Boxing Matchups: Pacquiao vs. Margarito Odds & Picks
By Drew Sharper
One of the top boxers in the world hits the ring once again on Saturday as Manny Pacquiao takes on Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight World Title. This fight will take place from the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Pay Per-View.
Pacquiao is the clear favorite in this fight with a betting line of -450 while Margarito has a line of +300 according to online sports book BroburySports.com. The fight card begins at 9PM ET on Pay-Per-View. Here is a closer look at both boxers and their odds heading into this fight.
Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KO’s)
Strengths: Pacquiao has some of the fastest hands in boxing, which have allowed him to win his four of his last five fights by KO or TKO, including a second round KO of Ricky Hatton and an eighth round TKO over Oscar De La Hoya. Pacquiao hasn’t taken a lot of clean shots either during his fights. He has the ability to inflict a lot of damage while taking little.
Weaknesses: It has yet to be shown as a weakness, but Pacquiao continues to fight in larger weight classes than what he is accustomed to in order to make a big pay day. He fought most of his career as a Super Bantamweight (122 lbs.) or a Featherweight (126 lbs.), but has found success at the larger weights, including his fight with De La Hoya, where he fought at welterweight (147 lbs.). Now he will be competing at Super Welterweight, looking to add another title to his credit.
Antonio Margarito (38-6-0, 27 KO’s)
Strengths: Margarito is known for having good power, but that has come into question due to the discovery of using tampered hand wraps during his bouts. It was discovered to be plaster substance on the inside of his wraps. He had won three straight bouts by KO prior to that discovery, including
an 11th-round TKO over Miguel Cotto.
Weaknesses: Margarito hasn’t been able to establish himself as one of the all-time greats as he lacks a victory against one of the premiere boxers in the world. He recently lost to Shane Mosley, which would have been the biggest win of his career in terms of name power. In this bout he is going to lack the speed and power of Pacquiao, so he will need a good game plan and flawless execution to get the win.
Who will win: Magarito is biting off more than he can chew in this fight as Pacquiao has been unstoppable and his speed and quickness is too much for Margarito to deal with. Look for Pacquiao to earn a win in this fight, likely by TKO in the later rounds.