• Age: 30 (3-18-78)
• Residence: Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
• Birthplace: Torrance, California
• Record: 36-5, 1 NC, 26 KOs
• Height: 5’11”
• Reach: 73”
• Managers: Francisco Espinoza, Sergio Diaz Jr.
• Trainer: Javier Capetillo

ANTONIO “Tony” MARGARITO (36-5, 1 NC, 26 KOs)…

World championship fights – 9-2, 1 NC, 7 KOs…

Former IBF welterweight world champion...

Former WBO welterweight world champion, seven successful defenses…

Former jr. middleweight world title challenger…

WBO Intercontinental welterweight champion...

At the age of 30, Antonio is a 14-year pro – he made his debut at 15. He won the the IBF welterweight world title in his last fight on April 12 – Antonio gave a sensational performance and knocked out defending champion Kermit Cintron in the sixth round of their rematch.

He has now given up the IBF title in order to challenge Miguel Cotto for the WBA world title.

After the Cintron fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com: “Man or machine? Margarito looked more like machine in this rematch of a 2005 title bout in which he destroyed Cintron in five rounds.

“Cintron had been haunted by that loss for the past three years and was man enough to give Margarito a rematch. Turned out to be a mistake. Although Cintron, a sensational puncher, delivered some hard blows, Margarito walked through them and took Cintron apart again in a shockingly one-sided fight.

“Margarito, 30, had lost his version of the title to Paul Williams last summer because he started slow and gave away most of the first half of the fight. He clearly has learned his lesson. He blew out Golden Johnson in one round in his November comeback fight and also started fast against Cintron, 28, never letting up until knocking him out with a brutal left to the body in the sixth.

“Margarito was so thoroughly enjoying the butt-whipping he was laying on Cintron that while he was on the canvas taking the count from referee Earl Brown, Margarito was in the neutral corner begging Cintron to get up. Margarito’s victory sets up a July 26 with main event winner Miguel Cotto, which has all the ingredients to make for a classic. It’s Mexico vs. Puerto Rico. Brawler against brawler. It has fight of the year written all over it, and that’s even in a year that has already produced Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez III and Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II.”

Fightwriter.com’s Graham Houston reported: “I am starting to think that Antonio Margarito might be one of the toughest fighters ever seen in the welterweight division, which is saying something.

“He took some bombs from Kermit Cintron...and just kept coming forward, letting the punches fly, a relentless aggressor who would not be denied.

“Cintron, as had generally been expected, put up a far better fight than he did three years ago in Las Vegas when Margarito rolled right over him in five rounds, and he was not disgraced in his sixth-round defeat. Cintron did as well as anyone could reasonably have expected, but the result never really seemed in doubt from round two onwards.

“It was as if everything Cintron delivered was being repaid with interest. He would land clean, flush shots, then Margarito would come to him again and batter him around.

“It must have been very discouraging for Cintron to see Margarito walk through everything. In the third round, for instance, Cintron landed a textbook-perfect right uppercut, a tremendous shot, yet Margarito merely paused for a couple of seconds - as if he was thinking: “That was a good shot” - and then marched right in again.

“Although each man was cut, Margarito, Lord love him, seemed to be enjoying the fight in the fifth round while Cintron was like a man fighting for his very life. When Margarito grinned at Cintron after taking yet another direct hit it seemed clear that the IBF title would soon be changing hands, but the end came suddenly in the sixth when a left hook to the body crumpled the Puerto Rican fighter.” [End Houston item]

Antonio is also a former WBO welterweight world champion. He won the title in March, 2002, and made seven successful defenses before losing the title against Paul Williams in July, 2007.

Antonio told Boxingtalk.net, “You know, honestly, during the fight I thought I was well ahead on the cards. But then when I sat down to watch the fight, I saw that they gave him the fight just because he threw more punches, like an amateur fight. I connected more blows than him and he simply slapped. He threw double what I threw and I landed more punches. It seems the judges scored his slaps instead of the punches that I got through. Although, as everyone mentioned, I did learn from that fight that I can no longer be slow starter. From now on I plan to get right to it from the opening bell. I learned plenty from that fight.”

Antonio has fought good opposition throughout his career and has several impressive wins. He was the underdog in many of his early fights, and had a few setbacks in his first two years as a pro - he was 9-3 in his first 12 fights.

Antonio’s webpage address is antoniomargarito.com.

Key Fights – 2008 – WON IBF W WORLD TITLE - in his last fight on 4-12-08 in Atlantic City, NJ, he knocked out defending champion Kermit Cintron (29-1): this rematch was co-featured with the Miguel Cotto-Alfonso Gomez main event at Boardwalk Hall, and it was an exciting fight; Cintron won the 1st round on two scorecards, but Antonio pressured him relentlessly after that and shut him out on the scorecards; Cintron had his moments and landed several clean, hard right hands and uppercuts, but Antonio came back strongly every time and rocked Cintron repeatedly; Antonio was cut over his left eye in the 3rd round, and Cintron was cut over his right eye in the 5th; Antonio scored a knockdown with a left hook to the body in the 6th round, and Cintron was counted out on his hands and knees - face down on the canvas - at 1:57; after five rounds, Antonio led by scores of 50-45, 49-46, 49-46; after the fight, Antonio said, “I had Cintron from the beginning - I’m surprised he lasted that long. I learned from the Paul Williams fight that I had to put on pressure early in the fight. The whole training camp was about putting on pressure, pressure, pressure on all of my sparring partners. That’s what I did tonight.”...

