VIDEO: ANTONIO MARGARITO ROUNDTABLE
Former welterweight champ Antonio Margarito discusses his November 13 showdown with Manny Pacquiao
VIDEO: FREDDIE ROACH MEDIA ROUNDTABLE
World renown trainer Freddie Roach breaks down the November 13 battle between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito
Video: Manny Pacquiao roundtable
Manny Pacquiao talks to the media about his November 13 fight with Antonio Margarito
VIDEO: Pacquiao – Margarito New York Press Conference
Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito meet the media in New New York city to announce their November 13th fight
PART 2
Part 3
COWBOYS STADIUM AIMS AT THE STARS! MANNY PACQUIAO vs. ANTONIO MARGARITO WORLD SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2010
COWBOYS STADIUM
LIVE on HBO PAY-PER-VIEW®!
Tickets Go On Sale September 18
(Tale of the Tape Attached)
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ARLINGTON, TX (August 31, 2010) – Ten-time world champions CONGRESSMAN MANNY PACQUIAO and ANTONIO MARGARITO, of the Philippines and México, respectively, collide in the most exciting and intriguing fight of the year with the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight championship and the No. 1 pound for pound title at stake.
Pacquiao and Margarito boast a combined record of 89-9-2 (65 KOs) — a winning percentage of 89% and a victory by knockout ratio of 73%.
Jerry Jones and Bob Arum, owner of the Dallas Cowboys and chairman of Top Rank, respectively, announced today that Cowboys Stadium would be the site of MANNY PACQUIAO vs. ANTONIO MARGARITO, World Super Welterweight Championship. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Cowboys Stadium, and MP Promotions, Pacquiao vs. Margarito will take place Saturday, November 13 and will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at
9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Tickets to Pacquiao vs. Margarito, priced at $700, $500, $300, $200, $100, and $50, go on sale Saturday, September 18 and can be purchased in-person at the Cowboys Stadium ticket office in Arlington, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.
This marks Pacquiao’s second world championship headlining appearance at Cowboys Stadium. On March 13, professional boxing made its debut at Cowboys Stadium where close to 51,000 fans watched Pacquiao successfully defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against former world champion Joshua Clottey. Call it Mannyfist Destiny, Pacquiao, no stranger to making history, will not only be looking to expand his trophy case by winning an unprecedented eighth world title in as many different weight divisions, but he will also be the first elected official to fight for a world championship, much less headline a major international pay-per-view promotion. He won a seat in his country’s Congress, winning the lone seat from the province of Sarangani, in a landslide in the May 10 election.
“It was an honor to fight in the first world championship held at Cowboys Stadium. Jerry Jones was a wonderful host,” said Pacquiao. “I look forward to returning to Cowboys Stadium and fighting before the wonderful fans in North Texas. I know Antonio Margarito poses great challenges for me but Freddie Roach and I will train our hardest to win. I am fighting for more than pride or history. I am fighting for the glory of the Philippines.”
For Margarito, a three-time world welterweight champion, this will be his second attempt at a world super welterweight title. Margarito’s resume includes victories over six former or current world champions. Known as the “Tijuana Tornado,” the hard-hitting Margarito is the WBC’s International super welterweight champion and its No. 1 super welterweight contender.
“I look forward to this fight with Manny Pacquiao to prove once again that I am one of the best fighters in the world,” said Margarito. “Pacquiao has stopped some of the best Mexican fighters in the world, but he won’t be able to stop this Mexican.”
“Cowboys Stadium was built for Super Bowls and super fights. Pacquiao vs. Margarito combines the best elements of both,” said Jones. “The fans of North Texas embraced Manny Pacquiao as boxing’s No. 1 pound for pound attraction when he fought here in March and we cannot wait to extend our hospitality to him again and to
fellow world champion Antonio Margarito. This is a great fight, and it is one we can showcase to the fullest in Cowboys Stadium.”
Cowboys Stadium will be configured for over 50,000 fans for Pacquiao vs. Margarito, with elevated floor seating similar to NBA games.
“Jerry Jones has ushered in a new era in boxing as 51,000 fans witnessed at Cowboys Stadium last March when Manny defended his welterweight title,” said Arum.
“Jerry knows exactly how to present an event of this magnitude which is why it is so easy to work together again. Manny and Antonio have never backed away from a challenge. They don’t go around obstacles they meet them head-on, which is exactly what they will do on November 13 when they face each other in the ring for the world title. It’s going to be a night to remember for the fans in North Texas and those watching on pay-per-view around the world.
