Like cowboys to cattle

There’s no doubt that Antonio Margarito will try to bully and push Manny Pacquiao around the ring when they face off for the vacant WBC superwelterweight title at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, tomorrow night (Sunday morning, Manila).

Margarito has a clear edge in height, reach and bulk. He’s expected to weigh anywhere between 160 and 165 pounds when the bell rings compared to Pacquiao’s 149 tops. The Tijuana Tornado also enjoys a six-inch reach advantage, meaning his length may make it difficult for Pacquiao to approach.

Margarito’s style is basically come-forward. His footwork is atrocious and his punches come from angles that you can read a mile away. Pacquiao knows his flaws and will surely exploit the weaknesses.

Whether Margarito’s trainer Robert Garcia has refined his style in the gym to unveil a transformation against Pacquiao remains to be seen. But it’s hard to teach old dogs new tricks. Margarito, 32, has been a pro since 1994 and any boxing expert will tell you it’s next to impossible to turn a flawed fighter into a polished stylist late in his career.

Margarito’s tendency is to follow his opponent wherever he goes. He doesn’t cut the ring off because his footwork won’t allow it. He doesn’t anticipate where his opponent is moving to and is unable to stop him in his tracks. If his opponent is quick on his feet and likes to shimmy side-to-side, Margarito will be clueless as to how to connect consistently. But if his opponent shows little mobility and chooses to engage, Margarito will be tough to beat.

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Sugar Shane Mosley’s trainer Nazim Richardson said what makes Margarito dangerous is the pressure he puts on his opponent. He’ll goad his opponent to go toe-to-toe and push him to a corner or the ropes where he can bang away. He likes to lean on his foe, tire him out and smother him with bad affection.

“Margarito’s balance is such where he can apply that pressure and he corrals you, like cowboys to cattle,” said Richardson. “He corrals you to the ropes, he corrals you to the corner. He does certain things where he’s not fighting so much, he just tries to put you in a position so that he can start the fight. And once he gets you where he wants you, he’ll let go with it.”

Richardson’s observation isn’t a startling revelation to Pacquiao and Freddie Roach. Margarito is almost a one-dimensional fighter, a volume puncher with heavy hands, extremely aggressive, slow and dirty. The bulk advantage will allow Margarito to absorb Pacquiao’s punches with less damage than someone at a similar weight. Ricky Hatton was knocked out cold by a single left hook because he fought Pacquiao at the lightwelterweight limit of 140 pounds. This time, Margarito and Pacquiao will square off at a catchweight limit of 150, four less than the superwelterweight ceiling.

Margarito had a brief amateur career, posting an 18-3 record, then turned pro at 15 to help out his family financially. He was born in poverty and lived in a cramped two-bedroom hillside home in a tough Tijuana district with his parents, brother and three younger sisters. His father Antonio Sr. was a night watchman and sold lamps and matresses by day. He was introduced to boxing by his father when he was eight. His only brother Manuel was murdered in an unsolved Tijuana killing in 1999. Today, Margarito lives with his long-time girlfriend Michelle and her two younger brothers in a five-bedroom home in Tijuana, five minutes from the US border in San Diego.

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Margarito’s biggest win was his 11th round stoppage of Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas two years ago. Before close to 10,500 fans, Margarito broke down Cotto’s defense with a relentless body attack. Cotto’s inability to stay off the ropes led to his downfall. In the seventh round, Cotto bled from the nose and a bad cut on his left eyelid.

“Margarito was undeterred, continuing to march forward at all costs to wear his adversary down,” wrote Sean Sullivan in Boxing Digest. “Whether he ate some leather along the way didn’t matter as long as he completed the search-and-destroy mission.” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum described Margarito as “a freight train going downhill until it finally ran Cotto over.”

Asked to explain his never-say-die warrior’s mentality, Margarito said, “When you live in a border town, everything is always a little tougher – you work hard for everything you get.”

Pacquiao is forewarned not to take Margarito lightly.