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On June 28th, 1996 in Culver City, California, an unknown and unrefined Mexican fighter from Tijuana by the name of Antonio Margarito would drop a ten round decision to Rodney Jones, a tall, slick southpaw who would become a perennial jr. middleweight contender for years to come.
The loss would leave Margarito with a rather non-descript record of 9-3. In today’s game, most fighters with that mark become opponents, as they certainly aren't considered prospects. But in this particular case, it's when his management believed they had a future world champion.
"We lost that fight, he lost a decision, it was a tough fight," said his co-manager Francisco Espinoza, who would later bring aboard Sergio Diaz to help run his career. "I remember telling Sergio, 'We have a champion of the world.' Because Rodney Jones would fight Dwain 'Tyger' Williams, Shibata Flores and he beat all those guys at the Forum; he was a lefty and tall, strong. On the scales he was 150; the night of the fight he was like a 170-pounder. Tony was just a kid and he proved to me that he had the skills to become a champion of the world."
'Kid' is the proper description. At the time of the Jones loss, he was just 18 years old. Beginning his career at age 16 in 1994, it means that Margarito (now age 30) has now spent half his adult life as a professional fighter. Espinoza first discovered Margarito in 1995.
"I had Mauro Gutierrez," explained Espinoza. "He was a Mexican national champion, was trained by Joe Valdez, he was Tony's original trainer, and a few times he told me about Tony, 'I have a good prospect. I want you to take care of Tony. I want you to be his manager,' and I said OK."
After a meeting with Margarito and his father, a managerial pact was consummated.
But why make the Jones fight, just two fights after he had suffered his second professional defeat at the hands of another tough fighter by the name of Larry Dixon in Tijuana just four months earlier?
"First of all, when you don't have a promoter and you've been asking favors, you've called Top Rank, you've called Forum Boxing, you've called Dan Goossen and they're too busy," Espinoza lamented. "They have a line of boxers signed under their own contracts. That's what happened, I was fighting Tony in Tijuana, even paying out of my own pocket and suddenly this fight comes up. And I took it - and thank God I took this fight because that's the one that told me, 'Tony's going to be the champion. He's going to be the champion of the world. He's only a kid and he's facing this monster from Forum Boxing, lefty, tall, heavy.' And I say, 'Thank God for giving me this fight.' Why not? He lost the decision but that told me Tony was going to be a champion."
In the audience that night was Diaz, who is related to Espinoza by marriage, and after the loss to Jones, he was also convinced.
He wanted in.
“I saw a kid that could take a punch and a kid that could throw punches. Mexicans, we love that, and right there I knew this kid could do something," Diaz recalled. "I knew this kid had something and that's when I spoke to Francisco and Antonio and his trainer about letting me come on board and they were all for it. I got on board, and right away I put him against Alfred Ankamah and I'm a young guy, mid-20's, no experience, I'm a fan of the sport, but with really no experience. People were telling me we were just crazy, 'What are you doing? You're taking this kid to face 'the Torpedo' Ankamah, who's basically knocking everybody out with an Olympic background."
Ankamah hailed from Ghana, and was thought to be in line to be the next great fighter from that African country, following in the footsteps of Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey. At that time, he was being moved by Forum Boxing and came into the bout with a ledger of 16-1 and 15 knockouts.
“I told them I didn't want to put him in with Ankamah - I thought Ankamah was too tough," admitted Tony Curtis, who was Forum Boxing's matchmaker. He had seen Margarito in Tijuana and was impressed, but he thought he simply wasn't ready to face the hard-hitting Ankamah. "But they said they'd still take the fight anyways. But I didn't want to put him in with Ankamah," Curtis adds with a laugh. But as Ankamah's original opponent fell out, Margarito's camp took the fight on two weeks notice. "I didn't want to put him in there because I really didn't know how good he was; he was a tough young man. He had a few losses under his belt but they said, 'Put him in, he can beat Ankamah.' OK, and Ankamah and them thought it was an easy fight, so they took it."