“Manny Pacquiao is a boxing superstar and a world figure,” said Mark Taffet of HBO Pay-Per-View. “Cowboy Stadium is a world-class venue. We look forward to bringing sports fans another big night with the Pacquiao-Margarito telecast on November 13.”
Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, returns to the ring after successfully defending his WBO welterweight title via a dominant unanimous decision over former International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight champion Clottey. Pacquiao captured the WBO welterweight title last November with a brilliant 12th round knockout of four-time world champion Miguel Cotto. Pacquiao’s victory made him the first man to win seven titles in as many different weight divisions, with his last three world championships coming by way of knockout. The consensus Fighter of the Year for the third time in the past four years and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s “Fighter of the Decade,” Pacquiao’s resume features victories over future Hall of Famers, including Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and Cotto. His knockout victories over Cotto and Hatton made him the 2009 pay-per-view king, exceeding two million buys combined, while no boxer has sold more live tickets than Pacquiao in 2010.
Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs), a native of Tijuana, México, captured his first world title in 2002, winning the vacant WBO welterweight title with a tenth-round TKO of Antonio Diaz. He reigned as WBO champion for five years, successfully defending his title seven times – five by knockout – including victories over world champions Kermit
Cintron, Andrew Lewis and Clottey. After losing the title to Paul Williams in 2007, Margarito dethroned IBF welterweight champion Cintron in a rematch, knocking him out in their 2008 fight. Margarito claimed his third welterweight title when he stopped undefeated World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion Miguel Cotto in the eleventh round of their July 2008 battle, arguably the fight of the year.
The Pacquiao vs. Margarito pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET /
6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $54.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive
HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Pacquiao vs. Margarito fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com or www.toprank.com .
MANNY PACQUIAO and ANTONIO MARGARITO NEW YORK NEWS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING THEIR WORLD SUPER WELTERWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT!
This Wednesday! September 1 at 11:30 A.M. ET
Chelsea Piers – Pier 60 in New York
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
NEW YORK (August 30, 2010) – Ten-time world champions Congressman MANNY “PacMan” PACQUIAO and The Tijuana Tornado ANTONIO MARGARITO, their respective trainers FREDDIE ROACH and ROBERT GARCIA, along with Hall of Fame promoter BOB ARUM, will host a news conference luncheon to announce PACQUIAO vs. MARGARITO World Super Welterweight Championship. The news conference, which is open to the public, will be held at the Chelsea Piers – Pier 60 (23rd St. & The Hudson River, New York, NY 10011), This Wednesday! September 1. Media Report Time is 11:30 a.m. ET with the news conference beginning promptly at Noon. Lunch will be served to media following the news conference.
Paid parking is available near the entrance to Chelsea Piers via the southbound lanes of Route 9A, off the West Side Highway, at the entrance opposite 23rd Street. Taxi pick-up and drop-off locations are located at Pier 61 and Pier 60 along the Chelsea Piers Access Roadway.
The U.S. Media Tour, which begins in Los Angeles on Tuesday, will conclude on Friday with a news conference, open to the public, at Cowboys Stadium-East End Zone Platform, beginning at 11:30 a.m.CT. Pacquiao and Margarito are also scheduled to attend Thursday night’s preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins at Cowboys Stadium.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Cowboys Stadium and MP Promotions, PACQUIAO vs. MARGARITO will take place Saturday, November 13 in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX. The $1.2 billion stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), of General Santos City, Philippines, and Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs), of Tijuana, México, will be battling for the vacant World Boxing Council super welterweight title. Pacquiao vs. Margarito will be produced and distributed Live on HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.
Margarito Licensed in Texas; Fight with Pacquiao a GO!!
Dan Rafael of espn.com reported that disgraced former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito received a boxing License in Texas and a proposed fight with Manny Pacquiao will now go forward on November 13th at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.
“After a thorough review of his application it was determined Mr. Margarito met the requirements of the Texas Combative Sports Act and Rules,” William Kuntz, the executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, said in a statement.
“I want to thank the state of Texas for granting me a boxing license which enables me to continue my passion for the sport of boxing in the United States,” Margarito said in a statement. “I have dedicated my life to giving the fans of the sport entertainment and excitement. On Nov. 13, this great opportunity will ultimately be fulfilled when I battle Manny Pacquiao.”
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, on vacation in France, was happy with the news.
“For me, it was like a terrible nightmare, this whole thing, and now the sun is shining,” Arum told ESPN.com. “I really believe that it will be a very competitive fight. One guy is much bigger and stronger [Margarito] and the other guy [Pacquiao] is quicker and hits with both hands. It will be a fascinating fight to watch.”
