Detailed Fight Analysis

Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) vs Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs)

Some interesting results at the scales for starters. Margarito at the 150 lb limit, but Pacquiao comes in at 144 1/2. Why Pacquiao would choose to have less muscle on his frame is puzzling to me, but he obviously is concentrating on speed and quickness in this fight.

Margarito's best weapons are his hooks to the body and his chin. He takes a great punch, as evidenced by fights with Cotto, Clottey and Paul Williams. Margarito has had far fewer quality fights than Pacquiao and has scored many of his KOs against lesser opposition. Margarito brings power and tenacity to the fight, as well as being in great condition.

Pacquiao's best weapons are his combination punching and footspeed. He's able to move around the ring (when he's at his best) and throw punches in bunches, usually overwhelming opponents with his offensive onslaught. Pacquiao has put Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton, David Diaz and Miguel Cotto on the deck with his power shots. But none of those guys are as big as Margarito.

The obvious size difference has me worried a bit for Manny. Pacquiao takes a good shot, but taking one of Margarito's shots may be different. Margarito has a high work-rate so Pacquiao may have fewer chances to just tee off than he had against Clottey, Cotto and De La Hoya. If Margarito is unfazed by his power (which I actually think will be the case), what's going to stop him from throwing hard shots all night long? Can Pacquiao stay away? Can Pacquiao really duck everything that Margarito is throwing at him? Can Pacquiao take those punches and just keep coming?

Some in Pacquiao's camp have expressed concern that this wasn't his best training camp. I think this is the crucial factor in the bout. If Pacquiao is indeed less than his usual self, I actually believe he will fall victim to a knockout, around the 11th round. Pacquiao will need to be superman to win. He'll have to throw tons of punches, be light on his feet, and shake off some hard body shots in order to leave with the win by decision. He's the better fighter, but this size difference (and the fact that Margarito is still young and physically in his prime) makes things very interesting....

Sometimes you guess right....

To my shock, my 8th round TKO prediction held true as Juan Manuel Lopez defeated Rafael Marquez in a highly competitive, fast-paced fight. Marquez landed scores of quality punches on Lopez, but the younger man's determination and strength were too much. Joel B's team gets their first win and moves to 1-0 with 1 KO.

STANDINGS

1st.....Team Tyson's Punchout (Jon O) 2-0, 1 KO

(tie)2nd...The Girl's Team (Bryn) 1-0, 1 KO

(tie)2nd....Loaded Gloves (Joel B) 1-0, 1 KO

4th..........Head Hunters (Jay) 1-0-1, 0 KO

5th........Yo Gabba Gabba (BWhit) 1-0, 0 KO

6th.....Andrew, Twomey, Mesiti, Mark (tie)

Tonight's Fight; and a great November for the league

Rafael Marquez (39-5, 35 KOs) vs Juan Manuel Lopez (29-0, 26 KOs)

Tonight features one of those fights that we don't get nearly often enough. It's a fight that matches one of the top rising stars in the game (Lopez) against one of the most talented champions of the last 10 years (Marquez). Both fighters have a lot to gain from a victory, especially Marquez, who could shock the boxing world with a win and possibly add a few more years to his impressive career. Lopez, a young southpaw, has an active and brave style. There's little question that Marquez will land, given his level of accuracy and skill, but Lopez will be connecting with bombs as well. The reality is that if one man is going to break down, it's likely to be the older, slower fighter (Marquez). Time for a final prediction: KO 8 Lopez, in a great fight while it lasts.

NOVEMBER 13th: Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito. I think this will be a MUCH tougher fight than most believe. Margarito is tall and has solid form. He definitely has the power to knock Pac down, but I believe that Pacquiao's work-rate will win him a decision.

