Filed under: WBC, WBO, Boxing Rumors, HBO, FanHouse Exclusive, Top Rank Promotions
ARLINGTON, Texas -- One of Manny Pacquiao's often-used nicknames is the "Mexicutioner" for his relative dominance of boxers from south of the border.
Counting his last career lost by unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March of 2005, Pacquiao's record against fighters of Mexican decent is 10-1-1, with seven knockouts.
During a 12-fight winning streak that includes eight knockouts during that run, Pacquiao has twice stopped Morales, scored a stoppage and a decision over Marco Antonio Barrera, a draw and a decision against Juan Manuel Marquez and knocked out Oscar De La Hoya.
The Filipino super star has also knocked out David Diaz, Jorge Solis and Hector Velazquez, and decisioned Oscar Larios.
But as the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king enters Saturday night's clash opposite former world titlist Antonio Margarito, there are some who believe that he may be tangling with the wrong Mexican.
The 31-year-old Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) will be after his eighth championship in as many different weight classes when he meets the 32-year-old Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) for the WBC's vacant junior middleweight (154 pounds) title at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
Pacquiao is guaranteed $15 million, and Margarito, $3 million.
The nearly 5-foot-7 Pacquiao will be in against the largest man he's ever faced in the 5-11 Margarito, who bounced back from a January, ninth-round knockout loss to Shane Mosley -- the first time he had ever been stopped -- with May's unanimous decision victory over Roberto Garcia.
"You can draw this up so that either guy wins. Pacquiao is deservedly the favorite. He's got the speed edge, he's got much better footwork, he works the angles very well, and he's got the track record that would suggest that he wins," said noted boxing historian Thomas Hauser of Secondsout.com.
"On the other hand, Margarito is a bigger, stronger guy. So the question is has Manny Pacquiao moved up one class too far?." said Hauser. "I don't think so. I think that Manny wins the fight. But there are also questions about Manny's conditioning."
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