Domination: Pacquiao Over Margarito

[media-credit name=”Solarpix / PR Photos” align=”alignleft” width=”190″][/media-credit]I wanted to come back and say “I told you so” with the Pacquiao vs. Margarito fight, but rather than the 9^th round as I projected it went the distance for all 12 rounds. Looking back on it, the fight was actually over in the 4^th. That was the round that Manny unloaded a series of punches that left Margarito with double vision, it was also the round that Manny knew he had the fight won. He found his distance and was able to slip in any punch on any part of Antonio’s body and face. Manny knew that he was going to have his way, and was not concerned with the so called “power” of the much larger Margarito in front of him.

As the fight went on I noticed a few things:

1.    Manny Pacquiao is the greatest fighter I’ve ever seen.

Manny goes into the ring and does what he wants, speed, conditioning, footwork, head movement, power and the ability to adapt to the style that is needed to win.

2.    Freddie Roach is the greatest trainer I’ve ever seen.

Freddie devises a game plan like no other trainer; he puts his fighter in the best position to win. Roach has more knowledge of boxing in his pinky toe than most trainers do in their entire body.

3.     Antonio Margarito will not give up, even putting his own health at risk.

Margarito took over 400 power shots, that’s an incredible amount of hits. His face taking the majority of those, and it showed at the end of the fight.

4.     Robert Garcia should be banned from boxing.

A trainer is in the corner to think for the boxer, be the boxer’s common sense and to protect him, mostly against himself. Garcia did none of those things. Not only did he not train Margarito to fight Pacquiao the proper way but he didn’t stop a fight that was so far out of reach that he may cost his fighter his career.

Manny is simply the best, I’m sure there are people out there that want to argue that, but it’s a moot point. Manny has done things no other fighter has done and has done it all in impressive fashion. He has fought the best and beat them all.

Manny showed all of his skills that we have come to love and a few new tricks, at one point he looked at the ref as if to tell him to stop the fight. He didn’t want to destroy the career of the man that had made fun of his trainer and friend;  he just wanted to win the fight.  In the final few rounds you can tell that Manny was pulling his punches, but continued to throw just enough to ensure he didn’t lose a round.

Pulling the punches was not an act of arrogance, but an act of kindness, even after the fight Manny checked in with Anotonio to make sure he was going to be ok. OK, he will not be and that’s thanks to Garcia. Robert Garcia showed his true colors, he showed that he is not concerned for his fighters. It’s going to be hard for him to bring in new guys and I’m sure if Antonio does happen to fight again that he will be looking for a new corner. It’s a crime that Garcia stood by and watched the Will and Soul of his fighter being taken with each series of dead on shots to the head. It’s a crime that in between rounds he knew Margarito would never give up, and he let him continue to use his face as a punching bag. He led his fighter into slaughter and showed no remorse for it.

For Pacquiao fans, it was a tremendous win, for boxing fans they were able to see a master at his craft, for me it was both. I hear people say things like “Mayweather could beat him” or “he is fighting guys that he knows he can beat” I say Mayweather will run from him even more now, and he has fought the biggest names and beat them all.

So who will step up to fight Manny? Andre Berto, a rematch with Miguel Coto, or even Mosely, but none of them can do what Manny does. If Mayweather doesn’t step up we may have seen the last fight for Manny, his duties of a congressman are very important to him and he takes that job just as serious, if not more than he does boxing. If his political career is anything like his boxing career he may end up the President of Philippines or even a politician here in the United States.