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Antonio Margarito feels he can duplicate the same magic he showed against Miguel Cotto when he faces Manny Pacquiao Photo: Chris Farina-Top Rank |
“I know a lot of people do not think I can beat him and a lot of them didn’t believe that I would beat Cotto,” Margarito recently told Sal Rodriguez. “But I don’t know if you remember what happened – I beat Cotto! And therefore I am confident that on November 13th it’s going to be the biggest night for Mexican boxing.”
The Margarito-Cotto affair took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and is widely regarded as the Tijuana fighter’s finest win as a professional. After a slow start Margarito would take command over the second half of the fight as his pressure began paying dividends. An 11th round stoppage would follow and it is that performance that Margarito’s supporters are clinging to when looking for hope for their man.
“I’m better than ever,” Margarito continued. “And always working on the strategy. I’m going to put on a lot of pressure on him. I’ve been watching some videos and the majority of [the opponents] have had the wrong strategy. You have to keep throwing back.”
Ricky Hatton haunted by Pacquiao loss
Ricky Hatton’s world seems to be in complete disarray these days due to the recent cocaine scandal that he is caught up in. Once one of the most respected pugilists in the sport, Hatton is now fighting to simply keep his life afloat as he attempts to regroup while over in the United Kingdom.
Matthew’s brother Ricky, also a fighter, feels that it was his crushing May 2009 loss to Pacquiao that truly derailed his brother. On that dreaded night in Las Vegas, Hatton would be iced in two rounds after taking a flush left hand from Pacquiao and he hasn’t stepped into the ring since. Matthew believes the defeat has been something that Ricky hasn’t been able to shake yet feels he must come to grips with it before he can move on in his life.
“He was very upset after the Pacquiao fight and never came to terms with it,” Hatton told theManchester Evening News. Now he is doing that and hopefully starting a better period of his life. As long as he can put the Pacquiao defeat behind him without fighting again, I am sure he can enjoy his retirement. I’ve spoken to him and I’m confident he can do that.”
The ambitions of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was having a rough go of things last November when he was busy winning a lackluster decision over Troy Rowland at the MGM Grand. Fast forward nearly a year later and Chavez seems to be one of the sport’s hottest commodities after teaming up with trainer Freddie Roach and showing tremendous improvement.
While he will be skipping out on a trip to the Philippines to work with Manny Pacquiao, Chavez still has high hopes for his 2011 campaign. The 24-year old fighter is currently in line to face Alfonso Gomez on December 4th in Anaheim, California and could be in line to face Miguel Cotto and other big names next year.
“2011 should be a historic year for me,” Chavez toldBoxingScene’s Jhonny Gonzalez. “I think Cotto is as interested in fighting me as much as I am in fighting him. There could be some good things with the champion Martinez or with ‘Canelo’ [Alvarez]. But I think after I see what happens on December 4th, then I’ll see who I want to face.”
Juan Manuel Lopez headed for Las Vegas on October 25th
The November 6th firefight between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez continues to inch closer and closer. It figures to be one of the year’s more compelling fights as Lopez, the WBO featherweight champion from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, will be in for one of his stiffest tests against the tenacious attack and deadly efficiency of the Mexico City fighter.
The fight takes place at the MGM Grand on November 6th and Lopez will be breaking for Las Vegas on October 25th, where he will resume training for the contest at the Top Rank Gym. Marquez is currently training in his homeland under the watchful eye of former champion Daniel Zaragoza.
Brandon Gonzales back in camp
Undefeated middleweight Brandon Gonzales is back in Las Vegas training for his next fight. The Sacramento fighter is heading into his second bout with trainer Jeff Mayweather, as the tandem was extremely successful with their first venture in stopping Byron Tyson in late August in Fallon, Nevada.
Gonzales was seen sparring at Floyd Mayweather’s personal gym earlier this week with undefeated super middleweight Dion Savage and put in some serious work. Gonzales has definite talent and Jeff feels that if everything goes according to plan that he should be ready to challenge for a world title sometime next year.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached atTrimond@aol.com
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