Facing each other for the in-the-ring instructions posed a glaringly stark contrast between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito.
Pacquiao stood five inches shorter than Margarito. The 17-pound weight advantage Margarito gained in the 24-hour period since the previous day’s official weigh-in signaled yet another supposed physical disadvantage for Pacquiao.
But one of the reasons why Pacquiao has earned distinction as boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighter is his recent ability to overwhelm bigger men.
Three rounds into his super-welterweight title fight against Pacquiao late Saturday, Margarito learned of the same fate that doomed previous Pacquiao victims Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto — size does not matter.
What he lacked in height and weight, Pacquiao more than made up in speed, skill and talent. The Philippines native gave Margarito a sound 12-round whipping and won a lopsided decision at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The victory earned Pacquiao the vacant World Boxing Council super-welterweight crown. Pacquiao, whose first world title was in the 112-pound flyweight division, now has belts in eight different weight classes.
“It’s hard, I really did my best to win the fight,” Pacquiao said. “[Margarito] is strong; he is a very tough fighter.”
Margarito’s strength, however, could not overcome Pacquiao’s arsenal of combinations to the head. Punching from different angles and distances, Pacquiao quickly set the tone for another convincing victory when his early punch total opened a huge welt under Margarito’s right eye in the fourth round.
Pacquiao (52-3-2) continued peppering Margarito with sound shots to the head into the middle rounds. Margarito’s right eye continued swelling and by the late rounds it was nearly shut.
Despite Margarito’s battered faced and swollen eye, which resulted in a fractured orbital bone and hospitalization, trainer Robert Garcia refused to stop the bout.
Referee Laurence Cole also made no attempt at sparing Margarito from additional harm. On a couple of occasions in the late rounds, Pacquiao looked toward Cole, as a gesture to stop the fight.
With Cole and Garcia willing to allow Margarito (38-7) every opportunity to last the distance, Pacquiao reduced his firepower in the final round and yet landed sufficient punches to punctuate another dominant performance.
“In the 12th round, I wasn’t looking for a knockout, I just wanted to finish the round,” Pacquiao said. “My trainer told me to be careful. “I can’t believe I am winning this easy.”
The three judges verified Pacquiao’s victory with scorecards of 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110.
Margarito was Pacquiao’s alternative after a second attempt at landing a megafight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. fell through.
In an undercard bout on the Pacquiao-Margarito card, Miami resident Guillermo Rigondeaux won a split decision and a second-tier super-bantamweight title against Panama’s Ricardo Cordoba.
Ringondeaux and Cordoba (37-3-2) exchanged knockdowns in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively, but the 12-round fight was plagued by frequent periods of inactivity.
Two judges scored the fight for Rigondeaux, 114-112 and 117-109, while the third judge had Cordoba winning, 114-112.
A native of Cuba and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Rigondeaux is 7-0 since turning professional in 2009.
LOCAL CARD
Local prospect Rances Barthelemy will be part of Friday night’s first card at the Magic City Casino in Miami. Barthelemy (8-0, 6 KOs) will face Ignasi Caballero in a scheduled six-round lightweight bout.
The card’s main event will feature Miami resident Eromoseme Albert and Joaquin Zamora fighting for a regional middleweight title.
