Margarito, who stands more than 4-1/2 inches taller, and was a full 17 lbs heavier than Pacquiao on fight night, found himself in the greatest mismatch of his life – a mismatch that he could not overcome despite his size advantage.
Pundits argued that Margarito didn’t deserve a match with Pacquiao due to the loaded gloves scandal that resulted in his one-year suspension from the sport.
I offer absolutely no argument to that point.
However, I do believe that Bob Arum and Team Pacquiao sought out the best possible opposition available in light of Floyd Mayweather Jr’s absolute refusal to tangle with the pound-for-pound king of the ring.
In the absence of any welterweight fighter near the caliber of Pacquiao, the man actually moved up to a weight class in which he doesn’t belong just to attempt to give the fans a decent fight.
Exclusive Pacquiao – Margarito photos from Arlington, Texas
Yes, it was an extremely lopsided fight, but Margarito at 165 lbs possessed a great threat to the much smaller Pacquiao who found himself battered, and at times hurt by the powerful Mexican slugger.
The most intriguing element of the fight was the perceived possibility that at any moment, Margarito could have landed something that might have sent Pacman to the canvas, yet Pacquiao not only persevered, he excelled.
However unreasonable and ridiculous, excuses which deny the skills of Pacquiao will undoubtedly continue to be made.
Many will say that Pacquiao beat another slow-slugging schmuck, and ignore the fact that Margarito is among the most resilient and powerful punchers in the game.
They’ll ignore the fact that Pacquiao took the very best that a much bigger and extremely well-prepared Mexican warrior had to offer, unlike professional boxing trainer Stacy Goodson of Paris, Arkansas who acknowledged Margarito’s excellent conditioning, as well as Pacquiao’s brilliant performance.
“Margarito was in the best condition, and better prepared for this fight than he has ever been for any fight in his life,” Goodson said. “But he was no match for Pacman.”
Some will forget that Pacquiao, though extremely battered and bruised, had his hand raised at the end of the match, while every other welterweight boxer on planet earth would have folded like a boring book.
More excuses anyone?
Who coined the moniker “Catch Weight King”, and why on earth would anyone tag Pacquiao with such a ridiculous title while at the time, Pacquiao had only fought one match at a catch weight?
The 150 catch weight for the super welterweight Margarito bout makes a grand total of 2, and it would have been ridiculous NOT to have included a catch weight for this particular bout, don’t you think?
So now somebody will come out and say that Margarito was “weight-drained” while ignoring the obvious fact that he has fought as a welterweight for the majority of his career.
Or perhaps, they’ll use the “past his prime” excuse.
Whatever.
Margarito deserves his props for showing the heart of a lion. He could have quit, and they should have stopped it, but he continued despite suffering a broken eye socket, a completely closed right eye, a deep gash beneath it and a nearly closed left eye.
Did I mention that they should have stopped it?
Pacquiao deserves his props for having compassion for Margarito when he could have finished him during the final rounds. I mean, let’s face it. How many fighters would have been so merciful?
Pacquiao has been in the game for a while now. He knew that he could have done permanent damage had he not allowed Margarito to finish on his feet.
The bottom line is that Manny Pacquiao never ceases to amaze.
He never fails to give it his all, and even as the most exciting fighter in the world, he continues to improve with every performance.
Manny Pacquiao is not a good fighter. He is a great fighter who has carried the sport in recent years while ushering in millions of new fans.
It’s way past time to stop the ridiculous excuses.
It is what it is.
Bring on Floyd Mayweather.
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Source: examiner.com
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