“I was never a big fan of the ABC, but they were totally honorable and very responsible in this whole situation,” Arum said. “They made us go back to California, which to me didn’t make sense. But we did it because they requested it and then they issued a letter saying any state was free to license him. I really believed that once we followed the ABC road map that we were going to be OK.”
“Based on the review of the above information I have authorized the issuance of a license to Mr. Margarito,” Kuntz said.
“I think the crowd will be much bigger and Jerry [Jones] thinks it will also,” Arum said. “The last fight was not during football season. This one is, and we have all the Dallas Cowboys assets they use during the season to help this time. We have a lot of stuff that we didn’t have for the Clottey fight. With Margarito being Hispanic, and this is North Texas, which has a huge Hispanic population, that will make this even bigger.”
Jones said: “This is a good one because we know Margarito — with our fan base, in our area — if we do the fight, then it’ll be a big draw.”
Most world title fights
By Anson Wainwright
While World title’s are doled out far to easily these days and they don’t mean as much as they did in bygone years. A look at the top 10 guys provides a useful insight into some of the best fighters to ever lace gloves. While some fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya & Manny Pacquiao to name but three made names for themselves winning world title’s in multiple weights others like those on the list below achieved just as much but went about it in a different way.
Many fighters can win World titles and even make a few defence’s before being found out. Not many guys can take part in a better part of a Quarter of a century of World title fights without being seriously gifted.
Here’s a closer look at the Top 10 Fighters to engage in the most World title fights in History.
37 Julio Cesar Chavez 31-4-2(21) Mexican Icon engaged in 10 more World title fights than any other fight in history. Won the titles at 3 weighs from 130 to 140 stretching a mammoth 16 years from 1984 to 2000.
27 Joe Louis 26-1(22) “The Brown Bomber” holds the record for most title defence’s 25 and the longest uninterrupted reign 13 years 3 months in one weight class.
26 Ricardo Lopez 25-0-1(19) Half of the long reigning WBC Strawweight champion’s fights were World title fights. Even stepped up late in his career to become a two weight champion.
25 Roy Jones 22-3(15) Many believe the 4 weight former World Champion is one of the very best fighters ever beating Hopkins, Toney, McCullum, Tarver amongst others in Championship bouts.
25 Muhammad Ali 22-3(14) The self proclaimed “Greatest” enjoyed two lengthy reigns that help him post the numbers he needed to get on the list. Beat a who’s who from the Golden age of Heavyweights.
25 Bernard Hopkins 20-3-1(13) 1 No Con. Like Frank Sinatra he did it his way. Pretty much untouchable at Middleweight for 10 years when he cleaned out the 160 class.
25 Larry Holmes 20-5(14) Many unfairly believe he bridged the heavyweight division between Ali & Tyson. He was a highly competent Heavyweight in his own right who fought behind one of the best jabs ever.
25 Terry Norris 19-6(14) Supremely gifted Texan beat many top fighters during three championship reigns at 154 only let down by ill discipline and his chin.
25 Henry Armstrong 22-3(17) Did the almost unthinkable winning titles at 126, 135 & 147 in the days when there were on 8 weight classes.
24 Azumah Nelson 18-4-2(12) “The Professor” lost his first title fight but rebounded to become a 2 weight champion and one of the Greatest fighters ever from Africa.
24 Hilario Zapata 18-5-1(4) Smooth boxing southpaw had just 8 of 24 championship fights at home in Panama, fighting regularly on the road. Twice held the WBC 108 belt before moving up to claim the WBA 112.
Narrowly missing the cut were a host of other greats including Wilfredo Gomez who had 23 world title fights going 20-3(18) & Pernell Whitaker 19-3-1(4). On 22 were Sven Ottke 22-0(5), Eusebio Pedroza 19-2-1(11), Alexis Arguello 19-3(17), Ratanapol Sor Voraphin 19-3(16) &Roberto Duran 16-6(13). Still active Pongsaklek Wongjongkam will hope to add to his 21 championship bouts where he’s gone 19-1-1(8),with Felix Trinidad 20-1(16). On 20 Khaosai Galaxy 20-0(17), Wilfredo Vazquez 16-3-1(9) & Shane Mosley 15-5(11) who will hope he can still climb higher. Just a couple of fights away is a certain Floyd Mayweather on 18-0(9) who could also climb higher.
“The Rematch” is on: Weights from Mandalay Bay, and a Pacquiao pick too
By Bart Barry (scaleside)
LAS VEGAS – This town might be only a little bit closer to Houston than it is to Mexico City on a map, but if a town’s heart can be measured, this one’s a lot closer to Chilango than Houstonian. Or so it sounded Friday afternoon.
