Margarito: Target Practice

I wish I could say i’m shocked that there are rumours of a Chavez jr. Margarito fight but unfortunately not. I know even if this fight doesn’t go ahead, there is no doubt that one of the governing bodies will magically manage to sanction another fight for Margarito, circumstances which will no doubt be shrouded in mystery. I’m not going to lie; I’m not a big Margarito fan and never have been. I have never seen any palpable talent emanating from him other than his in built Mexican ability to take a hell of a lot of punishment. The man is too tough for his own good. If only his skill set matched his hardiness. However, his last two brutal defeats to Pacquiao and Cotto reinforced the reality of the situation. The pictures from aftermath speak for themselves. The former destroyed his eye socket, the latter nailed the final bolt in the coffin that is Margarito’s career; at least the successful part of it. Anyone who now fights Margarito has a blue print for defeating him. He might as well have a giant target painted on his right eye.

Sure, he could radically change his fighting style and focus on his defense and really work on protecting that eye but we have to bear in mind again at who we’re talking about here. This isn’t a young fighter, nor a fighter who has ever been defined as master of defence, not even a defensive fighter full stop. Nor are we talking about a fighter who has been blessed with astounding speed or finesse. No, Margarito - the stalker, the pressure fighter, the brawler with not a shred of respect for his own safety, the over the hill 33 year old who’s slowly racking up defeats. Just a few descriptions which come to mind. It makes for entertaining fights but now I think it’s time to call it quits.

Margarito has already accomplished what most fighters only dream of, albeit under questionable circumstances but let’s not get into that. Sadly he’s also going to accomplish what many fighters also manage to achieve in fighting past his sell by date. Unfortunately, Margarito being the warrior that he is will no doubt let his willingness to take punishment cloud his judgement in making his next decision. And what’s even more unfortunate is that the governing bodies will no doubt let their financial desires cloud their better judgement and thus the demise of Marco Antonio Margarito will continue.

What are your thoughts on Margarito’s future? Is there any hope for the career of El Tornado de Tijuana?