[RingTV Doug Fischer] Marg looks good in sparring, not shot

Maidana_vs_Rios15y ago

Gym Notes: tough sparring session proves Margarito is not a shot fighter Posted Oct. 13, 2010 at 12:11am By Doug Fischer http://images.ringtv.com/images/7/00/00/72/97/7297_586.jpg Robert Garcia laces up Antonio Margarito's gloves prior to a recent workout. Margarito, who fights Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 13, has looked strong in sparring sessions. Garcia is also gradually improving the former welterweight titleholder’s technique. Photo / Chris Farina-Top Rank This is the second part of a two-part Gym Notes column. I’ll be making the trip to Dallas to cover the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito fight. If I thought Margarito, who was brutally knocked out by Shane Mosley and tepid in out-pointing tough-but-unaccomplished Roberto Garcia in his last two fights, was a spent bullet, I wouldn’t bother booking a flight to Texas. Why be ringside for what I know will be a slaughter? However, from what I observed during what is now the fifth week of his training camp in Oxnard, Calif. -- an eight-round mitt session on Saturday and a 10-round sparring session on Monday -- there’s plenty of fight left in Margarito. The former three-time welterweight beltholder’s legs looked sturdy, his reflexes were sharp and he appeared to punch with power. This doesn’t mean that Margarito won’t still be outclassed or even blown out by Pacquiao, who’s made a habit of exceeding expectations in recent years, but if he is, it won’t be because he was shot. “He’s definitely not shot,” said Cleotis Pendarvis, one four sparring partners along with Ricardo Williams, Austin Trout and K.C. Martinez, who went 10 rounds with Margarito on Monday. “If he was shot, he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did today. He did 10 rounds with four talented young sparring partners. We’re not old journeymen that he can beat up on. We can fight.” Indeed they can. That was evident during Monday’s brisk session because Margarito made them stand and fight. Margarito had his rhythm while he worked the mitts with Garcia after the sparring session. The 5-foot-6 trainer, who is working his second fight with Margarito, donned a protective body suit and assumed a southpaw stance to mimic Pacquiao’s various attack sequences. (And although Garcia is nowhere near as fast as Pacquiao or Margarito’s sparring partners, the 35-year-old former junior lightweight titleholder did a good job of it.) Trout, who was one of Margarito’s main sparring partners for the Paul Williams fight, noted the veteran’s improved technique as he observed the mitt session while working a heavy bag. “He’s shortening up on his punches,” he said. “He’s little bit faster than I remember.” Trout says Margarito is just as strong as he was during the Williams camp but smarter. “This is a big change from the Williams camp because Margarito is bringing more than conditioning,” he said. “His conditioning and strength improved during the Williams camp but his form never changed. He made the same mistakes at the end of the camp as he did at the start. “In this camp, I’ve noticed that he’s doing things this week that he didn’t do two weeks ago. He‘s working a jab and he‘s not swinging as much with his body shots. He‘s changing up his combinations, too.” However, Margarito’s bread and butter is still his pressure, which seems to suck the energy out of his opponents and sparring partners. I asked Trout, Pendarvis and Williams how soon they begin to feel the effects of Margarito’s pressure when they step into the ring with him. “You start to feel it by the second round,” said Trout. “It’s real.” “With Margarito you feel the pressure from the first round because he throws eight shots in one combination,” Pendarvis said. “I’m slick so I can