That was when Mexico City lightweight world champion Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs) took the scale with Houston’s Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs) in Mandalay Bay’s Events Center before a small but enthusiastically partisan-Marquez crowd.
As the challenger in Saturday’s fight, which is being billed simply as “The Rematch,” Diaz was first to be weighed. Looking relaxed and customarily fit, if a little soft, Diaz marked the lightweight limit on the nose, weighing 135 pounds for his first fight since two ill-advised trips to 140 last year.
Those fights, of course, came after his knockout loss in 2009’s Fight of the Year against Marquez a couple Februaries ago. Marquez, meanwhile, appeared both the taller and more muscular fighter, Friday, marking a well-defined 133 1/2 pounds.
If the Mandalay Bay crowd favored Marquez, so too did most boxing insiders milling about the stage during the weigh-in for Marquez-Diaz II. Though all gave Diaz a chance at an upset, knowledgeable fighters such as Shane Mosley and BJ Flores confidently predicted victories for the lightweight champion of the world.
Also taking the stage were Golden Boy Promotions fighters and partners. Michael Katsidis, David Haye, Amir Khan, Bernard Hopkins, and of course Oscar De La Hoya all greeted gathered fans.
LINARES TOWERS OVER JUAREZ
First on the Events Center scale Friday were Venezuelan lightweight standout Jorge Linares (28-1, 18 KOs) and perennial Houston contender Rocky Juarez (28-6-1, 20 KOs). Though Linares weighed only a half pound more than Juarez – 132 1/2 to Juarez’s 132 – he appeared to have significant physical advantages over the Texan. And the advantages didn’t stop there.
While Juarez has made unsuccessful challenges in five world title fights – all happening at or below the super-featherweight limit of 130 pounds – Linares sported a 4-0 (4 KOs) record in championship matches until a shocking first-round knockout to Mexican Juan Carlos Salgado last October.
Is Linares’ chin suspect? That is a question Juarez will have to ask early and often, Saturday, if he is to pull the upset in a fight most are only giving him a “puncher’s chance” of winning.
GUERRERO AND CASAMAYOR JAW THEN EMBRACE
Following a quiet run-up to his Saturday showdown with California lightweight Robert Guerrero (26-1-1, 18 KOs), Cuba’s Joel Casamayor (37-4-1, 22 KOs) briefly returned to form on Friday’s stage. After he’d made 138 pounds and Guerrero had made 138 1/2, Casamayor stepped into Guerrero’s chest and began speaking his trademark Spanish – which always features a Cuban rhythm and is often seasoned with unthinkable vulgarity.
After exchanging a few unfriendly phrases, though, the fighter’s made nice and embraced before leaving the Events Center.
Also making weight Friday were undefeated middleweights Danny Jacobs (20-0, 17 KOs), from New York, and Dmitry Pirog (16-0, 13 KOs), from Russia. In Saturday’s co-main event, Jacobs and Pirog will swap blows for the WBO’s vacant middleweight belt.
MOSLEY MAKES AN EARLY PACQUIAO PREDICTION
Receiving the largest ovation of any Golden Boy Promotions dignitary, Friday, was future hall of famer Sugar Shane Mosley. After exiting stage right, Mosley, cordial as ever, posed for photos and gave impromptu interviews that included, among other things, some details about his recent made-for-television match with NBA great Shaquille O’Neal – a fight in which, apparently, Mosley buckled the 350 pounder.
When asked for a prediction on rival promoter Top Rank’s upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito – the Mexican prizefighter Mosley knocked out 18 months ago – Mosley was initially reticent, sticking to the old cliché about styles making fights. Asked on whom he would bet the proverbial house, though, Mosley opened up slightly.
“Bet the house?” he said. “Probably Pacquiao.”
COVERAGE OF THE REMATCH
Saturday’s card will feature nine bouts. Four of them will be broadcast on the pay-per-view portion of “The Rematch.” 15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage.
What to make of Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito?
By Kyle Kinder
The Friday before last, Team Mayweather handed Bob Arum and Top Rank a bunch of lemons. Instead of trying to make lemonade, Arum passed the lemons off to boxing fans in the form of Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito.
Now it’s up to the boxing community to determine what to do with them.
During his now-infamous conference call, Arum made it clear that his intentions were to pursue fights with possible opponents other than Mayweather, specifically Miguel Cotto or Margarito.
Less than two weeks later the “Tijuana Tornado” emerged as the next opponent for the Filipino Congressman.
