The four-sided ring has long been Manny Pacquiao?s canvas. Within its confines, he?s a modern-day Picasso with knockout masterpieces and thus, has become the sport?s most marketable star.
But there is trouble looming ahead with his match with Antonio Margarito. They are close to each other in age (Pacquiao is 31 to the 32 of the Mexican). The Tijuana-native sports a 38-6 record with 27 knockouts. He?s been a world champion twice so he knows what it takes to get there and to stay there.
He was found guilty of cheating by using loaded hand wraps and the resulting one-year suspension could have ended his career. Most recently, Margarito came back to defeat Roberto Garcia via unanimous decision to take the World Boxing Council (WBC) light-middleweight title. While hardly impressive in that fight, the Tijuana Tornado has made it a point throughout his career to bounce back from a loss to go on a long win streak.
While he will no doubt live down those accusations of cheating, the fight with Pacquiao represents a chance for redemption. It?s not exactly a plot out of Rocky, but there is nothing like a man going to war with clear motivations and hunger. Pacquiao won?t be fighting a past-his-prime fighter or some pugilist looking for that once-in-a-lifetime pot of gold. He?s looking to knock off the Filipino?s head if he has the chance. And a win against The Man should send him back to Glory Road where he got sidetracked.
But he won?t just be facing any man. He?s up against a fighter who has won nine world titles in seven different divisions, a man who champions the dreams and aspirations of close to a hundred million of his countrymen. He?s up against the PacMan who gobbles up foes and critics who say that he can?t win this and can?t win that. He?s also known throughout Mexico as the Mexicutioner; a man who has knocked out a Hall of Fame roster.
Since those pair of victories over Erik Morales that put him on boxing?s road map, Pacquiao has been on a tear. He?s won 12 straight and his record has been littered with fighters who he stripped titles from?the WBC super-featherweight crown from Juan Manuel Marquez, the WBC world lightweight belt (from David Diaz), the International Boxing Organization light-welterweight title from Ricky Hatton, as well as the World Boxing Organization welterweight championship from Miguel Cotto.
The vacant WBC super-welterweight world championship belt is on the line as are wads of dollars. But more than belts and money, this is a big fight because it will end one boxer?s career.
Much has been made about how Pacquiao is distracted by all his extracurricular activities. He is boxing?s equivalent to Kobe Bryant (although the Filipino seems to be a Boston Celtics fan)?they manage to drown out all the noise when it?s show time.
Much has also been made about how Margarito is bigger and with a longer reach than Pacquiao (he stands five-foot-11 with a 73-inch reach as opposed to the Filipino who is five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach). He?s faced fighters like that before?Oscar de la Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey, and he dumped them on their behinds, if not into retirement. Maybe the more apt statement is, Margarito has not faced anyone like Pacquiao before. The Mexican set a Compubox record for throwing 1,675 punches in his win against Clottey in 2006. He was younger then and he is up against Pacquiao who has rained punches on all his foes with GPS accuracy.
It is in Margarito?s best interests to let Pacquiao wade in and try to catch him on the counter. That reach advantage is relative unless you know how to use it. That wasn?t on display in his fights against Shane Mosley and Cotto. Against Garcia, he was unimpressive. He can go deep and has averaged eight rounds in his last seven fights.
Except for 2009 where he fought only once as he served out his suspension, Margarito has fought twice a year so he isn?t exactly rusty. He?s not too old to be fighting so he?s got some legs left.
Pacquiao, with his 51-2-3 record, has had almost the same work rate with the exception being 2008 when he fought thrice. He traded punches with some serious fighters unlike that guy who goes by the nickname Pretty Boy who chooses to go after others not on the radar to keep his face scar-free. He?s gone the distance in his past two fights so you know that he?s got stamina. In those 12-rounders against Cotto and Clottey, Pacquiao, the pound-for-pound king, TKO?d the Puerto Rican and had the Ghanaian on the ropes and on the defensive all throughout. Some might argue that Pacquiao couldn?t put them away. Hasn?t it occurred to you that he didn?t go up against a pair of chumps?
PacMan is just looking to get past this and maybe one more. But right now, there?s Margarito, and the fight at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is going to be one slam-bang affair.
The way we see it here, Pacquiao will be cautious. After all, the Mexican does throw a lot of wild punches. He did get lucky with Cotto after all the pummeling he received. Pacquiao will be wary of that reach but try to land combinations. When he senses blood, then he?ll go for the kill and the knockout.
It?s Pacquiao in seven rounds.