But Diaz saw a ***** in 'the Torpedo's armor. His one defeat had been a first round knockout at the hands of future WBA welterweight titlist James Page.
“I had seen Ankamah fight before and I knew he could give punches, but I knew that he probably couldn't take punches from Antonio. And that's what happened. Antonio knocked him out in the fourth round. And little by little we were trying to get him to the point where we got that title opportunity."
Margarito would bomb 'the Torpedo' in four rounds at the Anaheim Pond on October 14th, 1996. It would begin a 22-fight run where Margarito would not suffer a loss. But they would still have problems hooking up with a major promoter. Forum Boxing seemed like a natural fit, and while Curtis did a few more of his fights, by the turn of the century Forum Boxing would close its doors for good.
Seven fights later, on June 12, 1999 in Indio, California, he would face Danny Perez, a prospect who had a record of 16-1 coming in. On a show the featured Diego Corrales and Eric Morel, this would be a tryout of sorts for Margarito in front of Top Rank. Margarito had just fought five days before in Tijuana, halting Daniel Mendez in three.
"They did mention to us not to worry about it, they were going to get an opponent and not to worry, he was going to be fine. So we said, 'Let's do it.' But we get to the day of the weigh-in, we find out we're fighting Danny Perez, who was a tough opponent. Antonio did not prepare for that fight, he prepared for a fight in Tijuana, but you know the people they fight out there," says Diaz. "So they actually told us the winner stays, loser goes. So there was a lot of pressure there. We were worried, especially with this kid who had such a great record."
They were put at more unease as Margarito was sent to the canvas in the very first round from a Perez right cross that had him skidding to the canvas like a 747 making a bumpy landing on the runway. But he would simply dust himself off, and outwork and outhustle Perez over the next seven frames to win a hard-earned split verdict. It wasn't long before he was signed to Top Rank and on his way.
And on the night of March 16th, 2002 in Las Vegas, he would capture his first world title by stopping Antonio Diaz in ten for the WBO belt. While some pundits and observers are still reticent to give Margarito credit as a premier fighter, those inside the industry who have gone up against him come out with a newfound respect for his skills.
"This guy’s wiped out four guys I've put in with him," said the respected Cameron Dunkin, who's guided a cadre of prizefighters to world titles. "One of them I didn't even want to put him in with. I was involved with booking Frankie Randall, and afterwards, Frankie said, 'Don't ever do that to me again.' That was vicious. And Danny Perez, I was ****** enough to really think that we had a shot with him (in the 2002 rematch for Margarito's WBO crown) and that was bad for Danny. He ended up in the medical emergency room. That was horrible; he put a beating on him. I had Antonio Diaz and I begged Lee Espinoza not to do it because I saw what he had done before and I thought Antonio was too small. They wanted to do it and of course that was bad. His whole face was blown up like a balloon, it was a horrible beating.
"And then the last one, Golden Johnson, who actually asked me for that fight. He said that's the fight he wanted and I said, 'No, you gotta be kidding me.' But he kept asking for it and I wanted to deliver, that's my job. I delivered it and how long did that last? He's a vicious guy and he's a calm guy. And if you fight his fight, you got problems."
Dunkin says it looks much easier to exploit his flaws, than it actually is.
"He looks very beatable, but he's faster than you think he is and he's a really, really smart fighter. He has that distance - as screwed up as it looks, it’s the perfect distance for him - and he just overwhelms you with so many shots. You block one or two, you slide out of the way and then you get caught with that third or fourth shot and you're hurt."
Margarito is the betting underdog for this fight, and in a media poll put together by publicist Fred Sternburg that had over 50 participants, less than ten tabbed 'the Tijuana Tornado' to come out victorious. But being in this position is not foreign to Margarito.
And those who doubted him before believe he will hand Cotto his first loss.
"I like him to beat Cotto," says Curtis. "I think he's tall, I think he has a good jab, good boxing ability, he has to forget that Mexican s**t, the macho s**t and box. All he has to do is box. If he boxes Cotto and picks his shots, he beats Cotto. He's a natural, strong welterweight."
