It's Anybody's Fight: Pacquiao by Decision; Margarito by KO
By Manny Piñol
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 10 Nov 2010
Those who believe that the fight against Antonio Margarito is going to be a walk in the park for Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao may just have embraced that view through the tons of stories that glorify the greatness of the Pacman as a fighter, as if he were Optimus Prime who could transform himself into any shape to adjust to a situation and prevail in the battle.
But such is not the case. Let us analyze this fight setting aside our emotions.
Lest you have forgotten, Manny Pacquiao was born to a woman named Dionisia Dapidran and was baptized Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao. He was not conceived by the Holy Spirit and he could not walk on water. Ergo, he is just another human being like us.
And therein lies the danger: Human beings have limitations. There is a limit to what a 5 foot 6 fighter who used to weigh only 112 pounds could do in a sport where the contestants are classified according to how heavy they are. It has long been an accepted fact that a bigger boxer could take and absorb the punches of a smaller fighter while inversely, the smaller fighter is expected to crumble under the power and size of a bigger fighter.
Manny Pacquiao may have easily demolished his smaller opponents but he just could not roll over bigger opponents.
Proof? While he was able to knock the lights out of Ricky Hatton who is just about his height and size, it took Manny Pacquiao a lot of huffing and puffing to force Oscar dela Hoya to quit. Oscar Quit, he was not knocked down or knocked out with one single punch.
In his fight against Miguel Cotto, the Pacman showed he could be hurt by a bigger guy and in his last fight prior to becoming a Philippine congressman, Ghanaian Joshua Clottey, who came to the Cowboy Stadium obviously to dance and strut rather than fight, remained standing even after 12 rounds of battering from Pacquiao.
In the Clottey fight, Manny Pacquiao appeared like he was hitting a moving punching bag and he unleashed everything he could but the target stayed on his feet even after 36 minutes of mauling.
The conclusion? A bigger fighter could absorb and withstand the dreaded punching power of Manny Pacquiao.
At 5' 11 and a natural welterweight who has moved up to the junior middleweight division, Antonio Margarito, slow and lumbering he may be, is expected to withstand and absorb the power of Manny Pacquiao. At the same time, it is safe to conclude that with his sheer size advantage, Margarito would be the stronger fighter when they meet on Nov. 13.
I don't believe that the trainers of both fighters do not realize this. They are not dumb.
And so, for Antonio Margarito I believe that the fight strategy that trainer Robert Garcia has laid out would simply be: Attack and try hard to connect. Never mind Pacquiao's jabs and straights because he expects his boxer to be able to carry the power of the smaller Filipino fighter.
Their objective would be to land a big punch that would hurt Pacquiao and intimidate him. Margarito will go for a knockout. He knows that given Pacquiao's speed and footwork, he cannot win a 12-round cat and mouse game.
For Manny Pacquiao, the gameplan would simply be: Sting Margarito and frustrate him. Tire him by continuously moving around and throwing punches from all angles. I honestly do not believe, never mind the pronouncements of coach Freddie Roach, that Pacquiao will go for an early knockout. Pacquiao, most of all Roach, knows that knocking out Margarito early on in the fight is a tall order and a dangerous mission at that.
Roach will wait for signs that Margarito has tired before he will allow Manny to initiate the attack. Early on,. he is expected to tell his ward to avoid the punches of the Mexican and to stay in the middle of the ring where he could easily maneuver.
But to be able to do this for six to eight rounds, much more 12 rounds, Manny Pacquiao must be in the best of shape. His stamina must be ever present. If the reports that he was preoccupied with other things rather than really prepare for this fight were true, then Manny Pacquiao could be in trouble.
Given this analysis, I am inclined to conclude that if the fight will end in a knockout, it will be Margarito standing over the smaller Manny Pacquiao. If it goes the distance, it will be the fleet-footed Manny Pacquiao thumbing his nose at Antonio Margarito.
In the end, this early there are really no clear indicators that either fighter could safely say that the junior middlweight crown of the World Boxing Council (WBC) is his for the taking.
It is still anybody's fight.
Top photo: A standing-room-only crowd of media and fans showed up to see superstar Manny Pacquiao during media day Tuesday. Pacquiao takes on three-time world champion Antonio Margarito on November 13, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Pacquiao vs Margarito is promoted by Top Rank in association with MP Promotions and Cowboys Stadium. The Pacquiao vs Margarito telecast will be available live on HBO Pay Per View. -- Photo Credit : Chris Farina - Top Rank.
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