Manny Pacquiao: Does Latest Margarito Stunt Mean Knockout for Pacman?
With Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito set to do battle this Saturday, you have to wonder if Margarito's latest stunt means a sure knockout for Pacman.
If you're not sure which "stunt" I'm referring to, you can find it on the next slide. But I will summarize it now by saying that it involves Margarito taking a pretty nasty shot at Pacman's trainer, Freddie Roach.
And that right there is the proverbial rub. On the surface, the last thing Margarito should want to do is get Pacquiao pissed off. But then again, there's always the possibility that a pre-fight controversy such as this will ultimately be a moot point.
This slideshow will dole out five reasons why his stunt will mean a sure knockout, and five reasons why it won't.
The Stunt
1 of 11As you'll see in the attached video, Antonio Margarito and a member of his camp go all Rush Limbaugh by mocking Freddie Roach, who has Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's, as you well know, is a nervous system disorder that can cause involuntary tremors, among other things. So it's really not very nice to mock somebody who has it, which is why the uploader was kind enough to insert a slide that says, "You despicable bastards."
Now that you're up to speed, we can talk implications.
Reasons It Won't, No. 5: He Psyched Pacman Out
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We can't know for sure whether or not Margarito was trying to send a message with this video, or if he just got caught acting like an ass in front of the camera.
But we do know that, one way or another, a message has been sent. And if it was indeed Margarito's intent to psych Pacman out, then it's worth dealing with the possibility that he accomplished just that.
Ever the mild-mannered fellow, it certainly seems like mind games aren't really Manny Pacquiao's forte. So if he ends up struggling in the ring against Margarito, and just doesn't look like he's fighting his fight, who's to say that this little episode will have had nothing to do with it?
Reasons It Will, No. 5: Pacman Won't Be Psyched Out
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This, of course, certainly seems like the more likely scenario. Pacman is, after all, a professional. It seems far more likely that he's not going to let Maragrito's idiocy get to him at an emotional level.
The idea was to knock him out anyway, so why should that change just because Margarito deserves to be knocked out?
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Reasons It Won't, No. 4: Roach and Pacman Won't Use It as Motivation
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It's pretty obvious at this point that Freddie Roach has no love lost for Margarito and his camp. And the word on the inter-streets, not surprisingly, is that Roach is none too thrilled with being mocked by Margarito and his contingency.
And he's also not buying their apology.
But you have to suspect he's not going to turn around and tell Pacman, "Okay, now these bastards are going to pay."
Why? Because once again, that should already be the notion in both their heads. The only way it could get any more extreme would be if Roach told Pacman to go out there and beat Margarito's skull in.
However, he won't do that. Somebody has to be the mature one here, and Margarito has definitely shown he's not up to the task. So no, Roach won't use this as motivation.
Then again, maybe he should.
Reasons It Will, No. 4: Now The Crowd Will Be Overwhelmingly in Favor of Pacman
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Margarito's jackassery may not serve as motivation for Pacquiao's camp, but you have to suspect that the crowd is going to be overwhelmingly in favor of Pacman now, if they weren't already.
Some of you no doubt will express your opinion that the crowd will have nothing to do with it, but I happen to disagree. Boxing is just like any other sport. The participants know they're being watched, and they can and will feed off the crowd.
And for the record, it's going to be a big crowd. Advantage Pacman.
Reasons It Won't, No. 3: Margarito Is Just That Confident
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Of course, one supposes that the man they call the "Tijuana Tornado" is already confident. And it's also pretty easy to say that he has wandered astray from "confident" to just downright cocky.
But then again, maybe he knows something we don't. Like, perhaps, all of Pacman's various commitments and general distractions are going to sap some of his ability. Or maybe that he knows for a fact that his height is going to be an issue for Pacman. And so on.
The point is this, he's either really stupid to belittle a person or people like that, or he's just a real bastard who also knows for a fact that he's the better fighter.
Reasons It Will, No. 3: Manny Will Be That Pissed
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Remember how in old Bruce Lee movies he would always get up from a crushing blow, wipe some blood from his chin, look at the guy and then beat the living hell out of him?
That would be the other scenario here. Just replace Lee with Pacman and Chuck Norris with Margarito.
Pacman's tough enough as a nice guy. I don't think you or I would want to cross him when he's in a bad mood.
Maybe Margarito will learn the same lesson. If he does, the only question will be whether or not he can remember it when he regains consciousness.
Reasons It Won't, No. 2: Manny's Emotions Will Get the Better of Him
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So maybe Pacman does get pissed and tries to go all Bruce Lee on Margarito.
Well, maybe that's not such a good idea. That would mean that Margarito did indeed (bleep) Pacquiao's mind, that he succeeded in his bid to sabotage his opponent's mindset.
Besides, if I may speak from personal experience, being angry never helps you beat the guy whose bigger than you. It's a much better idea if you kick him in the groin and then run very fast in the opposite direction. And then hide in the first dumpster you come across.
But hey, that's me. I would hope Pacquiao has a better solution.
Reasons It Will, No. 2: Manny Will Keep His Emotions in Check
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You're probably thinking that this is basically the same thing as reason No. 5, but it's slightly different.
Reason No. 5 suggested that Pacman wouldn't have any emotional response to the video. This is in the event that he does.
With that in mind, Manny Pacquiao is a cool dude. While Margarito's antics have probably roused his emotions in some way or another, you have to think he's not going to drag any baggage into the ring.
In other words, he's going to proceed like nothing happened and knock Margarito out anyway.
Reasons It Won't, No. 1: Margarito Was Always the Better Fighter Anyway
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And then there's this to consider.
We obviously won't know for sure who the better fighter is until the fight is finished. But what we do know for sure is that it's going to be one of the two. Wink wink.
The odds are currently in Pacquiao's favor, but that tends to happen with the guy holding all the belts. Either way, betting on Pacquiao and calling me stupid for daring to suggest that Margarito is the better fighter will only look smart if Pacman wins.
If Margarito wins, well...I guess we'll have to be content with having a Super Welterweight Champion that nobody likes.
Reasons It Will, No. 1: Manny Is the Better Fighter Anyway
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You had to know this was coming after that last slide, right?
Indeed, at the end of it all, we're probably going to say that this always was the most likely scenario.
There's a reason Pacquiao is considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. It's because, no matter what his haters may say, he's proven it time and time again.
Essentially, he didn't need Margarito to make an ass out of himself in order to beat him. He's going to do that anyway.
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