The loss would leave Margarito with a rather non-descript record of 9-3. In today’s game, most fighters with that mark become opponents, as they certainly aren't considered prospects. But in this particular case, it's when his management believed they had a future world champion.
"We lost that fight, he lost a decision, it was a tough fight," said his co-manager Francisco Espinoza, who would later bring aboard Sergio Diaz to help run his career. "I remember telling Sergio, 'We have a champion of the world.' Because Rodney Jones would fight Dwain 'Tyger' Williams, Shibata Flores and he beat all those guys at the Forum; he was a lefty and tall, strong. On the scales he was 150; the night of the fight he was like a 170-pounder. Tony was just a kid and he proved to me that he had the skills to become a champion of the world."
'Kid' is the proper description. At the time of the Jones loss, he was just 18 years old. Beginning his career at age 16 in 1994, it means that Margarito (now age 30) has now spent half his adult life as a professional fighter. Espinoza first discovered Margarito in 1995.
"I had Mauro Gutierrez," explained Espinoza. "He was a Mexican national champion, was trained by Joe Valdez, he was Tony's original trainer, and a few times he told me about Tony, 'I have a good prospect. I want you to take care of Tony. I want you to be his manager,' and I said OK."
After a meeting with Margarito and his father, a managerial pact was consummated.
But why make the Jones fight, just two fights after he had suffered his second professional defeat at the hands of another tough fighter by the name of Larry Dixon in Tijuana just four months earlier?
"First of all, when you don't have a promoter and you've been asking favors, you've called Top Rank, you've called Forum Boxing, you've called Dan Goossen and they're too busy," Espinoza lamented. "They have a line of boxers signed under their own contracts. That's what happened, I was fighting Tony in Tijuana, even paying out of my own pocket and suddenly this fight comes up. And I took it - and thank God I took this fight because that's the one that told me, 'Tony's going to be the champion. He's going to be the champion of the world. He's only a kid and he's facing this monster from Forum Boxing, lefty, tall, heavy.' And I say, 'Thank God for giving me this fight.' Why not? He lost the decision but that told me Tony was going to be a champion."
In the audience that night was Diaz, who is related to Espinoza by marriage, and after the loss to Jones, he was also convinced.
He wanted in.
“I saw a kid that could take a punch and a kid that could throw punches. Mexicans, we love that, and right there I knew this kid could do something," Diaz recalled. "I knew this kid had something and that's when I spoke to Francisco and Antonio and his trainer about letting me come on board and they were all for it. I got on board, and right away I put him against Alfred Ankamah and I'm a young guy, mid-20's, no experience, I'm a fan of the sport, but with really no experience. People were telling me we were just crazy, 'What are you doing? You're taking this kid to face 'the Torpedo' Ankamah, who's basically knocking everybody out with an Olympic background."
Ankamah hailed from Ghana, and was thought to be in line to be the next great fighter from that African country, following in the footsteps of Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey. At that time, he was being moved by Forum Boxing and came into the bout with a ledger of 16-1 and 15 knockouts.
“I told them I didn't want to put him in with Ankamah - I thought Ankamah was too tough," admitted Tony Curtis, who was Forum Boxing's matchmaker. He had seen Margarito in Tijuana and was impressed, but he thought he simply wasn't ready to face the hard-hitting Ankamah. "But they said they'd still take the fight anyways. But I didn't want to put him in with Ankamah," Curtis adds with a laugh. But as Ankamah's original opponent fell out, Margarito's camp took the fight on two weeks notice. "I didn't want to put him in there because I really didn't know how good he was; he was a tough young man. He had a few losses under his belt but they said, 'Put him in, he can beat Ankamah.' OK, and Ankamah and them thought it was an easy fight, so they took it."
But Diaz saw a ***** in 'the Torpedo's armor. His one defeat had been a first round knockout at the hands of future WBA welterweight titlist James Page.