block or slip three or four of them, even when my back is to the ropes, but three or four still get through. That’s what wears you down.” “When do you start to feel the pressure?” Williams asked rhetorically. “The first time he gets you with a good body shot.” Margarito’s sparring partners obviously don’t believe he’s a faded fighter or deserves to be the 6-to-1 underdog that odds makers have made him, and he certainly didn’t appear shopworn during Monday’s workout, which begs the question: What the hell was wrong with him in the Mosley and Garcia fights? Margarito’s co-manager Francisco Espinoza gave me his answer to that query. “Forget about the Mosley fight,” he said. “He lost that fight because he killed himself making weight. It was a bad camp at the worst time in Tony’s career because it came after he beat Miguel Cotto. Tony took a break and enjoyed life for the first time after the Cotto fight. He didn’t get right back into the gym the way he had done for the 10 or 11 years that I’ve worked with him. He vacationed in Hawaii twice, visited the Dominican Republic, traveled all over the U.S. doing TV and making appearances. “By the time the Mosley fight was finally offered he was the heaviest of his career. He entered camp 39 pounds over his fighting weight and we only had seven weeks to drop it. I didn’t want him to take the fight. I told him to cancel it, but you know Tony, he wants to fight. He was confident that he could lose the weight, but it was so much that it hurt him. He was used to losing 17 to 18 pounds in eight weeks. Losing 39 to 40 pounds in seven weeks weakened him too much.” And the lackluster showing against Garcia in May? “That was my fault,” Espinoza said. “That was me. I wanted him to box the entire fight. I begged him to box no matter what. We couldn’t afford anything crazy to happen. He was in with a strong kid and I didn’t want him to get caught or cut. Even after Tony dropped him in the first round, I told him to box and to back away. That wasn’t what Tony wanted to do or what Robert wanted to do. That was me. “I just wanted to win. We were talking to Bob at that time and he told us to ‘be ready, be on standby because Floyd is not taking fight.’” Margarito got the ‘W’ and the rest, as they say, is history. Less than two years after having his boxing licensed yanked by the California State Athletic Commission for his part in attempting to load his wraps against Mosley, Margarito is getting a shot at the biggest star in the sport. Will he be able to capitalize on what many feel is an undeserved opportunity? Team Margarito believes so. “If Freddie Roach took this fight thinking the Margarito of the last two fights is what Pacquiao will get, then he made a big mistake,” said Espinoza. “Freddie Roach is a great trainer, but he’s got his work cut out for him with this fight,” Pendarvis said. “It’s going to be a fight because Tony is going to take it to Pacquiao and test him the way he hasn’t been tested since he came up to welterweight. I’m not trying to be disrespectful to Roach because I think he’s one of the best trainers in the world. I’m a fan of Pacquiao’s. But I know from being in the ring with De La Hoya and Hatton that he didn‘t fight them at their best. Cotto tried to give it to but I think he was still damaged from his fight with Margarito. “This is the first time Pacquaio is fighting a bigger man who is emotionally, mentally and physically ready for him. He’s going to get hit in this fight. He’s not going to be as slick as Margarito’s sparring partners, and we get hit. Pacquiao is a brawler at heart. He has the same will and determination that Margarito has. That’s why I think it’s going to be a great fight. It’s going to be good for boxing.” http://www.ringtv.com/blog/2418/gym_notes_tough_sparring_session_proves_margarito_is_not_a_shot_fighter/

