On Nov. 13 at the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium, Manny Pacquiao will pursue what is widely regarded as his eighth title in as many different weight classes when he faces former world champion, Antonio Margarito.
Already the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king, the 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts) will face the 32-year-old Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) in an HBO pay per view televised, Top Rank Promotions clash for the WBC's junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt.
Their fight is being contested at catch weight of 150 pounds, meaning that neither fighter can weigh more than that, and, marking the second time that Pacquiao's contract has mandated such an agreement for a title bout. The last time, in November of 2009, the Filipino superstar dethroned Miguel Cotto for his current belt in the 12th round at a catch weight of 145.Because of the catch weight, however, there are some in the sport who consider it deceptive to call Pacquiao-Margarito a true title fight.
"The notion of championships has already become almost meaningless in this day and age, because you have so many different weight divisions and so many different sanctioning bodies," said boxing historian Thomas Hauser. "And then, you have them being further diluted by the idea of catch weights."
Pacquiao began his career as a 106-pound, 16-year-old with a four-round decision over Edmund Enting Ignacio in January 1995, and earned his first world title with an April 1999, fourth-round knockout of Gabriel Mira at 112 pounds.
Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports notes that Pacquiao has won crowns in either six, or, seven divisions, depending upon how it is calculated.
Pacquiao has earned sanctioning body belts at 112, 122, 130, 135, 140 and 147 pounds. At 126, Pacquiao defeated Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera, who was considered the linear champion even as he already had vacated all of his belts without having lost before facing Pacquiao.
Pacquiao has won 12 straight with eight KOs during that run, having last suffered defeat in March of 2005 against Erik Morales by unanimous decision as a super featherweight (130 pounds).
"When I look at Manny Pacquiao, I see a spectacular fighter who has gone up in weight to face increasingly more difficult challenges. What I don't see is a guy who is fighting for his eighth world championship against Antonio Margarito," said Hauser. "I believe that Margarito might very well be Manny Pacquiao's most difficult challenge of all, but I also think that the notion of a championship is irrelevant."
Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, disagrees.
"Catch weights have existed for the whole history of boxing. I remember that Sugar Ray Leonard won the light heavyweight championship [175 pounds] of the world coming in at 165 pounds when I think the catch weight was 166. When Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns fought for the super middleweight [168 pounds] title, the catch weight was 162," said Arum, CEO of Top Rank Promotions.
"This is not something new in boxing. The maximum limit for each weight category is just that. The maximum limit. Fighters always throughout history have arranged to meet at a catch weight," said Arum. "So I don't think that it affects at all that this is the eighth title. It's being fought at a weight that is above welterweight and at a maximum weight at 150 pounds, and therefore, it qualifies as a super welterweight fight."
Sugar Ray Robinson never lost as a welterweight fight, and was beaten once in his first 134 bouts on the way to a 175-19-6 record. Robinson's lone stoppage loss was in June of 1952, when he failed to win the light heavyweight title from Joey Maxim.
But the fact that Robinson weighed only 157.5 to Maxim's 173 had nothing to do with his 14th-round knockout loss. Instead, Robinson succumbed to heat exhaustion in the 103-degree temperatures at a time when he was ahead by 10, nine, and, seven rounds, respectively, in the scheduled 15-round clash.
"When Sugar Ray Robinson went up and challenged Joey Maxim for the light heavyweight championship of the world," said Hauser, "they didn't say that Joey Maxim couldn't come in above 170 pounds."
Henry Armstrong known, historically, as one of boxing's all time, pound-for-pound, fighters, compiled a record of 151-21-9, with 101 knockouts, according to Ring Magazine's Eric Raskin. Armstrong won title belts at featherweight (126 pounds), lightweight (135 pounds), and, welterweight over a 10-month period and held them simultaneously.
Armstrong stopped Petey Sarron in the sixth round for the featherweight title in October of 1937, weighed 133.5 in May of 1938 when he beat Barney Ross as a welterweight over 15 rounds, and, in his very next fight in August of '38, earned a lightweight split-decision over Lou Ambers.
Sugar Ray Leonard may have popularized the notion of catch weights, successfully pushing for them in consecutive bouts with Donny Lalonde, and, Thomas Hearns, respectively, in November of 1988, and, June of 1989.
Leonard demanded a catch weight of 168 pounds against Lalonde, who weighed 167 to Leonard's 165 when Lalonde was dethroned as WBC light heavyweight champion by ninth-round knockout.
Leonard already had knocked out Hearns in the 14th round of their September of 1981, welterweight unification bout when they rematched as super middleweight (168 pounds) titlists, respectively, in the WBC, and, WBO.
Leonard-Hearns II was negotiated to a 164-pound catch weight, ending in a disputed 12-round draw despite Leonard's twice being floored.
"The rules say that you can still fight for a title as long as you don't exceed the weight limit, and as long as both parties in the fight agree with it. How can you argue with that?" said Manny Steward, who trained Hearns.
"But with all of these sanctioning bodies, it would be more believable if you were to allow the champion of the weight class to fight at the true division limit," said Steward. "I believe that it's more credible when you beat the champion that way."
Hearns earned six career title belts and "never asked for a catch weight," according to Steward, weighing 189 pounds when he won the IBO cruiser weight (200 pounds) crown by unanimous decision over Nate Miller in April of 1999.
Hearns weighed 146 in August of 1980 when his second-round knockout dethroned Pipino Cuevas as WBA welterweight champ. Hearns then rose to earn the WBC's junior middleweight belt with a 15-round, majority decision over Wilfred Benitez as a 153.5 pounder in December of 1982.
Next, Hearns climbed to light heavyweight in March of 1987 and weighed 173.5 for his 10th-round knockout of Dennis Andries for the WBC crown. Hearns then dropped back down to 159.5 for his very next fight and stopped Juan Domingo Roldan in four rounds in October of 1987 for the WBC middleweight title.
Two fights later, in November of 1988, Hearns edged James Kinchen by majority decision for the WBO's super middleweight belt as a 165.5 pounder.
"Thomas goes from 154, all the way up to 175, and then, back down to 160 to fight a tough Argentinian in Juan Roldan," said Steward of Hearns, who already had lost a bid for the undisputed middleweight crown by third round knockout to Marvin Hagler in 1985.
"Thomas went back up to 168 and beat James Kinchen and became the sport's first four-division champ," said Steward. "Whatever the weight limit, that's what we fought."
On fight night, Roach said he expects to see a 160-pound Margarito, who reportedly had to lose some 40 pounds in six weeks prior to his ninth-round, welterweight loss to Shane Mosley in January of 2009.
"This is only the second catch weight of our lifetime. It was part of the negotiation. Both fighters signed contracts, so what's the issue?" said Pacquiaso's trainer, Freddie Roach. "But size doesn't win fights. The bigger [Margarito] is, the better off we are. I don't think that this is going to be a difficult fight at all."
Margarito weighed an even 154 pounds after Wednesday's workout, and "was feeling really good and doing really well," said his trainer," Robert Garcia. "Antonio's drinking a lot of water, and he's really happy."
Could that spell trouble for Pacquiao, who stands nearly 5-foot-7 to 5-11 for Margarito, even with the catch weight?
Pacquiao doesn't think so.
"In our training, we're studying harder and working against guys who are bigger and taller and who have a reach advantage. We do our best in training and with our strategy, and so we're not worried about his size," said Pacquiao.
"For me, I'm just a fighter who trains in the gym and fights in the ring. It's the job of my promoter, Bob Arum, to negotiate," said Pacquiao. "I believe that I can fight the bigger guy, even though I'm small compared to Antonio. We will always believe in our talent."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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