“I had seen Ankamah fight before and I knew he could give punches, but I knew that he probably couldn't take punches from Antonio. And that's what happened. Antonio knocked him out in the fourth round. And little by little we were trying to get him to the point where we got that title opportunity."
Margarito would bomb 'the Torpedo' in four rounds at the Anaheim Pond on October 14th, 1996. It would begin a 22-fight run where Margarito would not suffer a loss. But they would still have problems hooking up with a major promoter. Forum Boxing seemed like a natural fit, and while Curtis did a few more of his fights, by the turn of the century Forum Boxing would close its doors for good.
Seven fights later, on June 12, 1999 in Indio, California, he would face Danny Perez, a prospect who had a record of 16-1 coming in. On a show the featured Diego Corrales and Eric Morel, this would be a tryout of sorts for Margarito in front of Top Rank. Margarito had just fought five days before in Tijuana, halting Daniel Mendez in three.
"They did mention to us not to worry about it, they were going to get an opponent and not to worry, he was going to be fine. So we said, 'Let's do it.' But we get to the day of the weigh-in, we find out we're fighting Danny Perez, who was a tough opponent. Antonio did not prepare for that fight, he prepared for a fight in Tijuana, but you know the people they fight out there," says Diaz. "So they actually told us the winner stays, loser goes. So there was a lot of pressure there. We were worried, especially with this kid who had such a great record."
They were put at more unease as Margarito was sent to the canvas in the very first round from a Perez right cross that had him skidding to the canvas like a 747 making a bumpy landing on the runway. But he would simply dust himself off, and outwork and outhustle Perez over the next seven frames to win a hard-earned split verdict. It wasn't long before he was signed to Top Rank and on his way.
And on the night of March 16th, 2002 in Las Vegas, he would capture his first world title by stopping Antonio Diaz in ten for the WBO belt. While some pundits and observers are still reticent to give Margarito credit as a premier fighter, those inside the industry who have gone up against him come out with a newfound respect for his skills.
"This guy’s wiped out four guys I've put in with him," said the respected Cameron Dunkin, who's guided a cadre of prizefighters to world titles. "One of them I didn't even want to put him in with. I was involved with booking Frankie Randall, and afterwards, Frankie said, 'Don't ever do that to me again.' That was vicious. And Danny Perez, I was ****** enough to really think that we had a shot with him (in the 2002 rematch for Margarito's WBO crown) and that was bad for Danny. He ended up in the medical emergency room. That was horrible; he put a beating on him. I had Antonio Diaz and I begged Lee Espinoza not to do it because I saw what he had done before and I thought Antonio was too small. They wanted to do it and of course that was bad. His whole face was blown up like a balloon, it was a horrible beating.
"And then the last one, Golden Johnson, who actually asked me for that fight. He said that's the fight he wanted and I said, 'No, you gotta be kidding me.' But he kept asking for it and I wanted to deliver, that's my job. I delivered it and how long did that last? He's a vicious guy and he's a calm guy. And if you fight his fight, you got problems."
Dunkin says it looks much easier to exploit his flaws, than it actually is.
"He looks very beatable, but he's faster than you think he is and he's a really, really smart fighter. He has that distance - as screwed up as it looks, it’s the perfect distance for him - and he just overwhelms you with so many shots. You block one or two, you slide out of the way and then you get caught with that third or fourth shot and you're hurt."
Margarito is the betting underdog for this fight, and in a media poll put together by publicist Fred Sternburg that had over 50 participants, less than ten tabbed 'the Tijuana Tornado' to come out victorious. But being in this position is not foreign to Margarito.
And those who doubted him before believe he will hand Cotto his first loss.
"I like him to beat Cotto," says Curtis. "I think he's tall, I think he has a good jab, good boxing ability, he has to forget that Mexican s**t, the macho s**t and box. All he has to do is box. If he boxes Cotto and picks his shots, he beats Cotto. He's a natural, strong welterweight."
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