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Margarito resurfaces!
September 5, 2007
By Felipe Leon
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Photo: Felipe Leon
According to the Glossary of Meteorology a tornado is "a violently rotating column of air…" add two arms, two ten ounce gloves, an opponent and a ring and you have former WBO welterweight champ Antonio "Tony" Margarito, otherwise known as the "Tijuana Tornado". But outside the ring, Margarito (34-5, 24KO) is all smiles and hugs as he makes his first public appearance last week in his hometown of Tijuana, MX, since his loss to Paul Williams in defense of the WBO strap, "I am going to be honest, I never thought that I was behind on the cards. I learned a lot from that fight. He was slapping a lot. He talked a lot before the fight, saying that he was going to mop the floor with me. We are asking for a rematch but they don't want it."
One thing that Margarito did prove in that fight is that he is a draw, at least in a city with a sizable Hispanic population as it was in Carson City, CA, this past July when near 8,000 fans packed into the Home Depot Center to support Margarito with flags, chants and signs. The show of affection did not go unnoticed by Margarito "I felt extremely happy by the support that was given to me. I can't say that I didn't fulfill my obligation because I did give a good fight. I want to ask them to keep supporting them and that I will not disappoint, that title was only lent to Williams, and from that fight I learned a lot. The people made me who I am and we have to continue to give them great fights."
After his unsuccessful defense of the title, Margarito expressed his dissatisfaction of the results and felt that Goosen-Tutor, Williams' promoter, had a hand in the final outcome, even vowing never to step into the ring with Williams unless Top Rank was in charge. "The whole show was put on by Williams' promoter. During the fight, I never believed that I was behind on the scorecards. I did watch the fight afterwards and he did throw punches but the majority of punches were slaps and were blocked. I do concede that he threw double what I did but I connected the harder punches. I'm going to learn plenty from this fight. I have to start from the first round to apply pressure so that there is no other fight like that one."
At the mere mention of his name at the successful club show presented by KO Promotions, the crowd roars in approval of his presence although he was announced as the former WBO champion (smiling) "It felt strange being announced as the ex-champ after so many years of being the title holder. I am ready to train harder and I am back in the gym and I will be champion again. I feel the same hunger that I felt before I became champion and that is why I am in the gym working hard so I can be a monarch once again."
Margarito finds himself in the gym training for a rematch against the now IBF welterweight titlist Kermit Cintron (28-1, 26KO) that is being planned for December 1st broadcast by Showtime. Margarito and Cintron have met once before when the hard hitting Cintron of Puerto Rico by way of Reading, PA, challenged "Tony" back in '05 for the WBO strap. Margarito served him with his only loss by way of a fifth round TKO. "I watched the fight that happened the same night I fought and sincerely I saw the same fighter that I beat. I saw him the same. His only defeat is the one I gave him but I am not going to get over confident. He is a great fighter and I must prepare myself 100 percent. I feel certain that I can knock him out again. He is a hard puncher but I don't think he has the experience that I do."
But with a new rival on the horizon, is Margarito ready to forget about Paul Williams? The only man to hand him a defeat in the welterweight division in over eleven years? "Right now he doesn't want to fight a rematch. I would like for him to step up and for him to accept the rematch. I don't want to get ahead of myself but if the Cintron fight gets signed and everything comes out ok, there is a possibility to unify with Williams and I hope for him to step up for the rematch. I am ready to fight anybody, Cotto or Mosely if Shane's hand gets raised but I do have that thorn in my side, and its name is Paul Williams."
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All contents copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 by Freitag Marketing Services. The information on this site cannot be reused without written permission.
September 5, 2007
By Felipe Leon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photo: Felipe Leon
According to the Glossary of Meteorology a tornado is "a violently rotating column of air…" add two arms, two ten ounce gloves, an opponent and a ring and you have former WBO welterweight champ Antonio "Tony" Margarito, otherwise known as the "Tijuana Tornado". But outside the ring, Margarito (34-5, 24KO) is all smiles and hugs as he makes his first public appearance last week in his hometown of Tijuana, MX, since his loss to Paul Williams in defense of the WBO strap, "I am going to be honest, I never thought that I was behind on the cards. I learned a lot from that fight. He was slapping a lot. He talked a lot before the fight, saying that he was going to mop the floor with me. We are asking for a rematch but they don't want it."
One thing that Margarito did prove in that fight is that he is a draw, at least in a city with a sizable Hispanic population as it was in Carson City, CA, this past July when near 8,000 fans packed into the Home Depot Center to support Margarito with flags, chants and signs. The show of affection did not go unnoticed by Margarito "I felt extremely happy by the support that was given to me. I can't say that I didn't fulfill my obligation because I did give a good fight. I want to ask them to keep supporting them and that I will not disappoint, that title was only lent to Williams, and from that fight I learned a lot. The people made me who I am and we have to continue to give them great fights."
After his unsuccessful defense of the title, Margarito expressed his dissatisfaction of the results and felt that Goosen-Tutor, Williams' promoter, had a hand in the final outcome, even vowing never to step into the ring with Williams unless Top Rank was in charge. "The whole show was put on by Williams' promoter. During the fight, I never believed that I was behind on the scorecards. I did watch the fight afterwards and he did throw punches but the majority of punches were slaps and were blocked. I do concede that he threw double what I did but I connected the harder punches. I'm going to learn plenty from this fight. I have to start from the first round to apply pressure so that there is no other fight like that one."
At the mere mention of his name at the successful club show presented by KO Promotions, the crowd roars in approval of his presence although he was announced as the former WBO champion (smiling) "It felt strange being announced as the ex-champ after so many years of being the title holder. I am ready to train harder and I am back in the gym and I will be champion again. I feel the same hunger that I felt before I became champion and that is why I am in the gym working hard so I can be a monarch once again."
Margarito finds himself in the gym training for a rematch against the now IBF welterweight titlist Kermit Cintron (28-1, 26KO) that is being planned for December 1st broadcast by Showtime. Margarito and Cintron have met once before when the hard hitting Cintron of Puerto Rico by way of Reading, PA, challenged "Tony" back in '05 for the WBO strap. Margarito served him with his only loss by way of a fifth round TKO. "I watched the fight that happened the same night I fought and sincerely I saw the same fighter that I beat. I saw him the same. His only defeat is the one I gave him but I am not going to get over confident. He is a great fighter and I must prepare myself 100 percent. I feel certain that I can knock him out again. He is a hard puncher but I don't think he has the experience that I do."
But with a new rival on the horizon, is Margarito ready to forget about Paul Williams? The only man to hand him a defeat in the welterweight division in over eleven years? "Right now he doesn't want to fight a rematch. I would like for him to step up and for him to accept the rematch. I don't want to get ahead of myself but if the Cintron fight gets signed and everything comes out ok, there is a possibility to unify with Williams and I hope for him to step up for the rematch. I am ready to fight anybody, Cotto or Mosely if Shane's hand gets raised but I do have that thorn in my side, and its name is Paul Williams."
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All contents copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 by Freitag Marketing Services. The information on this site cannot be reused without written permission.
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