 I had the opportunity to see Margarito vs. Cotto live in Las Vegas. At the time I had been following the careers of both fighters very closely, and although Cotto’s boxing skills were superior, I always had doubts about his chin. So as a man who generally defies conventional wisdom, my “Benjamins” had been securely bet on the Tijuana Tornado, who was an 8-to-5 underdog in that fight. Similarly, “The Pride of the Philippines” comes into this fight as the better boxer, and faster opponent. But Cotto has a mechanism that Pacquiao doesn’t—flight. Pacquiao enjoys a good fight which is why he is so beloved by boxing fans around the world. It appears his sympathetic nervous system is wired as the polar opposite of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. who generally relies on speed, flight, and efficacy of attack when dealing with dangerous opponents.Speaking of which, who was Pacquiao’s last dangerous opponent? The defensive minded Joshua Clottey? The emotionally battered and bruised Miguel Cotto? The technically unsound Ricky Hatton? An over-the-hill Oscar De La Hoya? In my opinion, his last sound opponent was his controversial win against Juan Manuel Marquez, by which many boxing pundits believe he lost.The recent losses that Margarito have incurred have come by the way of Paul “The Punisher” Williams and “Sugar” Shane Mosley, both of whom were avoided by Manny Pacquiao’s handlers. Both of whom, in my opinion, would beat the dangerous southpaw.As unpopular as it may be, I am still a Margarito fan. He paid his debt to the sport with his 1-year suspension, and he was forgiven by the man who matters most, Shane Mosley. Margarito’s path to redemption could not be laid out more perfectly. He is preparing for the fight of his life. Conversely, I believe that this will be Pacquiao’s fight of his life. It will be a war of epic proportions against a bigger and stronger, albeit less skilled, version of Juan Manuel Marquez. If Pacquiao refuses to use the Floyd-esque method of “score-and-retreat”, he will become a victim of thunderous uppercuts and violent exchanges. I believe it will be Pacquiao’s inherent desire to mix-it-up that will lead to his demise in this fight. This fight is going to look like a construction site; hard hats and bricks. As soon as one is thrown, there will be another on the way. If I was Freddie Roach’s team I would make Margarito’s team wrap and unwrap those bricks twice. Regardless, I believe Margarito’s going to build a house on November 13th. My vote has been cast and this ain’t politics. Add Comment |
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