ARLINGTON — Manny Pacquiao returns to Cowboys Stadium
, hoping to win in the same fashion as he did in his first trip here. In March, he pummeled a strangely passive Joshua Clottey en route to a one-sided victory.
, hoping to win in the same fashion as he did in his first trip here. In March, he pummeled a strangely passive Joshua Clottey en route to a one-sided victory. Many experts predict he will, citing superior hand speed as simply too great an obstacle for Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs), his opponent tonight in a 12-round bout for the vacant WBC super welterweight title.
A crowd that could reach 60,000 or more is expected as Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) tries to make history by becoming the first fighter to win titles in eight different weight classes.The fight headlines an HBO Pay-Per-View card promoters think could surpass 1 million buys.
Pacquiao is being cast as the hero this time, a role that appears to fit him well.
Considered the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, he's become a phenomenon in his homeland of the Philippines, where he has risen from the ashes of poverty to unimagined wealth.
Once a virtual unknown, he's now the newly elected congressman from the Sarangani Province who has dedicated his life to helping his people.
“I've slept in the street,” he says. “That was my life before. So hard. That's why I feel what they're feeling.”
Pacquiao also is wildly popular in America, recently appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” with Will Ferrell. He was profiled last week on “60 Minutes.”
Margarito, 32, is playing the villain, and seems well-suited for the part.
The Mexican fighter had his license revoked — and his reputation destroyed — in California in 2009 after attempting to get into the ring against Shane Mosley with illegal hand wraps.
He maintains he knew nothing of any of it, blaming his trainer.
Earlier this week, Margarito was the central figure in a controversy over an Internet video that appeared to show him and members of his camp mocking Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach's Parkinson's disease.
Margarito apologized, but the incident has only boosted his bad-boy image.
In the ring, there's plenty of intrigue, too. Not everyone is predicting a short night for Pacquiao.
At 5-11, Margarito is nearly 5 inches taller than his opponent and could outweigh him in the ring by as much as 15 pounds.
Pacquiao raised a few eyebrows Friday by weighing in at 144.6 pounds. Margarito tipped the scales at 150, the contracted weight.
“With our strategy, we are not worried about size,” Pacquiao said.
As for Margarito, Roach still doesn't trust him. He plans to be in Margarito's dressing room to oversee the process and make sure there's no funny business.
Roach also has expressed concern over Pacquiao's training, at one point calling it “the worst camp we've ever had.”
While still in the Philippines, Pacquiao missed several days in the gym while tending to politics.
San Antonio's Rick Crocker was chosen as one of the three judges for the fight.
Source: mysanantonio.com
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