Manny Pacquiao seeks new worlds to conquer after dismantling of Antonio Margarito -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Arlington, Texas — Manny Pacquiao was kind enough to visit Antonio Margarito in his locker room early Sunday morning.

Margarito weighed 17 pounds more than Pacquiao when they walked into the Cowboys Stadium ring Saturday night, but now he was lying motionless on a table with ice packs on his battered face and head. Stitches and a brain scan at a hospital would await.

At the hospital, doctors found that Margarito had suffered a broken right orbital bone.

Sergio Diaz, the fighter's co-manager, said Sunday that an eye muscle is lodged in that fracture and needs to be surgically repaired.

"The doctor mentioned that it is a common injury and there is nothing to be worried about," Diaz said.

Maybe not.

But for Floyd Mayweather Jr., who has already given every indication that he wants no part of a Pacquiao fight, Margarito's condition is a nightmare reminder of Pacquiao's ability.

Margarito is a former world champion who had nearly 20 pounds of extra weight, along with a notable height advantage over Pacquiao.

"Mayweather has ducked Margarito in the past," Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, said Sunday. "I'm sure this put more fear into him and puts him even further away from wanting to make this fight."

Important people will try to persuade Mayweather to accept a lucrative payday and take on the gifted Filipino.

"When you get to the point where Pacquiao is, the American public asks, 'Who's out there who can beat him,'" HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg said. "I don't have to tell you who that name is."

Whether Mayweather can beat Pacquiao is another question.

In claiming a record eighth world weight-class title by battering Margarito in a unanimous decision, Pacquiao (52-3-2) moved toward a third effort to negotiate a super-fight against the unbeaten Mayweather.

"My marching orders are to see if the Mayweather fight is feasible," said Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum.

There are impediments. Not only is Mayweather's openness to a Pacquiao fight in question, but he also has a criminal case to deal with in Nevada. He faces felony and misdemeanor charges after he was accused of hitting the mother of his children and threatening the kids.

His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 24, and even though a Clark County (Nev.) legal source said 2011 could pass without Mayweather going to trial, Arum wants a more complete picture.

Source: articles.latimes.com