The upcoming fight between Manny Paquiao and Antonio Margarito is receiving a lot of media interest, but many people dont realize how good Margarito is. A lot of people did not see Margarito's last fight. A good win over a solid Roberto Garcia that took place in Aguascalientes, Mexico because Margarito couldn't get a license to fight in the US.
That means that the last time most fans saw Margarito in action he was sleep walking through a fight with Shane Mosley two years ago after getting caught with loaded gloves in the dressing room before the fight.
Talk about a double whammy. Margarito ended up looking like a cheater and a bum all in one fight. That development and the subsequent beat down Tony received from Sugar Shane Mosley made the Tijuana based fighter's entire career suspect to many sports fans.
Those fans would be wrong, however. I know a couple of guys who have done the mitts with Margarito and they swear he hits like a mule. With or without loaded wraps.
He's also got a great chin. No one had ever knocked out Margarito before Mosely. Then there's the question of Manny's dedication. This will be his first fight since being elected to the Senate in his home country and he spent most of the spring campaigning for office.
That makes Manny a patriot in his home country. The question is if it also makes him less effective as a fighter. I still think Manny wins this fight. I think he's too fast for Margarito and his speed should make him victorious. He also love to fight. A trait that has made him one of the all time greats.
But if Margarito catches him flush even once, we going to see if Manny is a real welterweight. Or a fighter that just caught a bunch of bigger fighters at the downward point of their careers.