W 12 Pacquiao

NOVEMBER 13th: David Haye vs Audley Harrison. This is a mismatch. Harrison is an underachieving British contender that never really put together a solid string of wins. This is probably his one and only title shot, and I expect him to get flattened by round 6. KO6 Haye

NOVEMBER 20th: Paul Williams vs Sergio Martinez 2. There's no way that this fight will be anything other than competitive and fun to watch. At this point, I feel that Martinez is the fighter who is more on top of his game. Williams gets hit too much, and I think it will cost him a decision. W 12 Martinez

NOVEMBER 27th: Andre Ward vs Sakio Bika. Bika is a strong dude and I expect him to give Ward a good fight. However, Ward's skills are good enough for a decision. W 12 Ward

NOVEMBER 27th: Carl Froch vs Arthur Abraham. I wouldn't be surprised if this ended up being the fight of the year. Both of these guys are brave, hate each other, and want to stand at the top of the super middleweight division. I expect Froch to prevail in this one, he's got a very awkward style and long reach. Abraham's lack of activity will hurt him on the cards. W 12 Froch

By the end of this month, the standings will be a lot more interesting....

Lucian Bute and Vitali Klitscho handle theirs

Vitali Klitschko, of Jay's Head Hunters, easily handled American Shannon Briggs (51-6-1), winning a 12 round decision in Germany. While many referees would've stopped the fight, this inexperienced tool from Europe allowed Klitschko to repeatedly nail Briggs with rights from rounds 7 to 12. Briggs showed a quality chin, but landed very few good shots. Klitschko earns 2 pts with the win and Jay moves to 1-0-1 with 0 KOs.

Oro chose Lucian Bute with the overall no. 1 pick and Lucian did him proud with a 9th round KO over challenger Jesse Brinkley. Bute was all business as he moves to 27-0. Oro's Team Tyson's Punchout moves to 2-0 with 1 KO. The win was worth 1.5 pts.

Oro wins, moves to 1-0

Pongsaklek still WBC champion Siamsport By Damrong Simakajornboon WBC flyweight king Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (77-3-1, 40 KOs) successfully kept his WBC crown as he won a close but unanimous decision over WBC#17 Suriyan Por Chokchai (14-5-1, 4 KOs) on Friday at Municipality of Nonghai in Srisaket, Thailand. Suriyan, the WBC Asian 112lb title holder, exceeded expectations of the crowds and others when he displayed his efficient counter-attack tactic to frustrate the champion’s aggression in a very close affair. Scored : Takeaki Kanaya (Japan) 115-114, Noppharat Sricharoen (Thailand) 115-112, Belton Douglas (New Zealand) 114-113.

THE WIN LEAVES THE LEAGUE STANDINGS AS:

1. Bryn 1-0 1KO 3.00 avg

2. BWhit 1-0 0KO 1.00 avg

3. Oro 1-0 0KO 0.50 avg

4. Jay 0-0-1 0KO 0.00 avg

Much Ado about Nothing; No winner in Mosley-Mora

According to reports, Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora fought a lousy fight last Saturday night in Los Angeles. The 39-year-old Mosley was appparently unable to connect with the hard shots that had staggered Mayweather this past May. Mora seemed content to play defense down the stretch and the judges scored the bout a draw. Jay's Head Hunters move to 0-0-1 and the draw earns him 0 pts.

1. Bryn 1-0, 1 KO 3.00 avg

2. BWhit 1-0, 0 KO 1.00 avg

3. Jay 0-0-1, 0 KO 0.00 avg

rest of league tied with no fights yet.

The league begins with wins for Bryn and BWhit

Bryn sent Wladimir Klitschko into the ring to open up our boxing league season. Klitschko proceeded to dominate Samuel Peter, winning by 10th round KO. Klitschko moves to 55-3 with 49 KOs and has now been champion for 4 1/2 years. Bryn earns 3 points with the win.

BWhit's Cuban homeboy Yuriorkis Gamboa battled tough Orlando Salido for the Featherweight Title. Gamboa had moments of brilliance, but struggled a bit more than expected in defeating Salido by Unanimous Decision. BWhit earns 1 point with the win.