By Ronan Keenan

Photo © Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com

If you let something sizzle too long, it will lose its flavor. Unfortunately, the same rationale applies to a fighter.

While some are offered a platinum path to the top, others are figuratively forced to wade through mud in a generally wearisome effort to gain recognition. Along the way many potential candidates for greatness burn out, while others erupt into stardom.

The list of legends whose careers simmered for years before making the big time is extensive; the list of would-be superstars is even greater.

A few years ago, South African Philip N’Dou impressed during his few appearances Stateside. In displaying smooth movement and flashy combinations, American promoters thought they’d unearthed a diamond from the rough. And when his title shot finally came against Floyd Mayweather, many insiders were predicting the birth of a new champion.

“I was fully convinced that Phillip N'Dou was the real deal,” boxing historian Lee Groves told krikya360.com. “I even went so far as to say that not only would he defeat Mayweather, but he would knock him unconscious. N'Dou looked awesome on the tapes I saw and I was awestruck by his sneaky right hand. He unleashed it with stunning speed and landed with incredible authority.

“But come fight night, Floyd turned in his best performance in years, while the fight marked the beginning of the end of N'Dou. You just never know what's going to happen when two highly-trained fighters step into the ring.”

N’Dou can’t complain, he was given an opportunity. What about the gifted fighters who never even came close to a title shot?

“Charley Burley is the perfect example of a fighter worthy of championship-level competition only to be denied,” said Groves. “He had all the skills any fighter could want and he knew how to use them. For whatever reason, whether it be his race or the age-old ‘high-risk, low-reward’ formula, Burley was never granted his championship chance.”

Now which route will Antonio Margarito take? Will he finally get his dream mega fight and fail, like N’Dou? Will he continue to be ignored like Burley? Or will the Mexican surprise everyone and become the next Marvin Hagler – a blue-collar fighter who toiled in relative anonymity for years waiting for a break before climbing to greatness?

TURNING POINT

Of course, in today’s fight game it’s actually possible be considered a ‘world champion’ without ever becoming a star. Margarito has held a version of the welterweight title since 2002 and has defended it seven times against solid yet unspectacular opposition.

The most important night of Margarito’s career was his 2000 bout against the then-touted prospect Sergio Martinez on the undercard of Barrera-Morales I. The ungainly Margarito already had three blemishes on his record and was being used as a sparring partner for Oscar De La Hoya when he got the call to be Martinez’ welcome mat to Las Vegas. 

Perhaps buoyed by his ability to hang with De La Hoya in training, Margarito mauled the skilful Martinez and battered the good-looking boxer inside seven rounds.

Margarito wasn’t expected to stay in the glamorous Vegas scene. But the ‘Tijuana Tornado’ seems like a stubborn mule as he showed his intentions on hanging around Sin City with a gruelling victory over the still-dangerous Antonio Diaz to claim the minor ‘world’ title.

His eye-opening demolition of the rated Andrew Lewis and thorough beat-down of then-undefeated Kermit Cintron should have made Margarito a big name on the Strip. Yet, for some reason his schedule has slowed, with the quality of his opposition stagnating. Mega fights don’t feature Manuel Gomez or Joshua Clottey.

Margarito, 34-4 (24), has looked impressive in overcoming decent contenders, but are the big names more scared of facing him or the minor payday that comes with it?

So why can’t Margarito get on the big stage?

“I think those fighters who have passed on fighting him, such as Floyd Mayweather, just see him as an opponent where the reward isn't worth the risk,” Eric Raskin, contributing editor of The Ring magazine, told krikya360.com. “It's not that Mayweather doesn't believe he can and will beat Margarito; it's just that the upside of beating Margarito wasn't worth blowing a potential fight with De La Hoya. If you want to consider that ‘ducking’ a fighter, then fine, in a sense it is.”

MAINSTREAM APPEAL

Despite being a macho, testosterone-filled sport, in boxing it helps to be pretty. The names who command the biggest purses, specifically De La Hoya, Mayweather and Shane Mosley, are all articulate, handsome men with gleaming smiles who transform fighting into fine art.

Each also has his own aesthetically pleasing in-ring style: De La Hoya can take out opponents with ruthlessly accurate combinations; Mosley combines graceful footwork with dazzling salvos; Mayweather effortlessly evades punches with subtle movements before countering with lighting-quick potshots.

So which of these qualities does Margarito possess? Well, it’s safe to say he’s not as physically attractive as the aforementioned trio. At 5’11 and 147 pounds he appears relatively emaciated, while his grubby moustache isn’t likely to go down well in Madison Avenue. And the fact that Margarito has no desire to learn English fully squashes his potential to be a crossover star.

But maybe he’s right not to worry about the externalities of the fight game. Margarito is a true pro when it comes to the sport. Despite not being the most active of fighters in recent years, he has shown excellent dedication in never allowing his weight to rise above 160 pounds between bouts. And he probably doesn’t see why hours should be spent learning a second language, when that time could be spent perfecting his lethal right uppercut.

Moreover, Margarito’s lifelong devotion to boxing means that, unlike the vast majority of his countrymen, he has never had an interest in the national pastime of soccer. Instead, Margarito admits he spent his youth aspiring to be the next Julio Cesar Chavez or Jorge “Maromero” Paez. 

Margarito doesn’t ask for the spotlight outside of the ropes, he just wants more attention to be paid to the good work he’s achieved inside the ring.

NO FRILLS

Nonetheless, the 28-year-old can’t exactly match the big names when it comes to fighting finesse either. There’s no unique facet of his game, just a lot of hard work and doggedness. His jab is certainly powerful, but not smooth. His concept of footwork is to get from point A to B. And why use intricate head movement when you can just blast your opponent in the face?

