On Friday afternoon, just a few hours prior to the official weigh-in, a member of Team Pacquiao told this reporter that he sincerely believed that Margarito was having trouble making weight. It came as no surprise that by the time that the Tijuana Tornado stepped on the scales, his official weight was 150 lbs on the button, which was the exact catch weight for the WBC light middleweight title bout.
On the other hand, many were surprised when Pacquiao tipped the scales far below the limit at 144.6 lbs.
Most pundits assume that Pacquiao chose to stay light in order to keep his advantage of explosive power and speed, just as he did in his December, 2008 fight with a much larger Oscar De La Hoya, when the Pacman weighed in a full 5 lbs below the welterweight limit of 147.
A lot has been said, and some uncertainty has arisen about Pacquiao?s ability to handle the 5?11?, Mexican power-slugger, especially since the airing of 24/7, which successfully portrayed Margarito?s determination to topple Pacquiao from his long-held seat on the pound-for-pound throne.
For Margarito, this is his best (and perhaps his last) chance at some semblance of redemption following the controversy surrounding the discovery of his illegal handwraps immediately prior to his fight with Shane Mosley.
