With Floyd Mayweather Jr refusing to put his foot where his mouth is, Manny Pacquiao picked up a bigger and more dangerous opponent in Antonio Margarito.
Match-up and business wise, the choice of the disgraced boxer from Tijuana, Mexico is both a poor and good choice by Top Rank?s Bob Arum.
Except for Shane Mosley, there is no other marquee welterweight that will bring in the fans and good money for Manny. With the exception of Floyd, of course.
But Floyd is still on a self-imposed and enforced vacation.
Margarito will provide plenty of sidebar stories in the build up for the fight, already scheduled for November 13.
Not only is Margarito the biggest opponent Pacquiao will ever face, he also is one of the handful of boxers that Mayweather had avoided while they were in their prime.
Although Margarito lost by knockout to Mosley, a recent Mayweather victim, the Mexican is as dangerous as he comes.
He will be enjoying a five inch height and a six-inch reach
advantage over Pacquiao. He is also not lacking in power, having sent to dreamland 27 of his opponents although he also has a record of six losses.
The two have fought two common opponents: Miguel Angel Cotto, whom they both knocked out, and Joshua Clottey whom they eked out a unanimous decision.
Style-wise, Margarito fits into the mold of Pacquiao KO victims but his height and natural built are advantages Pacquiao has never encountered before. And they are fighting in the super welterweight class ? a territory never explored by Pacquiao before.
The tale of the tapes points to a potential mismatch.
But Pacquiao carries with him the X-factor. Manny?s past opponents, with the exception of Juan Manuel Marquez, have difficulties adjusting to the swarming efficiency of Manny?s power punches and speed. Margarito, fortunately, is not your refined boxer who can switch strategy in between rounds.
How he will solve Manny?s speed will be his biggest problem.
This is bold move on the part of Manny. Taking another bigger guy like he had been doing before and shooting for an eight (some say seventh) world title in as many weight divisions ? something no one had ever done before.
But it may also be a poor decision.
A loss to Margarito will only reinforce Mayweather?s bargaining position while a win will not give a dent to the intransigence of the flamboyant American boxer.
For Manny to will have to convincingly demolish Margarito and hope that their fight will do well in the box office ? especially the pay-per-view proceeds.
But we cannot fault both Manny and Bob Arum. Manny?s bank accounts took a beating during the last elections and there are some payables and advances that need to be settled.
This fight should give Manny a gross of no less than US$18 million to make his and Arum?s Christmas a bit merry and the people surrounding them, too.
Not bad for a ?tune up? fight if and when Mayweather finally comes to his sense and make the fight of the century happen sometime next year.
But then again, Manny has everything to lose if he drops his fight against Margarito.
