By Ronald Peter: This Saturday I will be doing something out the ordinary by not purchasing the Margarito vs. Pacquiao fight. The reasons for this are many. Morals and ethics are two words that just don’t go along with the sport of boxing or at least not usually. Only in this great sport can a person be caught with a plaster type substance in their hand wraps and year later be in super fight with the #1 pound for pound fighter in the world. After the Joshua Clottey debacle I was really expecting Bob Arum to match Manny up with Floyd Mayweather or Juan Manuel Marquez, two fights fans actually want to see instead we get another Top Rank fighter and a disgraced one at that.

I do not blame Manny Pacquiao for taking the fight because who wouldn’t except a fight with a 15 million dollar guarantee, a fight where he’ll have a major overall speed, hand speed, footwork and combination punching advantage. Margarito is slow, has little head movement, lacks defence and is a pattern fighter who’s game plan always is to come forward and try to apply the maximum pressure on his opponents, this plays perfectly into Manny’s hands. Great technical boxers that can adjust have given Manny Pacquiao trouble in the past, Antonio Margarito is not a great technical boxer.

In Antonio Margarito’s last two fights he was KO’d by Sugar Shane Mosley in the 9th round and he won a 10 round UD against little known Roberto Garcia last May in Mexico. How he became the #1 ranked WBC super welterweight is beyond me, Bob Arum must have had to pull a lot of strings to get this fight sanctioned. I have no problem with Pacquiao fighting for his 8th division world title at super welterweight just like I had no problem when Floyd Mayweather fought Oscar De La Hoya for the same belt having never fought at 154 LBS before that. When your in the top class in all of boxing you get special benefits.

This fight will cost $55 on PPV, the undercard doesn’t live up, Kelly Pavlik or not. You will get to see up and coming lightweight Brandon Rios and super bantamweight Guillermo Rigondeaux but most people have never heard of these fighters. If the fight does good PPV numbers look for Bob Arum to put Manny in a rematch with Miguel Cotto sometime next year, sadly another fight I will not pay for.

As a Manny Pacquiao fan after this fight I want to see him in the ring with Floyd Mayweather, Juan Manuel Marquez, Andre Berto or the winners of the Maidana vs. Khan, Alexander vs. Bradley fights coming up.