http://www.fightnews.com/leon14.htm
Fightnews.com was able to talk to current WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito as he enjoyed the fights Thursday night in his hometown of Tijuana, MX. Margarito was in high spirits and he shared his thoughts about his next scheduled fight, Mayweather vs. Baldomir and his sparring session with his #1 mandatory Paul Williams.
Tony, is your fight with Joshua Clottey finalized for Dec. 2nd?
I haven’t signed anything as of yet. They also have another fighter on the list as of right now, but for the life of me I cannot remember his name. More than likely it will be Clottey.
What do you think of Clottey? Have you seen film of him?
Yes, I saw his last couple of fights. He looks to be a good fighter, very strong. He seems to like to go to the body a lot so we will be working on defending against that in camp.
Where is the fight going to take place?
It’s going to be in Atlantic City with Miguel Cotto also fighting on the card.
What are your thoughts on Floyd Mayweather Jr. opting to fight Carlos Baldomir?
Honestly, I think he is scared. Top Rank offered a lot of money to fight me and if he thinks he can beat me so easily, he should have taken the fight and the money. Mayweather says that he is a business man but his actions don’t show that. But he can’t run forever, this is a fight that a lot of fans are asking for and I know that down the road we are going to meet in the ring.
One of the reasons that Mayweather has stated for fighting Baldomir over you is that he wants to fight for the linear welterweight title which Baldomir holds, your thoughts?
I think those are just excuses. No disrespect to Baldomir, but before his fight with Judah, he wasn’t on the radar. I know that Mayweather is the favorite, but I will be rooting for Baldomir. Maybe if Baldomir wins, he will choose to fight me.
Is there any truth to Paul Williams’ claim that he dropped you in sparring and that is why he was asked to leave your camp?
No truth whatsoever. I have heard that he has said that he knocked me down, that he gave me big problems and there is no truth to that. I can’t believe that certain media outlets are reporting that as fact.
So you would like to publicly deny those claims?
Absolutely.
Was he asked to leave camp?
No, he left. He helped me when I was getting ready for Daniel Santos. He came to camp at the tail end of it and he came in too heavy to be much use for me.
He is your mandatory for your WBO belt, will you face him?
Absolutely, he has earned the right to fight me for my belt and I will respect the Organization. With God’s will, we will be victorious in our next bout and there is talk of maybe facing Sugar Shane Mosely![]()
so once that happens or if it doesn’t go through, we will face Williams if he keeps his rank.
* * *
Bookmarks