Pacquiao takes hat off to Margarito’s toughness

HOLLYWOOD – Manny Pacquiao, the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter, can’t help but be amazed at the toughness shown by his beaten rival Antonio Margarito. The way Margarito absorbed the volume of punches the Filipino boxing champion threw – 58 percent of which were power blows – Pacquiao is taking his hat off to the proud and tough warrior from Tijuana, Mexico. “Tinanggap lahat ng suntok ko," he said after consenting to a brief interview with members of media prior to departing from for Los Angeles, California late Sunday afternoon. Margarito, the bigger fighter at 5-foot-11, with a reach advantage of six inches, was at the receiving end of 474 power punches Pacquiao let loose during their 12-round title match over the weekend. As a consequence, the Mexican suffered a fractured right eye socket that needed surgery at the Dallas Methodist Hospital. He won’t be able to travel to California until Wednesday at the earliest. Pacquiao said he visited Margarito in his dressing room shortly after the fight just to check on the condition of the former three-time world champion. But Pacquiao himself wasn’t spared of damage. The Filipino boxing superstar sported some welts on his face, the result of the 135 power punches out of the 312 thrown by Margarito.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV Pacquiao also complained about some pain in his ribcage that limited his movements. Margarito hurt Pacquiao in the sixth round by pinning him on the ropes and pounding him on the right side of the body with a lethal left hook. “Parang ako ang tinamaan ni Margarito," said Aling Dionisia, Pacquiao's mother, who suffered an anxiety attack during the course of the fight and had to be rushed to the hospital. Feeling his bruises 24 hours after the fight, the 31-year-old southpaw opted to sleep throughout the three-hour flight from Texas to California aboard the chartered Air Pacquiao Boeing 757. Wearing a brown suit over jeans and a black fedora hat, Pacquiao was assisted all throughout the flight by wife Jinkee. People were also requested to refrain from asking for autographs as both of Pacquiao's hands were swollen owing to the relentless punching he meted out on Margarito. After the fight, Pacquiao proceeded to his elegant suite at the Gaylord Texan Hotel where he watched a replay of the bout. He didn’t go to bed until 5 p.m., after which he attended the early morning Sunday mass. Pacquiao went to bed early Sunday shortly upon arriving here just before 7 p.m. A post-fight concert awaits the eight-time world champion in Lake Tahoe on Wednesday (Nov. 17), before Pacquiao and the rest of his entourage fly back to the Philippines the day after. - RCJ/KY, GMANews.TV