by Eoin Cooke: The upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito has generated little interest amongst fight fans. The majority of publicity that the fight has gained has been over Margarito’s attempts to get his licence. Instead of seeing the two best fighters on the planet face each other on November 13th (although that isn’t really Top Rank’s fault) we will being seeing one of those fighters face a man who many feel has no right to be in a boxing ring of any kind, let alone one opposite Pacquiao. I firmly believe Margarito should never be allowed to box again and that the decision to grant him a licence in Texas is nothing short of disgraceful. However, even if his inactivity had been caused by something other than a suspension I still feel this whole event is a joke.

It’s Pacquiao’s third successive fight against a fellow Top Rank fighter, and his success has been exploited by Bob Arum. He knows he can match him against whoever he wants and people will still watch him, such is his level of popularity. Whatever about putting him in against a Joshua Clottey who had been beaten by the same Miguel Cotto that Pacquiao destroyed, putting him in with Margarito is disgraceful matchmaking.

The fight will take place for the vacant World Boxing Council Light-Middleweight Title. It must be a kick in the teeth for the fighters who have been trying to get in a position to fight for that title to see it being contested by a man who has never fought at the weight before and a man who has no reputable wins at the weight. Worse still, the title is being fought for at a catchweight of 151 pounds. This type of fight undermines the validity of being a world champion and proves paper titles mean much less in the modern day than they did twenty years ago. Maybe more fighters will follow Floyd Mayweather’s trend of refusing to pay sanctioning fees to fight for belts.

I find it shocking that Arum could be so bold as to put Margarito in the ring with Pacquiao. Since being systematically destroyed and embarrassed by a 37 year old Shane Mosley in January 2009, Margarito’s reputation has been forever tarnished by the handwraps scandal and consequently he is not respected by boxing fans. One win over a low quality opponent and hey presto he’s back on PPV in a title fight. Manny Pacquiao and his team seem to think winning titles is the only way to enhance his legacy. I think nearly all fans would have more respect for him if he beat Timothy Bradley or Andre Berto than they would if he beat Margarito. He seems obsessed with winning as many titles in as many different divisions as possible, even though he often fights near but not at the chosen weight. Beating the ghost of a cheat at 151 pounds is hardly a legitimate way of becoming a light-middleweight champion.

Luckily for me, the fight won’t be on pay per view this side of the Atlantic. It is without an ounce of intrigue or excitement that I will watch this shambolic match-up on November 13th. I’m tempted to not bother watching it at all, but the strong possibility of seeing a cheat get pummeled is tips the balance in favour of watching it.