Margarito Spars in Oxnard!

Ready for Pacquiao Showdown in Texas

With the wet and wild weather pouring down all this week in Los Angeles, there was also news of an increasingly powerful tornado brewing in the area too.

But this tornado is made of flesh and bones–the hailing “Tijuana Tornado” otherwise known as Antonio Margarito.

And the vortex of this powerhouse?

Oxnard, California, where I recently watched a ten-round sparring session between Margarito and four young southpaws as he trains for the huge spotlight that will shine down November 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas as he faces one Manny Pacquiao.

And in paraphrasing Eminem: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A TORNADO MEETS A VOLCANO?

The Filipino phenom Pacquiao will no doubt be spewing hot lava as the hardest-hitting Congressman from Sarangani looks to add another trinket to his sparkling mantle. When the two power punchers finally meet center ring, the world (certainly the U.S., Mexico and the Philippine islands) will be watching. With the clash at a designated catchweight, Manny remains the favorite in the odds.

After the infamous January 2009 Shane Mosley fight, Margarito’s license was revoked for one year after illegal hand wraps were seized.

In May, Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) fought in Mexico winning a unanimous decision against Roberto Garcia, even picking up a vacant WBC International Light Middleweight title in the process. The junior middleweight then applied for reinstatement in August and was denied by the California State Athletic Commission which means he is not allowed to fight in the Golden State.

Now as next month’s collision nears, there are still many questions being asked in regards to the “Tijuana Tornado,” who was actually born in Southern California.

From the looks of his training camp, he will answer all questions with his fists. Last week I visited the Oxnard gym where the former WBO champ has been training with former IBF super featherweight champ Robert “Grandpa” Garcia.

On this day, there were a couple of camera crews documenting all the action at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy. Before Margarito arrived, I greeted fighters Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, David Garcia, and Javier Garcia. Rios will be facing Noe Bolanos on December 4 and is quite a character who deserves his own story, which you’ll read in a future column.

Brandon shares a trainer with Margarito in Robert Garcia, whose family is boxing royalty in both Ventura County and beyond. “My brother and my four sisters–they know how to fight too!” the amiable coach says before the sparring got underway. “We grew up with boxing gloves on our hands!” Those who have trained at his gym include Joan Guzman, Nonito Donaire, Alfonso Gomez, Brian Viloria, Steven Luevano, among countless others.

This will be the second time that Garcia has worked with Margarito; he was first approached by the camp in November 2009. Regarding his high-profile client, Robert says everything is going well, even in the glare of the spotlight. “He told me this is the best he’s ever felt,” the trainer, who was wearing a green Margarito T-shirt, says. “This is my second fight with him; he feels comfortable here.”

The former boxer also spoke in front of the TV cameras about the path his career took. “I retired at 26; I was tired of dieting and training,” Garcia candidly says. “I prefer being a trainer!” And being an ex-boxer also gives him an edge, “I know how a fighter thinks; how he feels. And I know how his opponent feels.”

He is dedicated to his gym that bears his name. Whether its champions or amateur kids, Robert remains loyal to the sweet science and is especially proud of working with the children in the area, “I’m here ’til nine at night working with the amateurs and keeping them off the streets!”

Then Margarito arrived. No entourage; he was his wife Michelle. As he warmed up, the three-time world champ remained loose, smiling and occasionally joking around with his gym mates. In the red, white and blue bleacher-style of seating, I went to say hello to the boxer’s wife. Married for 12 years, Michelle is always by his side and she tells me she’s been coming every day to watch her husband train. The pretty young woman also mentions they’re enjoying the neighborhood where he trains, with Tony often running in the surrounding areas.

While Michelle sometimes works on her computer while at the gym, it’s hard to escape the reason they’re here. As I glance past her left shoulder, there’s a large blue poster of Pacquiao vs. Margarito staring back at us. I ask her for a prediction. She laughs just a little, thinks about and answers, “A knockout in the seventh or eighth round!” By her husband Tony, of course.

As Garcia begins to wrap his prized pupil’s hands, the camera crew quickly zooms in on the activity. After the seized hand wrap debacle, you would expect an awkwardness to fill the room with an air of extra scrutiny. There is a hushed tone for about a minute before “Bam Bam” Rios starts cracking jokes and everyone starts laughing.

While the hand wrapping continued, I asked the boxer if he’s targeting anyone specific after his date with Pacquiao. “I just want to fight,” he answered. “And after the Pacquiao fight it’s up to Top Rank…But I’ll fight anyone!”

You might also expect Team Tony to be leery of visitors, after the media firestorm Margarito has been through of late. But this camp is open, and Robert is at ease wrapping his charges’ hands right in full view of the media visiting on this day. Climbing into the ring, he’s ready to take on today’s opponents: U.S. Olympian and Silver Medalist Ricardo Williams, Los Angeles local Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis, Austin Trout from Las Cruces, New Mexico and KC Martinez of Humble, Texas.

None of his sparring partners baby the superstar boxer. Margarito looks lanky and lean, with a ripped torso. As the rounds progressed, he peeled off layers of clothing down to his skull-and-crossbones shorts as the mini-wars continued. Not holding back inside the ropes, I turn to David Garcia, who was his sparring partner for Tony’s last fight in Aguascaliente. “Is it always like this?” I ask. David nods, “It’s like this all day, every day.”

Working with this hard-hitting foursome, let’s just say there wasn’t too much clinching going on. Margarito looks to be in peak form, conditioning intact and even though he was relaxed outside the ropes, he’s all business on the canvas. In his trademark green gloves, cup and headgear, the 32-year-old looked strong just two weeks into sparring. With his sinewy build, he fired off punches in bunches, there’s no doubt the disciplined athlete will be ready as he will ever be for his HBO PPV bout on November 13.

But is he ready for Pacman?

With Manny’s sharpshooter speed, angles, power and volume of punches, Margarito has been deemed the “underdog.”

Will Tony be able to adjust his game plan while going toe-to-toe with the Filipino lightning rod? The Oxnard camp is confident they will weather the storm from their foe’s fists of fury. After the gloves came off, I chatted with Mookie, who took the anchor leg in the sparring session. The slick southpaw had been with the camp since sparring began and told me, “I’ve been here for two weeks now; it’s going great.” Working right ’til the last few seconds of the bell, Pendarvis went three rounds with Tony, whose intensity never flagged.

After ten total rounds were complete, Margarito glanced toward the bleacher seats and said to his wife, “Hi Honey!” Just another day at the office for the prizefighter. Then he put his sweatband as Rios gave him a fist bump.

Next the warrior took to the double-end bag to continue his workout where a photo of Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach has been taped to the wall alongside a Mexican flag. I stood nearby with Mookie and “Bam Bam” Rios, and during a break in the action, Tony briefly looked up a grin, shouting to Brandon, “Hey, what’s up?” Rios said he’s been teaching Margarito more and more English.

As everyone in the gym continues to keep their focus on this “Tijuana Tornado” watch, it looks like Margarito’s leaving the black cloud of the hand wrap controversy behind him. In fact, the brawler also goes by another nickname of “The Express Train,” the choice of moniker on his official BoxRec profile.

Waiting to unleash his own torrent inside the ropes, Margarito–either as a “tornado” or a “train”–hopes to take down his man come November 13.

Will Manny Pacquiao, a seven-division world champ, run for cover from this whirling tornado? Or will he be Superman who stops the speeding train?

In just three weeks, Antonio Margarito plans to answer all questions with his fists.

Photos by Michele Chong