We all know with the cowboy J Jones' leverage the real sin city, Texas will grant cheato his license and steal a PPV belonging to Cali. So who have you all got for this little saucy match-up? On my end, i would love to say that there are so many intangibles and moving parts to this showdown, but that would be lying to ya young grasshoppers! I see Pacquiao winning in a rout. A plodder with wide punches like Margarito will be given nightmeres by a sharpshooter who's improved immeasurabily all round, has incredible footwork, stamina and a decent chin at this higher weight (highlighted by his 'rope-a-doping' of Cotto). Pacquiao will just pepper and reset and have Margarito looking like something from a 'saw' movie by the 8th/9th prompting the corner to throw in the towel before he sees the final bell. The only concern for Roach and Pacquiao is that Margarito is bull strong, bigger and that chin will keep him coming, plus Pacquiao can't do what Mosley did and walk him back, clinch and bully as he hasn't got the physicality of Sugar roids. lol But he CAN do what Cotto couldn't minus the plaster and maintain his outboxing and maneuvering. Lets not also forget the punishment Margarito took in the Cotto/Mosley fights couple that with the layoff and you see why Top Rank are willing to risk their moneymaker, before the big money vs. 'money' Mayweather. This is by no means a foregone conclusion though, Margarito will have his moments and definitely catch Pacquiao with those sneaky, deceptively well delivered uppercuts, plus we've seen sweet/fast/fleet-footed boxers get nullified by a brawler who is willing to die in the ring for victory a la Margarito and most Mexicans for that matter. But Margarito's plodding will mean his shots will be seen from a mile away and get timed/peppered like crazy by Manila ice's video game speed. Pacquiao's advantages just have me believing he'll run away with it and possibily get a late corner stoppage. :good
I agree with you totally Slip, however I'm not convinced that Margarito's chin will be anywhere near as good as it one was. The punishment he had taken in his fights with Cintron, Cotto and Mosley on the bounce is just plain scary and now he has been knocked down and stopped I simply can't see the chin being anywhere near as good as it was. Prediction- Pacquiao TKO 8
Can't see pac winning by KO. Maybe TKO like cotto fight. Pac does not have anywhere near the power of shane mosley to hurt him. Would love to see how pac would cope with the margarito that exposed heartless cotto.
Yep, good points. He simply can't be the same fighter and i suspect that the Bob father knows it. Btw, whats this i hear about it being a catchweight contest? :twisted:
Pac Tko in the mid to late rounds, theres only so many punches you can take, even if you do have a chin like Margarito's which i don't think will be as good as it was after the punishment he's taken recently
Arum is never going to risk his prize cash-cow in an in-house fight unless he is absolutely certain that the opponent posesses little threat to Manny. Catchweight it is I'm afraid, of 150 pounds with the WBC 154 belt on the line.
Certainly not out of the question, NO MAS. It's something i've thought about as my first thought was Margarito walks him down. It's all about what he has left on the inside as regards to how much punishment he can take because technically and stylistically he's at a disadvantage. For example he's gonna need a blinder jab, which he doesn't have to offset a lefty with the energizer bunny plugged up his ass.
I predict Pacquiao wide UD. Margarito is there to be hit, but at the same time he hits back. I can see him landing some solid shots on Pac which may cause a few problems. However, I expect Pacquiao's speed to win him the vast majority of rounds and force Margarito backwards from the 8th round, with the possibility of the referee stepping in at some point when Pac is battering him on the ropes. But I suspect Marg will have the strength to survive.
If Pacquiao wasn't trained by Freddie Roach I'd want him to win Seriously - why is there a need for a catchweight? In this instance I think the person they are handicapping the most is Pacquiao. All Margarito will be doing is prepping for a 147 fight but not taking a **** to lose the last bit of weight. Pacquiao UD in a war. It's not as bad a matchup for Margarito as Mosley was, IMO.
This fight is over inside the first 3 rounds, Margarito is a battle worn fighter and is finished.. He'll be a terrible mess after 2 rounds, He'll get hit for fun and them 8oz reyes are naughty gloves!!
He struggled like hell with the weight for the Mosley fight, I remember a couple of months before the fight Steve Kim reported that Margarito was weighing 190. Pacquiao and Roach must think that he will struggle with it again, hence the catchweight.