Comments (18)

Haglerwins

Margarito has never been shot. The reason why he looked awful against Mosley and his comeback fight is he is without his illegal weapons. Without the special gloves he has used in his recent big fights he really isn't an elite fighter. You should read the article. Last two bouts might not be a complete product of no plaster. Some big preparation mistakes got made supposedly.

15y ago

Haglerwins

When you think about it, this is a dangerous fight for Manny if the right circumstances come along. Since he doesn't clinch, he has to deal with Margarito's pressure AND his damn good ability at parrying punches. Tony does hit hard period... plaster just put his power in the stratosphere late in fights (remember how fast he knotted and cut Williams in the championship rounds?) That Margarito pressure can screw up your focus too. Williams and Cotto lost their strategy in their fights after awhile when that pressure started shrinking the ring.

15y ago

TintaBoricua

15y ago

MARKAVELLI

if margarito can catch pacquiao he can be knocked out too. how can he Margs catch Pacman when the majority of the poster here (flomos) is saying Margs is shot.

15y ago

titan_m

it only needs one punch and its lights out for Margs. if margarito can catch pacquiao he can be knocked out too.

15y ago

Eaner0919

didn't his dumb ass trainer have a shiitty scale at the hotel too, a couple days before the weight in, which inaccurately said Margarito was over the 147 pound limit by several pounds, thus making tony dehydrate even further...and even the day of the weigh in they all thought he was going to be over weight, which is why they cheered in amazement when he weighed in at 145 pounds? bingo my friend that's exactly what happened and how I learned that California provides the official scale to anyone the day before their weigh in on big fights like this. They had some store bought scale and it had read Tony being heavy the night before so he spent his Friday morning on the bike and in the sauna only to find out he was fine all along it's also the same issue with Mora only in reverse. All along he thought he was on weight but in reality he was over then had to lose 3+ lbs amazing what you learn when issues like this arise

15y ago

Eaner0919

Yeah I didn't understand that comment either. If you're sparring and you're shot, you're going to show it. Just like Oscar did getting a black eye by Edwin Valero, etc. Even Mike Tyson looked bad in sparring before Buster Douglas, if I remember correctly the word was he got dropped pretty hard. giving the guy I replied to all the benefit in the world maybe he meant hiding a shot chin because of headgear but even then you can usually tell if someone cannot take punches anymore by the delayed reaction they have to them been around gyms since 2004 and you can easily tell who is shot and who still has something in the tank

15y ago

Eaner0919

How the **** you gonna drop 40 pounds in 7 weeks lol If this is true no wonder he looked **** it's 100% true he came back to Tijuana hovering around 185. He usually spends two weeks shaking out in TJ before moving camp to LA by the time he came to LA he was about 175-180 but still way out of shape

15y ago

jrosales13

how many gyms have you been to? serious questions since you seem to act like you know the sport so well I figure you might have seen quite a few gym sessions to be able to make this assumption. shot fighters indeed show their issues in the gym as well. but please elaborate as to why I am incorrect I will be waiting You will be waiting forever. He has yet to answer any of my questions that I have asked him about his idiotic statements.

15y ago

Eaner0919

Shot fighters never look shot in training. Reminds me of Sugar Leonard last fight. He looked like Bruce Lee before the fight but could get going like ODLH did last too; goes to show that great condition only helps to win but It has nothing to do with reflexes and timing. Conditioning only helps to have those tools in every round. You can't compensate those areas. how many gyms have you been to? serious questions since you seem to act like you know the sport so well I figure you might have seen quite a few gym sessions to be able to make this assumption. shot fighters indeed show their issues in the gym as well. but please elaborate as to why I am incorrect I will be waiting

15y ago

MARKAVELLI

it only needs one punch and its lights out for Margs.

15y ago

Eaner0919

De La Hoya looked good in sparring too. no he didnt remember the stories already started leaking that Vic Ortiz dug in his ass during sparring but then it turned out it was Valero who gave him all sorts of issues and also guys like Ortiz and Valero were sent home while lighter hitting guys like Fred Tukes and Mookie Pendarvis became DLH's main guys DLH's sparring sessions were the running joke of camp. He seemingly only sparred when 24/7 was present

15y ago

bose

I belive marg camp were dumb to allow there fighter to come in at 145 against mosley thats when i knew he would lose. Marg being so thinn so early before the fight could mean he may not be as weak as i think he will look come fight night. But im not counting on him being too strong against pac, i think pac will look and be just as strong as marg inside that ring because marg is not going to be as strong in the ring as were used to seeing him because of the contracted weight. should be a good "even" fight, pac team wanted marg to have no advantage and so with marg ability to absorb punchs and throw this is even fight, marg has been toned down

15y ago

any_craic_lad

Good to hear.Like people keep expecting Manny to go up in wait and keep his power i think WW was max Manny can go and even the few shots Clottey through it showed up on Mannys face i feel looking back on it if Clottey was a little more adventurous that fight could have been up in the air so the fact that Tony will be weighing 160+ fight night i think this will be Mannys downfall

15y ago

daggum

De La Hoya looked good in sparring too. no he didn't he was being pummeled by much smaller men. and mosley looked terrible in sparring before the floyd fight.

15y ago

ny123

Good news if this is true. Hopefully we get the Margs somewhere near the 2008 version so that this fight will turn out to be a war.

15y ago

Haglerwins

I guess we're going to find out if most of the bold is true, but I just won't buy into any belittling of Shane's performance. Mosley just had that style well scouted having fought so many like Tony in his hometown coming up in boxing. Add Nazim's tactics he prepared Sugar with and that was all she wrote for that fight. A fresher Margarito would've only went down a couple of rounds later if we're to believe he was sluggish. I do like Margarito's chances here though since Manny doesn't clinch (the only two fighters that beat him over the last decade had this in there), doesn't do well going backwards and Tony's not going to quit dishing body shots just because it looks like Pacman can take it.

15y ago

Pin_Galarga

15y ago