Tweet
Edwin Espejo
Asian Correspondent
Oct. 30 2010
While Antonio Margarito is bigger and taller than Manny Pacquiao, he is slow and very hittable. The Tijuana, Mexico native knows only one fighting style. Move forward and look to engage his opponent in a phone booth brawl. His powerful left hooks to the body and vicious right uppercuts are his main weapons when not jabbing on his way in. Margarito throws his punches in bunches against a stationary target.
Against a moving target who knows how to use angles, however, Margarito will have serious problem and his power will be negated considerably. He can wildly miss when facing a fighter who can slip in and out and move left and right.
He struggled mightily against Paul Williams who boxed him from the outside and used the whole ring to stay way from the Mexican brawler.
Against Shane Mosley, who has better hand speed and above average lateral movement, Margarito got knocked out.
True, he battered Miguel Angel Cotto very badly. But Cotto does not exactly possess the foot speed needed to evade the body-punching machine Mexican.
When ranged against Manny Pacquiao, whose primary weapon is speed, Margarito will hope that his legs will be able to carry his body the whole 12 rounds.
Pacquiao is a relentless puncher who loves to mix it up when his opponent comes attacking him. He is a machine in perpetual motion. Manny can slip his right hooks to the face and body of the Mexican if Margarito throws his jabs lazily in the center of the ring.
Margarito will also have his hands full cutting the ring and will have to bully Pacquiao into the corner in order to unleash his combinations. Pacquiao cannot be intimidated by a punch or two to the head or to the body. You have to make him respect your power and ability to beat him to the punch – some things Juan Manuel Marquez possess.
Margarito’s best chance of beating Pacaquiao is to deny the Filipino the center of the ring where Manny can launch his odd punches from all angles and from different directions.
Manny’s comfort zone is the middle of the ring but he is as vicious as anybody when pummeling his opponents in the corners or on the ropes.
Tall as he is, Maragrito should fight tall. Stronger as he is, the Mexican should fight strong.
But against the best boxer in the world who has seen them all, how would you do that?
Good luck, Margarito.
Comment