Manny Pacquiao tortured a game Antonio Margarito over 12 violent and lopsided rounds last night in Dallas, Texas, in a fight that was remarkable both for the size disparity between the two combatants and for the effort Margarito put forth in an attempt to boost a reputation long settled at bedrock.
It was a strange kind of butchering, one not seen too often in boxing?an entertaining one. Other fighters simply do not have the sense of showmanship that Pacquiao does. This was proven earlier on the pay-per-view telecast by Guillermo Rigondeaux, whose stupefying performance against Ricardo Cordoba left a stench in Dallas that threatened to waft through surround sound systems across the Americas. Unlike many other boxing stars of track and field, who might as well enter the ring wearing negligees, Pacquiao believes excitement is part of his job description. Against Margarito, who entered the ring with a 17-pound pull in weight, Pacquiao delivered, throwing over 1,000 punches and taking a few lumps in return.
Margarito, Tijuana, Mexico, smartly opened the fight by jabbing. Unfortunately, Margarito did not step behind the jab with authority, and he did not double it up frequently enough to keep Pacquiao at bay. Margarito is simply too slow to try to get away with a single jab against a fighter as sheet lightning quick as Pacquiao is. Pacquiao began to run off shots in a dizzying blur soon after the opening bell, forcing Margarito, 150, to cover up as best as he could.
It was a pattern that would repeat itself throughout the fight.
Round after round saw Pacquiao, 144.6, mercilessly beat Margarito to the punch. A whipping left in the fourth round left Margarito with a nasty bruise under his right eye (later it was determined that Margarito had suffered a broken orbital bone), and followup combinations left Margarito looking wobbly. An early stoppage seemed imminent, but Margarito, now 38-7 (27), recovered and came out for the fifth round determined to track Pacquiao down. But trying to catch up to ?Pac Man? is like trying to catch a Peregrine Falcon with your bare hands. Nevertheless, Margarito managed to pin Pacquiao against the ropes for brief moments on a few occasions, and he enjoyed some offensive success when he did so. In fact, Margarito landed 43 percent of his powershots last night, a worrying number for an elite fighter like Pacquiao, whose defense has never been topnotch. At one point, a knifing left to the body doubled Pacquiao over and a crushing uppercut visibly jolted him, but Pacquiao, General Santos City, Cotabato del Sur, Philippines, took the punishment and dished out twice as much in response, ripping unearthly combinations from all points on the compass and rattling Margarito at every turn.
Rounds seven and eight saw Margarito, 32, land his share of blows, but the shelling he had to walk through to reach Pacquiao was overwhelming, and Margarito paid a terrible price for his bravery. By the 9th round Margarito had lost his sting, and his plan to outlast Pacquiao was now as likely to succeed as the launching of the Europa rocket. Despite his despicable behavior over the last two years?compounded recently by a tasteless comedy routine with ?Bam Bam? Rios?Margarito showed astonishing courage in fighting through pain and, at times, humiliation. Completely outclassed, Margarito underwent just about everything last night in Dallas except a strappado and cat-o-nine-tails session.
By the 10th round, Margarito was a ghastly sight, his right eye nearly closed, the bridge of his nose resembling a flattened beer can, and his left eye sporting bruises as well. Somehow Margarito rose from the stool to start the 12th round, weary, battered, sore, but ready for more. In the last round, with Pacquiao, 52-3-2 (38), apparently showing mercy, Margarito was reduced to shuffling and reaching for his tormentor with a feebleness that was grim for viewer and participant alike.
That Margarito went the distance is a testament to his heart and to the bravery of his trainer, Robert Garcia, who might have been motivated by some of the smack talk and bad blood leading up to the fight. Personal pride should not be the determining factor in allowing a hopelessly outclassed fighter to continue into the danger zone, but Garcia, who was a shot boxer by the time he was 25, decided that bragging rights for going the distance were more important than the safety of his fighter.
Pacquiao, 31, showed real razzmatazz against a bigger, stronger opponent, survived a scare or two along the way, and, most importantly, put an end to one of the tawdriest boxing promotions in years. And he did it with a flair that 95 percent of contemporary headliners lack.
