Fans everywhere should rejoice.
Since quite literally the moment De La Hoya vs. Pacquaio was announced, it has been on the mind of many fans. What about Antonio Margarito?
Oscar announced that he would fight Miguel Cotto should he get by Margarito in their matchup. However when Margarito knocked out Cotto, Oscar and Golden Boy promotions went into full spin mode.
Using a litany of reasons, Oscar and Richard Schaefer have made clear their intentions not to fight Antonio Margarito.
First Oscar wouldn't fight Margarito because he was scared the Mexican fight fans would turn on him. Next, it was the unfinished business between Margarito and Paul Williams that prohibited De La Hoya from fighting him.
More recently it has been delegated to Shane Mosley to get the first crack at Margarito. That is of course, until Mosley struggled for most of his fight against Ricardo Mayorga.
Meanwhile De La Hoya overlooked the baddest man in the 147 lb division for the former baddest man in the 130 lb division. All this while not weighing in for a fight under 150 lbs in several years.
The criticism, however, has been mounting. The boiling point may have been the numerous interviews and videos surfacing on the web of Margarito calling De La Hoya and questioning his manhood.
De La Hoya now claims he will fight Margarito, after he deals with Pacquaio. In an interview with a spanish language radio show, Oscar said the fight with Margarito "will definitely happen."
Throughout his career De La Hoya has not been one to duck away from challenges, from his fight with Trinidad to his ill advised challenge of Bernard Hopkins.
Maybe De La Hoya's machismo has resurfaced and he wants to go out against the best. Or maybe he has noticed Margarito's newfound superstardom. Either way, fight fans will win no matter who wins if and when these warriors meet.
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