Pacquiao, Margarito and the Rest

The Deadline

So the deadline that Top Rank’s head honcho Bob Arum set forth for Mayweather Jr. to sign the contract to fight Filipino wunderkind Manny

Pacquiao came and went, now what? As it was rumored Arum is now pushing for either a Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito match up for the now Filipino Congressman which comes as no surprise since the Las Vegas based promoter has been dropping hints for more than two weeks of those two possible opponents if Mayweather did not sign on the dotted line. Now Mayweather has come out and stated that he is not even thinking about boxing at the moment. His team went as far as to send out an official presser stating that no talks were ever held between Team Pac or Team May in the form of Ross Greenburg, President of HBO Sports, as intermediary.

A “Ghost” Sighting in Chavez Jr.’s Future!

In a recent post on twitter.com, Steve Kim of MaxBoxing.com stated there were serious talks of a mega fight between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30KO) versus former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32KO) for December in either Dallas, TX, or Las Vegas, NV. The sudden upswing of Chavez Jr’s competition is coming on the heels of his recent impressive performance in a unanimous decision over strong Irish workhorse John Duddy last month. Granted Chavez Jr. did look like a different fighter under the tutelage of new head trainer Freddie Roach but is he ready for such a step up or is this all hyperbole by his promoter, Bob Arum?

According to Kim, his trainer Freddie Roach has gone on the record to say that he wants to wait for the outcome of Chavez Jr’s next bout slated for September 25th to see if he is ready for such a lofty assignment.

Margarito-Cotto II? I Hope Not!

In his June 23rd Random Thoughts column on ESPN.com, the well respected Dan Raphael mentioned that there were talks for a December 4th rematch between Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28KOs) and Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27KOs) of Tijuana, MX. In their July ’08 first match up, Margarito survived an early ambush from the Boricua to completely destroy the face and spirit of Cotto by 11th round TKO.

Since that fight, the career of both fighters has changed immensely. After taking some time off and enjoying his time under the sun, Margarito was the first to return to the ring in January of ’09, only to lose the WBA title he ripped from Cotto and to fall neck deep into a pit of controversy. It is old news that Margarito was caught with a plaster-like substance prior to his KO loss at the fists of “Sugar” Shane Mosley. After being suspended by the California State Athletic Commission for a year along with his trainer, Javier Capetillo, Margarito has since resurfaced under the tutelage of former champion Robert Garcia last May and earned a unanimous decision over Robert ” La Amenaza” Garcia (no relation).

Who Should Cotto Face Next?

Boricua three divisional world champion Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28KOs) of Caguas, PR, jumped back into the win column after his

some what bizarre TKO over previously undefeated Yuri Foreman (28-1, 8KOs) last Saturday night from Yankee Stadium in New York City. The historic bout was for Foreman’s WBA jr. middleweight which now Cotto has added to his collection of titles. Under the tutelage of his new trainer Emmanuel Stewart, some believe that Cotto looked sharper and more like the Cotto of the jr. welterweight division while others have stated that he was hit too often by the rabbi in practice Foreman and because of that, there might not be much left in the twenty nine year old Cotto tank.

Regardless, here is my list in order of who I believe Cotto should face next. Cotto is not favored to win all these potential match ups but in my opinion these would be his opportunity to earn the biggest paydays in what seems to be the twilight of his career.

Margarito Tames his Bull!

It goes without saying that I love boxing. Not just the three minutes of controlled mayhem that happens inside a ring but also because of everything that happens outside of it. The controversies, dramas and feel good story of poor boy making good.

Another aspect of why I love boxing is the atmosphere of watching a fight either in the stands, ringside, in the comfort of your home or at a noisy bar.

For the return of the “Tijuana Tornado” Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27KO), I opted for the noisy Tijuana bar as my choice of venue for the ten round bout for the WBC Continental super welterweight title held at the Plaza Monumental in Aguascalientes, MX.

Flurried Ramblings!