In fighting Pacquiao (51-3, 38 KO) on November 13, Margarito (38-6, 27 KO) is receiving a “hand-wrapped” gift from Arum and Top Rank. In taking care of his own, Arum is granting Margarito what will most likely amount to the biggest pay day of his career. He is awarding “Tony” the chance of a lifetime simply for fighting under the Top Rank banner.
During his conference call, responding to an inquiry about a potential Pacquiao-Tim Bradley fight, Arum immediately dismissed the possibility.
“Tim Bradley is a tremendous fighter and he’s a great young man,” Arum said. “But the problem with a guy like Tim Bradley is that even though you and I know what a superb fighter he is, the public really doesn’t know.”
He continued, “The other promoters don’t really promote their fighters. They take money from HBO or Showtime or a little Indian casino and they think they’re doing the kid a big service. I’m not going to give them a free ride on the work we have done.”
That same logic applied to a question about a potential Paul Williams fight with Pacquiao.
“Paul Williams is a tremendous fighter – a great fighter, but he hasn’t been promoted correctly — he doesn’t have any following, can’t sell any tickets,” Arum said. “Nobody is financing the pay-per-view fight. On an HBO fight – HBO pays the money. I’m the one that’s financing the pay-per-view and don’t want to give anyone a free ride.”
Arum’s thinking, which in this specific case is reasonable, has ultimately left us with a mid-Autumn clash between Pacquiao and Margarito. It has also left us disappointed with the realization that a Mayweather-Pacquiao superfight won’t be taking place any time this calendar year.
It’s left us with a decision about what to do with these lemons.
It’s true that Margarito, or as many in the fistic community have comically renamed him, “Margacheato”, was caught with loaded hand-wraps before his bout with “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
It’s also true that he doesn’t deserve the big pay day that will come when he faces the world’s number one pound-for-pound boxer.
Margarito is a cheater who was caught and is still being punished. He is a fighter who, presumably, was willing to endanger the lives of his opponents for a win inside the ring.
He is still not licensed to prizefight in the United States ] and the last time most boxing fans saw him, he was being battered around the ring for nine rounds by Mosley.
So what are we to make of Pacquiao-Margarito?
Lemonade?
Let me try.
Margarito is a battle tested warrior. Having suffered early defeats in his career, Margarito had to work twice as hard to prove the crooked numbers in the loss column were due to the fact that he turned professional at the ripe young age of 15, not necessarily due to lack of skill.
After years of compiling win after win, Margarito fought his way to the top. He has held, at some point or another, the WBA, WBO, and IBF welterweight championships.
He walks through the best punches his opponents have to offer just so he can fire off a few of his own.
This past decade alone, Margarito has stopped Sergio Martinez, Antonio Diaz, and twice stopped Kermit Cintron.
He was awarded a decision over Joshua Clottey. He has battled in tough losses against Paul Williams and Daniel Santos, proving that even in defeat, he still possesses the heart of a true Mexican warrior.
He has fought in fights that looked like they belonged in bars, specifically the hellacious brawl with Miguel Cotto — a fight that left Cotto’s face almost unrecognizable.
Truth be told, plaster-wraps aside, Margarito is an entertaining fighter to watch.
To add to the fan-friendly style of Margarito is the always-entertaining Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao, the seven division world champion and current WBO welterweight champion, is the world’s number one pound-for-pound fighter and arguably the most entertaining boxer on the globe.
Pacquiao’s “Energizer Bunny” style is enough to draw most boxing fans’ interest. In recent years, Pacquiao’s domination of opponents has tended to end fights in spectacular fashion — such as the Ricky Hatton knockout, Cotto stoppage, and David Diaz knockout.
But even in fights where the endings weren’t as exciting, Pacquiao is still a pleasure to watch.
Take the Clottey fight, for instance. It was a fight that was dominated by Pacquiao from the opening bell, a fight in which Clottey suffered a slow, twelve round death. In a unanimous decision win, where two judges somehow awarded Clottey a single round, Pacquiao still made the fight entertaining. Pacquiao’s tireless work-rate was something to marvel at. He averaged over 100 purposeful punches a round throughout the twelve round bout and finished the fight looking like the he could fight twelve more.
Any time the best fighter in the world is fighting, I am going to be watching. It’s as simple as that.
The number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world versus a Mexican warrior, who can take an inordinate amount of punishment, but always seems to dish out just more than he receives. This has all the makings to be an intriguing fight.
End of squeezing lemons.
Do I buy into the hype I just tried to create in an attempt to excite myself?
I’m not so sure.
But at least I was trying to make lemonade. With the immediate dismissal of a potential Bradley or Williams fight with Pacquiao, that’s more than Arum and Top Rank can say. They simply handed off the lemons to boxing fans to let us decide what to make of them.
