I love Manny but why is this for another title? This just diminishes the idea of winning titles and titles mattering. This cannot go down as him winning another weight title. How can they do this. Antonio is not a champ at 154 and never was close to fighting there as a contender. I didn't know they were making this for another title. What a joke. I love Manny, but I wish they would treat him like all fighters and make him fight at the real weights and if he wins a title have to fight the champion to do it. Vacant title on the line? Why don't they just fight for the vacant 160 and 168 pound titles with Margarito and Manny weighing in at 150 pounds? Manny can win 3 titles in one night and become an 11 time champion. I am sure the promotion can sell that. People in boxing do not seem to care if things like this happen.
Margarito has the International title at 154 and the real WBC world title is vacant now that Martinez is at middleweight. When you have that International title it usually puts you in line to get the world title, and that title is vacant. It actually makes sense from that perspective that Margarito gets a shot now. And it's commonplace for champions from lower divisions to get immediate shots. It's not all that strange. Also Margarito did challenge for a 154-pound title before, for those that don't remember.
two words... 1. Robert 2. Arum arum has been bleeding for the chance to get a well known mexican warrior in the ring at cowboy's stadium to capitalize on the mexican/mexican american fan base. its why he spen 500k on legal fees for margo. its why he floated the idea of kelly pavlik v. jcc jr when kelly already said no to 160. couple that with pac's star power its a $$ windfall for TR. the fact that they can also throw in the vacant belt and the possibility for pac to win another weight division strap is just icing on the cake. and don't think arum hasnt thought three steps ahead. if margo wins then he has the strap and alot of hype and arum can keep it in house again for a margo/cotto rematch/unification. same thing if pac wins. the strap is all about setting up the next fight, regardless of who wins, as much as it is about pac and another weight division strap. that's not meant to be a knock on anyone, its just an observation.
Yeah, in my mind it is like handing Pacman the vacant 160 and 168 pound titles also- makes as much sense to me- and it will be a tough fight for him probably, but it shouldn't be for that title, it should be for a 147 pound title. I did read all the comments here, and I didn't know the thing about the international title and fighting for the world title. Still, Arum and others should be ashamed to put their fighter ahead of boxing and guys working to get at a title. The fact boxing people do not complain is interesting. They are afraid of Arum, that he will not get them the fights they might need later or leave them out. I always thought it was wrong when Leonard fought Lalonde for two titles in one night. In my mind a fighter should not win a belt if he has to get his opponent to weigh less for a belt or if he fights a guy who is not ranked in that division for a vacant title, where he never fought either. Leonard did not deserve either the 168 belt since he was fighting a guy who was not ranked at that division, and he did not deserve the 175 pound belt since Donny never would have weighed 168 for a fight. And the odd thing is Ray did not feel bad about winning titles when he didn't really deserve them.
