At Five-feet eleven inches Antonio Margarito is one of the larger welterweights lurking in the division. His physicality and brute strength have made a name for him maybe more so than his skills in the ring. Without the exposure needed for ticket sales, Margarito remains labeled under the superlative "Most likely to defeat Floyd."

With 33 wins, 4 defeats, 1 draw and 24 coming by way of knockout, Margarito remains at the top of the welterweight chain. Despite a sufficient rep, network time and all of the above, Margarito was the Sonny Liston of this past summer. While Mayweather spent eternity searching for an opponent, he was criticized from 50 billion advisors he never knew he hired.

Several so-called media experts and fight analysts suggested he faced a legitimate opponent for his November 4th, Antonio Margarito. For those unaware, boxing is a business. Floyd Mayweather Jr doesn't owe any explanation for choosing Carlos Baldomir instead of Antonio Margarito. Evidently he feels Carlos is more worthy of the fight and that's all we need to. For those who disagree, you have an option of not attending or paying $49.95 on HBO Pay Per View. Lastly, for the fans and media who don't quite understand the nature of the sport, we'll go through this slowly.

Number one; this fight will take place but not right now. Not until Margarito compiles his resume with more impressive and publicized wins. The hype in Antonio Margarito is his size and strength, not his skill. If he were the same height and size of Floyd, media and fans would've cast him away faster than Tom Hanks. But 5'11 in a welterweight setting can work wonders for you at 147lb, especially with speed, reach and a dominating jab. Margarito possesses none of the above.

Number two; get it out of your head cause Margarito is not on Floyd Mayweather's level, period. There's nothing he can do that Floyd hasn't seen in his previous 36 opponents. Floyd has no reason to worry about anything Margarito has in
his arsenal. Until proven fraud or vulnerable, Floyd is the truth.
 

This just goes to show you all how much of an impact the media plays in the average fan's opinion. If Top Rank, along with the backing of the media is able to catapult a fighter into this King Kong of a beast, they might as well be called the government and the Y2K scare.

Living up to the hype

On December 2nd, 2006, Antonio Margarito will face Joshua Clottey on Showtime Network television. For the majority of boxing fans, this will be the first live viewing of Antonio in action. He'll have to be marvelous, spectacular, brilliant, and incredible, nothing less. The fact that the media has turned him into a Tyson stare overnight has added extra pressure in his quest for supremacy. For those who question the resume of Floyd Mayweather, perhaps they should question Antonio Margarito's first.

No more hating on Carlos Baldomir, either. Floyd needs this fight just as much as Baldomir needs this fight. They need each other. For Carlos, a win over the #1 pound for pound fighter of today would grace him as fighter of the year. In addition, he'll receive more lucrative offers. For Floyd, maybe he'll get his golden Oscar, or that extra sugar and spice by early next year. Baldomir deserves this opportunity. Zab in January and a Gatti in July, can he catch a Floyd in November, or CATCH a Floyd.

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