try to pin his opponent against the ropes or in the corner and make it so that the fight could be held in a phone booth.
Give credit to Manny’s management and handlers because they’ve done a great job at hand-picking opponents that have the same traits as Margarito over his last four fights. His last three opponents all were the same and Pacquiao was never challenged.
Ricky Hatton was KO’d in devastating fashion and was never the same boxer or person ever again as evident by his turn to drugs and alcohol. Miguel Cotto was never known for speed and was completely embarrassed by Manny. Joshua Clottey stood in front of him for 12 rounds, took a beating but wouldn’t go down.
To me, it’s not a question of if Manny wins, but how he wins. That will be decided by the durability of Margarito, but I suspect that Manny will force him to crumble in the second half of the fight. Prediction: Manny Pacquiao by referee stoppage in the 8th round.