Margarito Interview

Fight****.com caught up with WBO welterweight champ Antonio Margarito (34-4, 24 KOs) on Monday night as he enjoyed the fights at El Palenque Theatre in his native Tijuana, MX. Margarito was present to show his support to hometown favorite Jackie Nava as she prepares herself for her upcoming rematch for the WBC super bantamweight title in Argentina. As always, the cordial and friendly "Tony" did not hesitate to attend to every autograph and interview seeker as well as numerous well wishers. Margarito shared with Fightnews.com the latest news about his healing right hand, his upcoming fight and his thoughts on Paul Williams, his mandatory #1 challenger. How is your hand healing after you hurt it in your last fight against Joshua Clottey? We are moving forward with it. The doctor said to wait about fifteen days before I throw punches with it to see how my hand would respond so right now I have just been running and keeping condition in the gym. We are going to wait the two weeks to see how it feels. So you will definitely not fight on the undercard of Cotto-Urkal in March? For the same reason that my hand not being 100% we had to cancel. We are looking at something in June, but first things first, and we have to wait to see how my hand heals and see if we are ready for June. There was some news from your promoter Bob Arum that you were going to leave your WBO title vacant, your thoughts? No, first of all they can not strip me of my title since I am hurt. It is stated in the rulebook that they have to recognize that. I don't know what they are thinking; possibly they are saying that because they say that I'm not going to fight Paul Williams. They have said that, but I don't know what they thinking. So if the WBO goes forward with the mandatory and they allow you time to heal, will you be willing to fight Paul Williams before getting in the ring with Miguel Cotto? Like I have said before I am willing to fight any fighter. Paul Williams has talked a lot, even through the elbows. Those are first to go down, the ones that talk a lot are the one that fall the hardest. But who is Paul Williams? I don't know how he got to be the #1 mandatory. I don't know who he has beaten, who he has fought to get there, he hasn't fought anybody. But people talk a lot. That I am afraid to fight him. Right now we are trying to take advantage of the title. This is a sport and it is also a business. There has been a lot of talk of a fight with Miguel Cotto. That is the one they have offered for June. I have said that if they really want me to fight Paul Williams and like Paul Williams says that he can beat me and that I don't want to fight him, then put the money on the table. Obviously if they offer me more money to fight Cotto, I'm going to fight Cotto; I want to take advantage of my title. I would definitely fight Cotto or if they say that they are going to offer me more money to fight Paul Williams I would fight Paul Williams. Its not about fear. That's the least of my worries. I have faced better fighters than Paul Williams. I say it again, who is Paul Williams? He got to be the #1 mandatory but I don't know how. We are willing to fight him as long as the money is there. Goossen Tutor, Paul Williams' promoter, has gone on record to say that they are willing to offer you more than a million dollars for you to fight Paul Williams. do you think that is enough to fight Paul Williams? Well what is happening they are offering us more for a fight with Cotto. Whoever offers more is the fight that I am going to take, whether it is Paul Williams or Cotto. If the sum is greater to fight Paul Williams then I will fight Paul Williams, if the sum is greater to fight Cotto, then I will fight Cotto. Does it bother you the statements that Paul Williams has directed towards you. Such things as that they should change your name from the "Tijuana Tornado" to the "Tijuana Chicken"? (Laughing) Look, it doesn't bother me. The only thing that bothers me is that the boxing media pays attention to him. It has been said in the media that he cut me in sparring, that he laid his hands on me in sparring. I don't know how it is possible that the media lends itself to those type of comments. If it was true, I would admit that it is true, but none of that is true. It's only something that he is saying. He's only saying that to get me mad, for me to fight him but its not like that. The only thing that I say is for them to put the money on the table and I will fight him. Who is Paul Williams? But I will fight him as long as the money is right. I don't care if he calls me a chicken, they just want me to lose my head or I don't know. It's a business and I am looking for the big purses. You would like to discredit the wins that Paul Williams obtained against fighters like Sharmba Mitchell or Walter Matthysse who was undefeated going into the fight with Williams? That's right. Sharmba Mitchell was almost retired at the time that they fought and the Argentinean I don't know. I will be honest, I didn't see that fight but I knew that they were going to fight and I had heard that Matthysse was undefeated at the time but I had never seen him fight. Afterwards I saw a tape, and I was able to see that they weren't good fighters.