Watch LIVE Pacquiao vs. Antonio
Antonio Margarito
|
"Tony"
* World championship fights: 10-3, 1 NC, 8 KOs...
* Former WBA welterweight world champion...
* Former IBF welterweight world champion...
* Former WBO welterweight world champion, seven successful defenses...
* Former jr. middleweight world title challenger...
At the age of 32, Antonio, also known as "The Tijuana Tornado," is a 16-year pro - he made his debut at 15. He has been fighting at the top levels of competition in recent years - seven of his last 11 opponents have been world champions - and given some sensational performances.
A veteran of 14 world championship fights, Antonio is a former three-time welterweight world champion - he won the WBO title in in March, 2002, and made seven successful title defenses. He won the IBF title in April, 2008, then vacated the title and won the WBA title in July, 2008.
He is coming off a 10 round unanimous decision win against Roberto Garcia in his last fight on May 8.
After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: After a stretch of 16 months out of the ring, Margarito made his comeback in front of more than 17,000 supportive fans at a bullring in Mexico, where he was hailed as a returning hero. With new trainer Robert Garcia (no relation to the opponent) in his corner, Margarito rolled to a lopsided decision.
Margarito dropped Roberto Garcia, of Weslaco, Texas, in the first round with a nice three-punch combination punctuated by a hard right hand and was in control all the way. Garcia battled back as best as possible, but Margarito was simply too good and talented for him. The bout was never in doubt, especially after Garcia was docked points by [the] referee for head butting in the eighth round and for a low blow in the 10th round. [End Rafael item]
Antonio won the WBA title on July 26, 2008, with an eleventh-round TKO against previously undefeated defending champion Miguel Cotto. It was an epic battle - HBO ringside commentator Max Kellerman called it a "modern boxing classic."
After the fight, Fightwriter.com's Graham Houston reported [excerpts]: Being the superior boxer is a fine thing, and Miguel Cotto was the more artistic of the two fighters in the ring...and he might even have been the harder puncher, but Antonio Margarito had the durability, size, strength and iron will that can make skill irrelevant.
Pressing forward inexorably, seemingly impervious to punishment, Mexico's Margarito put pressure on Puerto Rico's Cotto the like of which has not been seen in a boxing ring in a long time. It was incredible, unyielding, almost superhuman pressure, and it proved far too much for Cotto....
Cotto did well early and he was winning the boxing match, but Margarito was winning the fight.
Previously, in every fight in his unbeaten career, Cotto had risen to the challenge and found a way to win. This time he couldn't do it.
The punches that had hurt, dropped and stopped other fighters had no effect on Margarito: he walked through everything. Sometimes Cotto was hitting him flush and snapping his head back, and still Margarito came on.
Unfortunately for Cotto, he was meeting a fighter who wasn't just bigger but who was almost frighteningly relentless.
As the fight entered its second half, Margarito must have seemed, to Cotto, to be taking on the aspect of a vision from hell.
After five rounds Cotto seemed to be in charge of the fight but he hadn't made an impression on Margarito. For all of Cotto's slick moves and his crisp, clean hitting, there was Margarito right in front of him and coming on, and on, and on, willing to take punches to land his own.
It was a great fight to be sure...but I thought that the fight turned dramatically late in the sixth when a series of left uppercuts hurt Cotto as he was backed up on the ropes. One judge gave Cotto the round, but I sensed the beginning of the end.
Cotto...was brave and he fought well, but Margarito turned out to be his worst nightmare.
The fight was certainly memorable, and one of the great Mexico versus Puerto Rican showdowns. It reminded me a little of Julio Cesar Chavez grinding down and overpowering Edwin Rosario, which was also an 11th-round finish: Margarito-Cotto was a much closer fight in terms of the scorecards but, after six rounds, it had the same air of finality about it.
Margarito...never at any stage looked more than slightly shaken - and Cotto hit him with some excellent, precise punches. This was a night when Margarito was not going to allow himself to lose. [End Houston item]
Antonio has fought world champions Shane Mosley (TKOby9), Miguel Cotto (TKO11), Kermit Cintron two times (KO6, TKO5), Paul Williams (L12), Joshua Clottey (W12), Daniel Santos two times (TL10, NC1), Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis (KO2), Frankie Randall (TKO4), and Sergio Martinez (TKO7).
Antonio was the underdog in many fights early in his career, and had a few setbacks in his first two years as a pro - he was 9-3 in his first 12 fights.
source:www.toprank.com
Watch LIVE Pacquiao vs. Antonio
Watch LIVE Pacquiao vs. Antonio
No comments:
Post a Comment