My opinion on Margarito's comeback...

Alright...where do I start? First of all I'm glad Tony's back, not just because I'm a huge fan of the man but also because I love boxing and seeing him back in the picture it brings some interesting possibilities in regards to fights that could possibly be made such as Cotto-Margarito II which IMO would be a great crossover road kind of a fight, redemption and revenge, Martinez-Margarito II another great fight that could be made at either 154 or 160 for the MW belts, Williams-Margarito II another great rematch and vindication for one of Tony's most recent losses, Pacquiao-Margarito which is my least favorite fight because for one I don't think Margarito deserves this fight at this point and because it would be another delay for the fight that should be made between Mayweather and Pacquaio. Now on to my boy's performance...I'll start on the positive, he looked great, physically and mentally I saw a man regaining his confidence back in the ring as the rounds when on and he got into a rhythm. The 1st round KD I think had Margarito breathe a sight of relief as far as showing his fans and his retractors that he still has legit power to KD an opponent at any given time and also a confidence booster throughout the fight. Defensively he looked much better, not like he became Willie Pep or Whitaker but he was using his feet well, turning his opponent around, good head movement, using faints, all of that good stuff but unfortunately all of that extra work had to pay a price because I noticed Tony started to lose some steam in the later rounds and on top of that the ring rust of a year and a half of absence. Overall I think he displayed some great boxing ability of vintage Margarito circa 00'-03' when he used to box a little bit more. His punches were tighter and more accurate, not as looping or wild as before, he looked more in control and the one-two combos were really connecting well, granted Garcia had no head movement whatsoever, just an ear muff guard throughout the whole fight, but it was nice to see Margarito use crisp combos. Now onto the negative...Although Garcia (trainer) seems to have been working well with Tony and tying to polish his game a bit I wonder if this is somehow taming the animal a little bit too much, Tony's presence could be felt the first 3-4 rounds and it looked like a well polished Margarito, working head and body and eventually scoring a nice solid KD after throwing a powerful one-two combo, but after that he seemed to settle into just boxing Garcia which I found kind of discomforting since Tony has always been an animal in the ring and often gets the knockout win. Garcia was really tough though, he was taking the punches well but he got hit with some powerful shots that rattled him, specially those uppercuts Tony started to land mid-way and the left to the body, but in his defense he just kept coming. I just hope this "new" Margarito was more of a man trying to get in some rounds after such a long layoff more than him trying to reinvent himself which I think it's too late for that. I think most people that enjoy watching Margarito it's been due to his non-stop pressure and attack, and although it was a nice chance to see him mix it up and use some solid movement it is not what made me such a huge fan of his inside the ring. Putting everything else aside it was nice to see my champ back in the ring and show he still has the will and determination to give the fans a couple more years of work.

Comments (9)

Margarito looked like his stamina, chin, power, and confidence were all eroded. I don't know what fight you watched. Margarito is at his best when he's overpowering his opponents, not boxing and moving trying to be something that he isn't. It was SAD to see MArgarito playing the matador. You know that if he still had it, he would be the bull. Agreed, that was the least enjoyable part of the fight, the showboating was uncalled for even though Garcia was the one who engaged and provoked it the whole fight. However it can be a combination of ring rust, trying to regain confidence, displaying new skills, getting some rounds in the bank. I wasn't blown away by his performance but I wasn't dissapointed either, it was more like neutral.

16y ago

IMDAZED

Yes but you are acting as if he would come in and only do one thing. Many times trainers have specific work that they would like their fighter to get in a fight. Maybe he wanted Marg to get rounds in, I think that would be the sensible thing considering he's been out for so long. If he would have KO'd his opponent right away, then he might not have gotten the real benefit of what his trainer wanted out of him. Margarito would've got rounds in either way, it was clear the guy wasn't going anywhere.

16y ago

Cuauhtmoc1520

I'd be lying if I said that didn't cross my mind. Margarito can't fight that way against an elite fighter without getting tatooed. And if he couldn't fight his usual style on Saturday (which is what it looked like to me) against that caliber opponent then...I don't wanna say it. Yes but you are acting as if he would come in and only do one thing. Many times trainers have specific work that they would like their fighter to get in a fight. Maybe he wanted Marg to get rounds in, I think that would be the sensible thing considering he's been out for so long. If he would have KO'd his opponent right away, then he might not have gotten the real benefit of what his trainer wanted out of him.

16y ago

Boxing_Scene

**** Margarito the cheater and **** anyone who supports him, and I don't give a shit if that hurts your feelings.

16y ago

IMDAZED

I can't deny that was one of the thoughts that went through my head as I watched the fight, I hope you are wrong though. I'd be lying if I said that didn't cross my mind. Margarito can't fight that way against an elite fighter without getting tatooed. And if he couldn't fight his usual style on Saturday (which is what it looked like to me) against that caliber opponent then...I don't wanna say it.

16y ago

GeorgiaRED

I welcome him back into the sport. TS, I would read your post but it's so godamn long.

16y ago

El_7_Mares_V2

I think Marg's new style would never hinder him, you need to look at it from the big picture. First off, Marg was completely dominated, out boxed and knocked out by Mosley. He plans to fight the "elite" at 147 or even 154 and he understands that he needs more movement and more boxing to achieve victories over those fighters. He can't be the one dimensional fighter he was before, coming forward and just banging it out. He needs to move more, use better defense and show he can box as well as brawl. I think there is no negative for him as far as his new style, because it's not as if he is going to forget to do what got him here in the first place. I just think his trainer did an excellent job of teaching him something new and executing it in the ring against a quality opponent. Remember, this is also his first fight back in a long time. Ring rust is real and he is the type of fighter that needs to stay active to be at his best. I don't know what will be of Margarito but I think this is about the best first step he could have possibly taken in his career to be honest with you. Good post compa, I agree with you 100%, I wasn't trying to cheap shot Tony's "new style" by any means, but as a hardcore Tony fan I kind of expected him to just come in guns blazing and smoke out Garcia quick to make a statement ala Golden Johnson. However Garcia was tough as nails and the ring rust of a year and a half didn't do him any good. But I agree, Garcia (trainer) has done an excellent job correcting and teaching Tony some new tricks, he gave solid corner advice and Tony responded well and followed everything Garcia told him to do to a T. I know everyone's excited to see Margarito show off his boxing skills but I felt deja vu watching him on saturday night. I was forcibly reminded of Jose Luis Castillo's bout against Rolando Reyes. Castillo started out with his usual style then switched to boxing. The announcers kept talking about how he did it because he could do so easily but I knew right then and there that he was finished. I wonder how much Margarito really has left. I can't deny that was one of the thoughts that went through my head as I watched the fight, I hope you are wrong though.

16y ago

IMDAZED

I know everyone's excited to see Margarito show off his boxing skills but I felt deja vu watching him on saturday night. I was forcibly reminded of Jose Luis Castillo's bout against Rolando Reyes. Castillo started out with his usual style then switched to boxing. The announcers kept talking about how he did it because he could do so easily but I knew right then and there that he was finished. I wonder how much Margarito really has left.

16y ago

Cuauhtmoc1520

16y ago