Still, Margarito’s marauding tactics have been effective. His victories haven’t been defined by the finer points of ring-generalship. In its place, he has simply bulldozed the opposition by utilising his considerable size advantage to walk through punches in an effort to unload his long right cross and winging hooks.

Many of his fights have been mirror-images of one another. From Martinez to Clottey, his gameplan has remained the same. But does that say more about the effectiveness of Margarito’s approach or the quality of his competition?

“As far as his competition goes, he has yet to fight an elite opponent,” said Raskin. “But he's fought plenty of quality foes, such as Kermit Cintron, Daniel Santos, and Antonio Diaz. Diaz, especially, was a meaningful win against a guy who, at the time, was no easy out.

“And against a lot of guys one notch below that, he's been devastating, blowing out the likes of Manuel Gomez, Andrew Lewis, and Hercules Kyvelos. His track record is definitely solid. But he lacks a huge name or a truly top-notch fighter to prove he can compete against the Mayweathers or the Mosleys.”

NOT ALL THAT?

While Margarito’s conquests look impressive on their own- Gomez, Cintron, Lewis and Kyvelos were all dispatched with shocking ease- there is one night he probably wishes to forget.

On September 11th 2004, Margarito’s tower of invincibility almost came tumbling down when he put on seven pounds to face the capable Daniel Santos in Peurto Rico.

When matched with a man of similar height and reach, Margarito was unable to bully his opponent around the ring. The Mexican’s usual strategy was rendered ineffective against the tall southpaw. And worryingly, Santos appeared unfazed when caught flush by the same hooks and uppercuts that have immobilised 24 other men.

Conversely, the Puerto Rican regularly stopped Margarito’s march on numerous occasions with his straight left, unsettling the Mexican to the point where he turned southpaw himself on numerous occasions in a desperate attempt to gain some sort of leverage. In spit of this, Margarito was caught by even more clean shots and subsequently nodded his head in acknowledgment of Santos’ superiority.

Where was the bold warrior that blitzed through so many other contenders? Had the bully finally met his match?

Ultimately, the southpaw stance of Santos proved to be incompatible with Margarito’s straightforward approach, as numerous head clashes opened up a nasty cut on the latter’s right eyebrow in the fifth round. The severity of the gash led to the bout being halted in the tenth, which meant the official conclusion was a technical decision win for Santos by scores of 87-84, 86-85 and 85-86.

The margin of defeat seems slight on paper, but the fact remains that Margarito was heading towards a convincing loss, with the technicality of the outcome masking his limitations.

On reflection, can Margarito’s supporters credibly dub him the ‘world’s most dangerous fighter’?

“I think he's become one of those fighters who’s both overrated and underrated at the same time,” said Raskin. “Those who built him up as this killer that nobody wants to fight have probably blown his abilities out of proportion, while those who say he's fought nobody and will get easily destroyed against a top fighter are not giving him enough credit. As is usually the case, the truth is probably somewhere in between.”

 

TROUBLE AHEAD

While Margarito’s single-mindedness towards his profession appears resolute, the recent battle between his management team and promoters Top Rank has left many observers questioning his advisors’ mentality. Just when it seemed Top Rank had finalised his ‘big break’ against Miguel Cotto, Margarito’s handlers apparently rejected the proposed matchup and promptly signed a contract with Goossen Tutor Promotions to face unbeaten prospect Paul Williams.

Subsequently, Top Rank have filed papers against the Mexican’s management for an alleged breach of contract, while Goossen Tutor countered with a lawsuit against Top Rank for purported interference in the promotion of Margarito-Williams.

 

 The reasoning behind the decision by Margarito’s team to reject the superfight with Cotto remains ambiguous. Margarito’s co-manager Sergio Diaz claimed the terms for the Cotto bout were not good enough for his fighter. Margarito will earn $1.5 million for the Williams bout, if it ever goes ahead.

Recently, Diaz said Top Rank was doing everything it could to prevent the bout going ahead. But maybe it would be beneficial for Margarito if the showdown with Williams fails to materialise.

Not only is “The Punisher” a highly-touted prospect with a glossy 32-0 (24) record, but he possesses a fighting style that could give the “Tijuana Tornado” a spinning headache. If Margarito struggled to come to terms with the left-handed stance of Santos, how will he fare against a southpaw who is two inches taller with a six inch reach advantage?

“I'm really surprised he chose to fight Paul Williams instead of Cotto,” said Raskin. “He's making less money, he's missing a chance to finally fight a big name, and it's debatable which opponent is more dangerous. If he loses to Williams and never gets his shot at the big time, then he has himself to blame, because he was offered that shot against Cotto.”

Williams has loudly claimed he kayoed Margarito in a past sparring session and it’s possible the story has annoyed the Mexican to the point where he wants to make a statement to the 25-year-old neophyte.

There has been speculation that Margarito views Williams as an inexperienced pretender who guarantees an easier payday than the high-flying Cotto.

That’s not the case, according to Margarito.

“I believe I’ll have a more difficult time with Williams,” he told krikya360.com via Diaz. “There is no comparison [between Williams and Cotto]. These are two different fighters in every aspect. Paul is tall, Cotto is short. One is a southpaw and the other an orthodox. When it comes to power, I’ve sparred with Paul, and I never felt it. As for Cotto he’s been knocking out the perfect opponents chosen for him.

“The one thing they both have in common is they both get caught with punches, and I don’t think any of the two will withstand my punching power.”

Time will tell. But by turning down the 5’7 Cotto in favor of the monstrous Williams, Margarito may be jumping out of the frying pan…

Write to Ronan Keenan at ronankeenan@yahoo.com