Ocala, FL (Sports Network) – It may or may not be the toughest mountain Manny Pacquiao’s ever climbed.
But it’s certainly the most ripped.
Already four inches up on his Filipino foe in the height department, California-born Antonio Margarito staked a claim to physical fitness superiority as well on Friday – weighing in at an eye-poppingly lean 150 pounds on the eve of their WBC super welterweight title bout at Cowboys Stadium.
The weight class limit is 154 pounds, but the fighters agreed to a contracted maximum of 150.
Pacquiao, who stands 5-foot-6 1/2 to Margarito’s 5-foot-11, weighed 144.6 pounds
A former three-time champion at 147 pounds, Margarito is making his second attempt at belted status in the next heaviest division. His initial attempt ended in a 10-round technical decision loss to Daniel Santos in a bid for the WBO crown in Puerto Rico in September 2004.
Santos was leading on two of three scorecards when the fight was stopped due a severe cut over Margarito’s right eyebrow that was caused by an accidental headbutt.
The 32-year-old was 10-2 with a no-contest and eight knockouts over 13 championship events at welterweight, most recently losing his WBA title by punishing ninth-round TKO to veteran Shane Mosley on a controversial night 22 months ago in Los Angeles.
The surprise beating came after a state commission inspector discovered an illegal substance in Margarito’s hand wraps during a routine pre-fight check, a finding that eventually prompted suspension of his license in California and denial of a reinstatement application in August.
He’s fought just once since, winning a wide decision over Roberto Garcia on May 8 in Mexico.
“Manny will feel my power,” said Margarito, now 38-6 with 27 KOs, who’s expected to try and bully the smaller Pacquiao with the grinding aggression that was so successful prior to the Mosley loss.
“There is no way we can lose this fight,” he said. “I’m going to knock him out.”
Oddsmakers steadfastly disagree, however, and have installed the speedy Pacquiao as a solid favorite.
According to World Sports Exchange (wsex.com), the 31-year-old is a 3-to-5 bet to win by KO, TKO or disqualification and a 14-to-5 pick to take a decision. Margarito, on the other hand, is 5-to-1 to win by stoppage or DQ and 14-to-1 to earn a victory on the scorecards.
Odds on a draw are 35-to-1 as of Friday night.
“We trained against bigger guys in camp,” said Pacquiao, a former champion in five divisions between 112 and 140 pounds and still the incumbent WBO belt- holder at 147. “With our strategy, we are not worried about the size.”
The 31-year-old hasn’t fought since March 13, when he took 11 rounds on two scorecards and all 12 on a third in a shockingly non-competitive decision win over Joshua Clottey in the inaugural boxing event held at the prodigious new venue in Arlington, Texas.
A showdown with unbeaten multi-division champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. was anticipated following Mayweather’s one-sided defeat of Mosley on May 1 in Las Vegas, but the two camps were unable to reach a contractual agreement.
Margarito, who also works with Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum, was subsequently suggested as a viable Plan B and will earn a reported $6 million if paid live attendance surpasses 60,000 and the $54.95 pay-per-view broadcast draws at least 1 million buys. He is guaranteed $3 million.
Given those numbers, Pacquiao is set to receive in the neighborhood of $15 million.
“Size doesn’t win fights, skill does, and we outweigh them in that department,” said Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer. “This will not be a difficult fight for us at all. Margarito’s defense is terrible and he can’t throw a straight punch. Manny will be down the middle all night. We’ve got a great, great game plan for him.”
The southpaw is 11-1-2 with nine knockouts in 14 previous title fights and hasn’t lost on the championship stage since he was dumped in three rounds by Thai flyweight Medgoen Singsurat 11 years ago in a 112-pound bout.
His last defeat of any kind came in March 2005 in Las Vegas, when he was beaten over 12 rounds by Mexican veteran Erik Morales in a non-title affair at 130. Two subsequent fights with Morales at that weight ended in 10th-round and third-round stoppages for Pacquiao.
He is 51-3-2 with 38 KOs.
The 144.6 pounds is the second-heaviest weigh-in number of Pacquiao’s career, trailing only the 145 3/4 he weighed for the defeat of Clottey eight months ago. Margarito, who won a much closer decision over Clottey in Atlantic City in 2006, has weighed 150 or more seven times and is 6-1 with four knockouts.
Margarito is ranked No. 1 by the WBC at super welterweight.
Pacquiao, because he holds a title belt from a different organization in a different weight class, is unranked. Should he win the championship, he’d likely be forced to vacate one of the titles.
“For sure there will be a lot of boxing because of his style,” Pacquiao said. “That’s what I want. Margarito can give a good fight because he has an aggressive style and he throws a lot of punches. I believe it will be a great fight.”
11/12 23:56:31 ET
