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“I respect him outside of the ring, but once that bell rings, he is no one to me.”-Manuel “*******” Gomez’s chilling message for Antonio Margarito.
When a fighter possesses a record which reads 28-10-2 with 19 KOs, he is quickly dismissed as nothing more than one of boxing’s journeymen, walking aimlessly thorough pugilism’s valley of the dead with no right to challenge any of the sport’s elite. Should one of these damned boxing souls receive an opportunity, they are immediately dismissed as nothing more than a “tune-up” or “stay busy” affair in order to ensure that the “elite” fighter maintains his sharpness and timing for when a real “challenge” is presented.
Antonio Margarito, WBO welterweight champion, publicly finds himself in this situation as, this coming Saturday night; he will attempt the sixth defense of his title by taking on a fighter in Manuel “*******” Gomez, who is considered by most fans and media outlets as a journeyman with no real chance to win. Further proof this is that Margarito’s own promoter, Top Rank, who also promotes Gomez (although you couldn’t’ tell by the way he is being treated), has stated publicly that once Margarito takes care of business Saturday night, he will take on the winner of the Zab Judah-Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fight.
Now if you are “*******,” hearing that most of the boxing world, including your promoter, does not believe that you have a chance of winning has to be a major motivating factor. “This Saturday night, I have a surprise party planned for Antonio Margarito and Top Rank and I’m inviting all of the fans and media to attend because the welterweight division is going to have a new champion. I will beat Margarito!” said Manuel “*******” Gomez to BoxingScene.com from his hotel room at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. [details]
When a fighter possesses a record which reads 28-10-2 with 19 KOs, he is quickly dismissed as nothing more than one of boxing’s journeymen, walking aimlessly thorough pugilism’s valley of the dead with no right to challenge any of the sport’s elite. Should one of these damned boxing souls receive an opportunity, they are immediately dismissed as nothing more than a “tune-up” or “stay busy” affair in order to ensure that the “elite” fighter maintains his sharpness and timing for when a real “challenge” is presented.
Antonio Margarito, WBO welterweight champion, publicly finds himself in this situation as, this coming Saturday night; he will attempt the sixth defense of his title by taking on a fighter in Manuel “*******” Gomez, who is considered by most fans and media outlets as a journeyman with no real chance to win. Further proof this is that Margarito’s own promoter, Top Rank, who also promotes Gomez (although you couldn’t’ tell by the way he is being treated), has stated publicly that once Margarito takes care of business Saturday night, he will take on the winner of the Zab Judah-Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fight.
Now if you are “*******,” hearing that most of the boxing world, including your promoter, does not believe that you have a chance of winning has to be a major motivating factor. “This Saturday night, I have a surprise party planned for Antonio Margarito and Top Rank and I’m inviting all of the fans and media to attend because the welterweight division is going to have a new champion. I will beat Margarito!” said Manuel “*******” Gomez to BoxingScene.com from his hotel room at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. [details]