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by Lem Satterfield - Ex-welterweight champion Antonio Margarito carries a something that his promoter, Bob Arum, contends should easily win him fame in the ring, let alone, a prominent welterweight title.
And that something is his overall toughness as well as his two-fisted power.
But Margarito, who lives in Tijuana, but who is training in Los Angeles, also carries something that Arum, considers to have been a detriment to his career.
And that something, said Arum, is his overall toughness and two-fisted power.
"Boxing managers today are reluctant to push fighters into fights, even if they pay pretty good, when their fighter has a real good chance of losing. So therefore, Margarito has had difficulty making fights," said Arum, who still contends that Floyd Mayweather, now in line for yet another megabucks bout against England's Ricky Hatton, opted to face and defeat Oscar De La Hoya, not because of the millions he earned, but "simply because he didn't want to fight a tough guy like Margarito."
"Floyd Mayweather wouldn't fight Antonio Margarito," Arum said. "I offered Mayweather a lot of money at the time to fight him, but he just wouldn't do it."
So Arum, just last month, signed 33-year-old Golden Johnson (25-7-3, 18 knockouts) to face Margarito (34-5, 24 KOs), with something much bigger at stake for Margarito.
"This a good step to start again and hopefully fight four more times next year. Everyone knows that it was a tough fight (with Paul Williams). I lost a very close fight. It was just a misstep," Margarito said. "I want to get back in line, it's important to get a victory. I hope to get it against Golden Johnson and then go from there."
Their fight will take place on Nov. 10 at New York's Madison Square Garden on the undercard of the HBO Pay-Per-View main event between challenger Shane Mosley (44-4, 37 KOs) and World Boxing Association champ Miguel Cotto (30-0, 25 KOs). [details]
And that something is his overall toughness as well as his two-fisted power.
But Margarito, who lives in Tijuana, but who is training in Los Angeles, also carries something that Arum, considers to have been a detriment to his career.
And that something, said Arum, is his overall toughness and two-fisted power.
"Boxing managers today are reluctant to push fighters into fights, even if they pay pretty good, when their fighter has a real good chance of losing. So therefore, Margarito has had difficulty making fights," said Arum, who still contends that Floyd Mayweather, now in line for yet another megabucks bout against England's Ricky Hatton, opted to face and defeat Oscar De La Hoya, not because of the millions he earned, but "simply because he didn't want to fight a tough guy like Margarito."
"Floyd Mayweather wouldn't fight Antonio Margarito," Arum said. "I offered Mayweather a lot of money at the time to fight him, but he just wouldn't do it."
So Arum, just last month, signed 33-year-old Golden Johnson (25-7-3, 18 knockouts) to face Margarito (34-5, 24 KOs), with something much bigger at stake for Margarito.
"This a good step to start again and hopefully fight four more times next year. Everyone knows that it was a tough fight (with Paul Williams). I lost a very close fight. It was just a misstep," Margarito said. "I want to get back in line, it's important to get a victory. I hope to get it against Golden Johnson and then go from there."
Their fight will take place on Nov. 10 at New York's Madison Square Garden on the undercard of the HBO Pay-Per-View main event between challenger Shane Mosley (44-4, 37 KOs) and World Boxing Association champ Miguel Cotto (30-0, 25 KOs). [details]
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