He has already rewritten the history books. He's captured 7 world titles in as many weight divisions. Manny Pacquiao will attempt to capture an 8th world title tonight when he takes on former world champion Antonio Margarito. There has been a lot of distractions and side show events leading up to this fight. The camp for Pacquiao in the Philippines did not go as well as coach Freddie Roach had wanted it to. Manny was not as focused this time around, but he seemed to have hit back on stride late in the camp. Roach went public several times expressing his disappointment with the camp. He did however change his tune for the better in the closing days of camp.
Antonio Margarito will earn about 3 million dollars for this fight. He is a man that's been given a second chance in boxing, but his behavior as of late has not been very appreciative. Recently he was captured on video with sparring partner and top ranked fighter Brandon Rios mocking Freddie Roach. As most of us know, Freddie Roach suffers from Parkinson's disease and has visible tremors, especially when he gets tired. Rios and Margarito both were captured on video shaking their heads and imitating Roach' tremors. This spread across the world like wild fire, and millions of fans were immediately disgusted and appalled. Margarito and Rios both have since apologized. Even with the apologies, the fans are still extremely upset with what both men did and have let it be known in boxing forums, Pacland, and on radio call in shows. Roach obviously is not happy with what they did, and neither is Manny Pacquiao. Keeping their usual integrity, Roach nor Pacquiao have lowered themselves and are focused on the fight. With that said, I can promise you that Pacquiao has seen the video, and a few of his punches that crack Margarito on the nose will have Freddie Roach's name written on them.
Manny tipped the scales at a very light 144lbs and Margarito came in at 150lbs. Tony will more than likely re-hydrate to over 160lbs when the bell rings so Pacquiao will have to be mindful of this. It's a huge weight disparity, so Pacquiao will have to rely on his speed to get his victory.
LISTEN to Podcasts with Manny Pacquiao, Roy Jones Jr, and more. Roy Jones chimed in with his prediction on the fight.
Mississippians that I have spoken to mostly want Pacquiao to win this fight. There is a pretty big Hispanic population in Mississippi and the majority of them are pulling for Margarito. I did speak to one Hispanic boxing fan yesterday that even with seeing the video of Margarito mocking Roach is pulling for the Tornado. Hector Hernandez, an amateur fighter from Jackson explained, "What Tony did on the video was wrong, but he apologized. He is Mexican, my blood and I will not turn my back on him. He will win this fight for Mexico." I also spoke with a Manny Pacquiao fan, Tom Johnson of Canton, MS. Johnson is appalled by what he saw in the video, " I wanted Pacman to win the fight, and now after seeing the video I want him to hurt Margarito!" There is no love lost between Pacquiao fans and Margarito fans, which should provide an electric atmosphere in Dallas, and across the world in hundreds of thousands of living rooms.
Tonight in Dallas, Manny Pacquiao will attempt to capture an 8th world title. A victory over Margarito will put him somewhere in outer space.
Photo: HBO
Source: examiner.com
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