411 Boxing Fact or Fiction 09.01.10: Margarito vs. Pacquiao, Giovanni Segura, Pascal-Hopkins, One Hit Wonders

Posted by Ramon Aranda on 09.01.2010

Will Pacquiao vs. Margarito bring in hordes of fans to Cowboys Stadium? Are you interested in a fight between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins? Who was the bigger one-hit-wonder: Hasim Rahman or Oliver McCall? 411's Joe Roche and Raymundo Dioses debate these questions and more in this week’s 411 Fact or Fiction: Boxing!



Alright fight fans, welcome back to Fact or Fiction as Raymundo and Joe go head to head this week. Before we get things started, don't forget to check us out on Twitter at @411Boxing.
Now then let's get to it!

Round 1: Despite the public contempt for Antonio Margarito, you expect his fight with Pacquiao to bring in more fans to Cowboys Stadium than the Pacquiao-Clottey fight did.

Joe Roche: FACT - I'm opposed to this fight to my very core and I've spent a great deal of time on this site talking about it. However, Margarito has a very large audience in the Southwestern portion of the U.S. and into Mexico. He also has a great deal of notoriety because of the controversy surrounding him. While the Clottey fight had nothing to build on BUT Cowboy Stadium this fight has the allure of a true villain in Margarito who also happens to have a very vocal (and forgiving) fan base.

Raymundo Dioses: FACT - Bob Arum said it himself earlier this week when he stated that Joshua Clottey as a Pacquiao opponent was able to garner 7000,00 pay per view buys and 50,00 fans to the fight even without a solid fan base. Margarito has more than a solid fan base as he was en route to becoming the number one Mexican boxer post Chavez after defeating Miguel Cotto in the perennial Mexico v. Puerto Rico bash. His stock was only set to rise after fighting Shane Mosley, however ‘Wrapgate' happened, which may have lost Margarito some fans, yet his Mexican fan base remains. A strong Mexican turnout in Texas, which borders Mexico, is a guarantee to meet or exceed 50,000. Another attribute the bout holds is the fact that Manny Pacquiao is must see television. No matter who his opponent is or whatever venue he fights at, Pacquiao draws top crowds every time out.

Scorecard:

Round 2: You were surprised by the result of the Calderon-Segura fight last weekend.

Joe Roche: FICTION - Was it an upset? Sure, but at this point nothing surprises me. Calderon is a great fighter and he's had an amazing career, but nobody stays perfect forever when they're fighting elite fighters and Segura is a smart fighter who had a great game plan.

Raymundo Dioses: FICTION - In Calderon's last fight, I could sense a decline. He was knocked down for the first time in his career, and although he was still very slick and evasive, there seemed to be something missing from the usual Calderon performance we always see. Combined with the lack of hitting power, and we should have seen this all happening sometime soon, especially when faced against a pressure type fighter.

Scorecard:

Round 3: Shannon Briggs stands as good a chance as any recent foe to upset Vitali Klitschko.

Joe Roche: FACT - This is a technicality. Shannon Briggs has NO chance to beat Vitali Klitschko, but nobody who he's fought in recent times had any chance to beat him either so I guess that means Briggs has as good a chance as anyone else to pull off the upset. Honestly looking back over his recent foes the last time someone fought Vitali that I thought might actually have something for him was Sam Peter and that was in 2005 and about 200 pounds ago.

Raymundo Dioses: FICTION - No. Both Klitschkos come in conditioned, prepared and willing to go the distance with any opponent they face; the same cannot be said of their victims/opponents, as the Heavyweight division has now become a laughingstock of the sport with overweight heavies that rarely have enough steam to hear a 12th round bell. Shannon Briggs has not fought at an elite level since the Clinton administration. The Klitschkos have been fighting at an elite level SINCE the Clinton administration.

Scorecard:

And now for the championship rounds!

Round 4: You find a potential Hopkins-Pascal fight interesting.

Raymundo Dioses: FICTION - No. For Pascal to face Hopkins when his own career is on the rise would be a set back of Chad Dawson like proportions. Hopkins would like any name opponent he can find, as he is desperate for some last minute checks before Hall time. Pascal has options, and even as a last resort, I would still not have much interest in a Hopkins fight.

Joe Roche: FICTION - I find nothing about B-Hop interesting anymore. He looked like garbage against Enrique Ornelas, he looked bored and old against a terrible Roy Jones Jr. in a fight that he begged for a decade, and frankly there are a handful of other fights I'd rather see Pascal take then a Hopkins bout.

Scorecard:

Round 5: Looking at two "one-hit wonders", you think Hasim Rahman was a bigger disappointment than Oliver McCall.

Raymundo Dioses: FICTION - Even though I have seen the decline of Rahman while sitting ringside for one of his recent fights, Oliver McCall remains the number one close to my heart disappointment.

Joe Roche: FICTION - Oliver McCall is a train wreck. Look, Rahman has been a disappointment but you can't argue with the fact that he's fought top competition. Look at the guys who McCall has been in the ring with -- he had promise and absolutely NO follow through. McCall STUNS Lennox Lewis and then beats Larry Holmes right -- he follows that up with nothing, a loss to Lewis in their rematch and then a career of fighting nobodies and bums. Rahman beat Lewis and followed it up with Lewis II, Holyfield, Tua, Ruiz all in succession plus he's fought Kali Meehan, Oleg Maskaev, Zuri Lawrence, James Toney, and Wladimir Klitschko since his "one hit wonder." Maybe they've both been disappointments but at least Rahman has been in the ring with the best in the division, what has Oliver McCall been doing?

Scorecard:

Round 6: Fight programs are great, but you'd rather see virtual/mobile (iPhone/iPad) versions for a fraction of the price become available.

Raymundo Dioses: FACT - With all the other forms of publication dying, why not? Whatever increases the exposure of the sweet science will be a good thing. Off hand, I know for a fact that fight fans love to pick up fight programs, so it would be of more convenience for them to be a click away from a program instead of 20 dollars away.

Joe Roche: FICTION - I'm old school. I have an office in my house where
I hang fight programs and I think it looks great so screw you and your iPad/iPhone idea.