25.01.07 – by Yero Moody: In continuation of my original piece regarding Antonio Margarito facing his mandatory challenger, the # 1 contender, Paul “The Punisher” Williams, I’d like to add some new insights into this matter. It has now been announced by Bob Arum that Margarito will indeed vacate his WBO belt to face Miguel Cotto on June 9, 2007. This is not at all shocking news for those of us who have been following this story. However, to those die-hard Margarito fans and Floyd Mayweather,jr. detractors, this may come as a severe shock..
Now, the man who insisted that it was based on fear that Floyd Mayweather, jr. did not want to fight him is now placed in a very bad predicament. This is the SECOND time he’s now chosen to take on another fighter rather than face Williams. The only reason many people gave him a pass the first time was because he insisted on stating that he would fight Williams and even reiterated it after his fight with Joshua Clottey in December 2006.
Again he has come up short on his word. Some people even bought into Arum’s side of the story saying that Williams got greedy and wanted too much money. Dan Gossen, William’s promoter stated that the offer had Arum had given was so ridiculously low that it was just Arum’s way of saying no. Who is right? We may never know but it is a little strange that no official dollar amounts were given.
As I stated in my earlier peice it is a good decision for him to go after Cotto, attempt to get a major belt and add a good, quality fighter on his record. That is a very sound business decision! However, when you put yourself in a predicament such as this you have to be prepared for the backlash. He is now officially, in the most literal sense of the word, a hippocrate! In hindsight one has to ask why did he choose to fight the # 6 contender Joshua Clottey instead of fighting the # 1 contender and mandatory challenger Williams in the first place? Certainly a man who claims to be “the most feared man in boxing” should have been eagerly awaiting a great challenge to prove his merit. You don’t choose the # 6 contender over the # 1 contender and expect to taken seriously. It certainly was not a bigger fight than if he had fought Williams.
For those who like to make comparisons, here is a really good one for you to think about. Margarito chose to fight the # 6 contender who had beaten no one of note instead of facing his mandatory while Mayweather,jr. chose to fight the man regarded as the true champion of the welterweight division by virtue of him beating the undisputed champion instead of facing a non-mandatory challenge from Margarito. Can anyone say apples and oranges? Was it fear that made Margarito elude Williams and want to face Clottey and Cotto? Certainly not, in this writer’s opinion. Cotto is a much bigger threat than Williams is right now. Just as it was not in fear that Mayweather rejected Margarito. De La Hoya is a much bigger threat than Magarito, Williams and Cotto combined right now.
I say all of that to say this, Margarito is now doing the exact same thing that Floyd did. How many of those who have called Floyd a fraud have called Margarito a fraud. Virtually none of them. All I have been hearing are weak excuses for why it is different now that Margarito is doing it. I look forward to seeing the showdown between Cotto and Margarito in June because that is a fight that should be happening. Cotto is definitely much more evenly matched with Margarito than Mayweather is. My prediction is that Miguel Cotto will win by brutal KO. Margarito unfortuantely, due to having given up his WBO belt, will have much less drawing power than he has now. Had he fought Williams he would have been beaten badly as well. So, all in all, Margarito’s days surrounded by hype are nearing a sudden end almost as suddenly as the hype began.
Questions or commnets: e-mail me at yero_m@yahoo.com