R.I.P. Jennifer and Edwin Valero
After all is said is done, the end of Edwin Valero turned into a real tragedy. In a career that only saw victory with twenty-seven wins, all by knock out, his life outside of the ring, at least in the last couple of years, was filled with a number of misfortunes which ended with Valero murdering his wife and then taking his own life in his jail cell. None of us will ever known why or what was inside the head of Valero but what we do know is that the life of a champion was cut short and like so many times before, it could have been avoided. I met Valero once and you could see the intensity in his eyes and in his handshake, a vice-like grip who showed you who was boss, at least in his mind. The first time I met him, it was in the most surprising of places. I was at a movie theatre in Tijuana, MX, and about to watch “The Hangover”. This movie theatre in Tijuana is what they call a VIP one, one where you can enjoy a couple or six or an infinite number of alcoholic beverages that get brought to your leather lazy boy by an army waiters ready to serve you. After two or maybe six of these beverages, I had to visit the men’s room. I made myself to the restroom as quickly as I could since I didn’t want to miss any part of the movie. As I made myself around a corner, Edwin Valero strolled right behind me. I did a double take and said “Edwin Valero!”. Without missing a beat the two time world champion responded with “asi es (That’s right)”. We both went about our business in the rest room but I took a little bit longer than usual in washing my hands and as soon the Valero washed his, I asked him for picture which he more than happily took. In trying to make small talk, I asked him who his next opponent was and he said that it would be Humberto Soto. This encounter took place before the bout with DeMarco was made. As I thanked him for his time and made myself back to my seat, I wondered what he was doing in Tijuana. Later I found out that he was getting ready to cross into San Diego, CA, and apply for his visa which eventually was denied forcing him to defend his lightweight title against DeMarco some months later in Monterrey, MX.

I Will Fight Cintron with Bare Knuckles

The former three time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito of Tijuana, MX, is in the final phase of training for his return on May 8th to the ring against Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia in the main event of “Latin Fury 14″ taking place in Aguascalientes, MX.

The bout will mark his return after completing a twelve month sanction set by the California State Athletic Comission after they found illegal substances in his pre-fight hand wraps prior to his WBA champion fight with “Sugar” Shane Mosley in January of ’09.

“I am anxious to climb into the ring, for May 8th to be here,” Margarito stated to Notifight.com. “I want to give a good fight to the fans.

Margarito noted that his next opponent has the same name as his current trainer, Robert Garcia.

“El Terrible” is Terribly Good!

Ok, I will admit it. I didn’t think Erik “El Terrible” Morales had it in him.

Last time I saw the three-time world champion in person in Tijuana, MX, he was well over 200 lbs. Some time later, I heard he was planning on coming back to the ring and the cracks about his weight began in full force.

As press releases and interviews began to make the rounds in the Latin American boxing media with their respective photos, it was obvious that Morales was working hard and losing the weight.

Despite the 34-year-olds hard work at dropping the weight, I believed that his inactivity after two and a half years of retirement added to the youth and activity of his opponent, former lightweight champion Jose Alfaro of Nicaragua, was going to be too much for the native of the tough Zona Norte of Tijuana.

I was wrong.

Add One More To The List!

Not only did Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38KO) make his latest opponent Joshua Clottey (35-4, 20KO) look like a punching bag with arms -which were hardly used- last Saturday night but he also defended his WBO welterweight title for the first time. Along with the successful defense, Pacquiao’s popularity along with Top Rank’s Bob Arum’s promotional know-how stuffed over 50,000 fans into Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, TX, for the first bout to be waged inside the what is soon to be declared as one of the eight wonders of the world.

But Pacquiao did much more than that. He set unofficial records for the largest entourage seen since the G.O.A.T. Muhammad Ali last fought, reportedly at 140 followers strong and his dog, “Pacman”. Pacquiao’s entourage was so large that he had to charter his own private yet to fly them from Los Angeles.

Should We Be Excited Over Pacquiao-Clottey?

With the super fight between Filipino comet Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38KO) and Ghana tough guy Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20KO) looming on the horizon on March 13th, why aren’t I more excited? Surely Clottey, who has only been defeated twice and disqualified once, is a more than a formidable foe. Besides his disqulification in ’99 for a low blow in bout versus former welterweight champ Carlos Baldomir, Clottey has only lost very close decisions to two other former champions, Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

Is my lack of enthusiasm a symptom of thinking the winner of the bout is a foregone conclusion?

I don’t think so. If anything, I think Clottey is a very tough opponent who has not really displayed a sure strategy to beat him. A strong natural welterweight with a concrete chin, I have often said when asked that he might be a more difficult out for Pacquiao that Cotto was.

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