Margarito Is Tallest Tree In Pacquiao’s Forest

by ALEX P. VIDAL

HOLLYWOOD, California – Manny Pacquiao will not only attempt to chop down the tallest tree in his 15-year professional fistic career, he will also try to silence the business’ fastest gun alive that currently holds the record in number of punches thrown in a single fight.

Antonio "The Tijuana Tornado" Margarito (38-6, 37 KO’s), who is as tall as heavyweight Mike Tyson at five feet and 11 inches (180 cm) and four inches taller than the smallest heavyweight champion in history, Tommy Burns, currently holds the Compubox all-time record of 1,675 punches thrown when he hammered out a 12-round unanimous decision win over African speedster Joshua Clottey to retain his WBO welterweight title at the Broadwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on December 6, 2006.

The record has remained unsurpassed. The same Clottey fought and lost to Pacquiao in a boring 12-round WBO 147-lb brawl at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 13.

Another common denominator is Puerto Rican Miguel Angelo Cotto, who was violently stopped by Margarito in the 11th round for the WBO welterweight title in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 26, 2008 and who was halted by Pacquiao in the 12th stanza also for the WBO welterweight tiara on November 14, 2009.

Pacquiao, 31, has admitted he is "at my best" in the welterweight division, a fragile territory for someone who stands only five feet and six inches and who, three fights ago, was considered as "the biggest little man in the world" for having successfully breached the 147-lb division after a giant leap from a scrawny 108-lb customer in 1995 and now as the best fighter in the world pound-for-pound.

EIGHT WORLD CROWN
　

Having secured seven world titles in different weight divisions, Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KO’s) will aim for his record eight in the 154-lb (69.9 kg) when he battles the 32-year old three-time world champion from Tijuana, Mexico for the WBC light middleweight title on November 13 at the Cowboys Stadium.

"My main priority now is public service," the Filipino lefty blurted during a recent break in his training camp at the Wild Card Gym here where he sparred with heavy hitters Rashad Holloway and David Rodela under the tutelage of Hall of Famer coach Freddie Roach.

Pacquiao was referring to his duties and obligations as elected representative of Sarangani Province in the Philippines where he is expected to focus his attention full time after the Margarito bout.

‘BIG, BIG DIFFERENCE’

Pacquiao was obviously in a hurry to wrap up his appointment with Margarito that he already weighed 150 pounds a week after the fight on November 13.

"People don’t understand," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum sighed. "Manny will weigh in at 150 but then he will come into the ring at maybe 151. When Margarito weighs in at 150, he will come in the ring at about 165. And that is a big, big difference."

Team Pacquiao has been scheduled to depart to Dallas/Forth Worth, Texas November 8 in a chartered "Air Pacquiao" flight together with friends and relatives and a few Manila-based journalists, while Margarito, whose reach is similar to Oscar De La Hoya at 73 inches (185 cm), hit Texas together with his wife, Michelle, on board Margarito Bus on November 6.

Both protagonists will join the Cowboys Stadium owner Jerry Jones in a final press conference on November 10 at the cavernous stadium, which opened on May 27, 2009 with a sitting capacity of 80,000 (111,000 if expanded).

The Pacquiao-Clottey fisticuffs on March 13, 2010 was ranked as No. 3 in the highest number of attendance with 50,994 audience next to 105,121 audience during the football match between the Dallas Cowboys versus New York Giants on September 21, 2009 and 108,713 audience during the NBA All-Star Game on February 14, 2010. /MP