Writer Criticizes Manny Pacquiao For Fighting Antonio Margarito

Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports could be barking up the wrong tree as he tries to put the blame on Manny Pacquiao for signing up to fight Antonio Margarito on November 13.

The popular Yahoo writer says Pacquiao chose the wrong opponent when the Filipino boxer was made to choose between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

According to lole, Bob Arum presented Pacquiao with two possible options—to fight Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto.

In his Yahoo News article dated August 27, lole said Pacquiao stands to gain more than $15 million by fighting Magarito. He added:

"Pacquiao chose to fight Margarito. From a business standpoint, it was the right move. But it proves that Pacquiao’s ethics are as questionable as Margarito’s. Why allow Margarito, who, I might add, was completely torn apart by Mosley after the advantage was removed from his wraps, to make that kind of money? When you sleep with dogs, you get fleas and Philippines congressman Pacquiao is flea-infested at the moment".

"Never was there a thought of doing the right thing, of setting a good example for the people in his boxing-mad country and refusing to fight an obvious cheater. Instead, Pacquiao grabbed for the money and didn’t care if he rewarded Margarito handsomely in the process. Pacquiao is as despicable as the rest of the bunch".

I agree with Iole that it was a right move for Pacquiao to fight Margarito from a business standpoint.

And I think the match is a good tune-up fight for the much-awaited Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. I may be one of the few who still believe that this dream fight will happen sometime next year.

But I could not understand why Iole would criticize Pacquiao for giving his consent to Bob Arum to fight Margarito. lole said Pacquiao was presented with only two choices and that was between Cotto and Margarito.

Is Iole saying that Pacquiao should have chosen Miguel Cotto? I am sure Iole is aware that Cotto was demolished by Pacquiao during their last encounter.

Iole continued on his tirades, "When you sleep with dogs, you get fleas and Philippine congressman Manny Pacquiao is flea infested at the moment."

In effect Iole is saying that Margarito is just like a flea-infested dog and when he faces Pacquiao, he too gets infested.

Iole should know better than a trying-hard legal mind for feasting on presumption of guilt rather than innocence.

No matter how bad we look at Margarito's illegal hand wraps controversy, the truth is that Margarito is presumed innocent until found guilty by a competent court.

Even the Philippine constitution which was patterned after US laws says, "No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of law."

I am not saying that Margarito is innocent of the charges but the fact is no verdict has been handed by a competent court, and under the law he is presumed innocent of the charges.

Iole must have forgotten that Pacquiao had chosen Floyd Mayweather, Jr. as his first option saying he owes the fans a good fight and he believes that the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is what the whole world wants to see.

Again, everyone knows that Mayweather refused Pacquiao's challenge and so he had to make the choice given the two options as Iole revealed.

Iole is blaming the wrong person for this fight, forgetting Mayweather (not Margarito) was his first option but the undefeated American boxer simply refused Pacquiao's challenge for a fight in November.

Still, Iole talks of "good example" for the people in Pacquiao's own country adding that Pacquiao is as despicable as the rest of the bunch.

But who is Iole to judge Pacquiao as a bad example for his own people just because he gave Margarito a fighting chance?

If Margarito has been convicted of the crime as charged, then Iole's assault on the person of Pacquiao who has labored to to be what and where he is today, may have some logical basis.

But on mere allegations and presumptions, Iole has no right to call Pacquiao a flea-infested person.

It is understandable that Iole does not particularly like Pacquiao but his tirades should have been directed at Bob Arum, being Pacquiao's promoter as well as the Texas Boxing commission for giving Margarito a license to fight in Texas.

Is Iole barking up the wrong tree?