2007 – WON VACANT WBO INTERCONTINENTAL W TITLE - on 11-10-07 in New York, NY, he TKO’d former NABF lightweight and welterweight champion Golden Johnson (25-7-3): the fight was on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley main event at Madison Square Garden, and Antonio quickly overpowered Johnson: he scored three knockdowns in the 1st round – the first with two left uppercuts that put Johnson flat on his back, the second with a series of punches that dropped Johnson to one knee, the third with three left hooks to the body and and head that put Johnson on his hands and knees – and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:38; after the fight, Antonio said, “I told everyone that I was going to have a fast start. I was going to do that for 12 rounds. I showed tonight that I belong at the top of this division.”...

LOST WBO W WORLD TITLE - on 7-14-07 in Carson, CA, he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against five-foot 11-inch tall lefthander Paul Williams (32-0): the bout headlined at the Home Depot Center and drew an announced capacity crowd of 8,023; it was an exciting fight - Williams kept a relentless pace in the early rounds and built a big lead on the scorecards – after six rounds, he led by scores of 60-54, 59-55, 59-55; but Antonio rallied in the second half of the fight – he hurt Williams with a left hook to the body in the 7th round and swept the round on all three scorecards, won the 8th on two scorecards, then swept the 10th; he cut Williams badly over his left eye in the 11th round and swept that round on the scorecards, as well, but Williams came back and won the 12th on two scorecards, and won by scores of 116-112, 115-113, 115-113; many in the crowd booed the announcement of the decision...

2006 – 7TH WBO W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 12-2-06 in Atlantic City, NJ, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Joshua Clottey (30-1): the bout was co-featured with the Miguel Cotto-Carlos Quintana fight at Boardwalk Hall, and drew a crowd of 7,412; it was a hard-fought battle; Clottey started fast - he swept the 2nd and 3rd rounds on all three scorecards and won the 4th on two; but Antonio rallied in the 5th and stepped up his pace in the second half of the fight – he swept rounds five through 11 on all three scorecards – an won by scores of 118-109, 118-109, 116-112; after the fight, Antonio said, “10 months off really didn’t help me. I couldn’t get my rhythm early in the fight, but I definitely warmed up starting in the fifth round.”...

6TH WBO W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 2-18-06 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d Manuel Gomez (28-10-2): the fight headlined at the Aladdin and drew an announced crowd of 5,309; Antonio was very impressive - he scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 1st round, and the referee stopped the fight in mid-count at 1:14; after the fight, Antonio said, “I am very happy about my victory tonight. I have been telling everyone for a very long time that I am the best, and I think tonight I proved it.”…

2005 - 5TH WBO W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 4-23-05 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d previously undefeated Kermit Cintron (24-0): it was a highly-anticipated event, but Antonio dominated the fight; he cut Cintron over the right eye with an uppercut in the 3rd round, then scored two knockdowns in the 4th; Antonio scored two more knockdowns in the 5th round, Cintron’s cornerman threw in the towel, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:21…

4TH WBO W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 2-18-05 in Atlantic City, NJ, he TKO’d Sebastian Lujan (22-1-1): Lujan started fast and outworked Antonio in the first two rounds, but Antonio dominated the rest of the fight; he rocked Lujan in the 4th, and appeared to get stronger as the rounds progressed; Lujan sustained a tear at the top of his left ear in the 9th round, and the referee stopped the fight on the injury at 2:57 of the 10th; after the fight, Antonio said, “He was awkward, and I was worried about headbutts, so I had to box him. As soon as I started to the body, I thought he lost his power. It was good to get the rounds in.”…

2004 - WBO JM WORLD TITLE CHALLENGE - on 9-11-04 in San Juan, PR, he lost a technical decision against lefthanded defending champion Daniel Santos (28-2-1): Antonio moved up to the 154-pound division, and it was a good, close fight; Antonio pressed forward, but Santos started fast, staggered him in the 1st round, and outworked him in the 2nd and 3rd; Antonio punched effectively to the body, but was staggered again in the 5th; Antonio rallied in the middle rounds, but was cut badly over his right eye in the 6th by a clash of heads - he fought hard for the remainder of the fight, but the doctor stopped the fight on the cut in the early seconds of the 10th round and went to the scorecards; it looked like the decision could go either way and many ringsiders thought Antonio deserved to win, but the judges scored 86-85, 87-84 Santos, 86-85 Margarito…

3RD WBO W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 1-31-04 in Phoenix, AZ, he TKO’d previously undefeated Hercules Kyvelos (22-0): Antonio headlined the fight card, which drew a crowd of 4,200 to the Dodge Theater, and gave an overwhelming performance; he buckled Kyvelos’ knees with a left uppercut midway through the 1st round, and trapped him on the ropes later in the round with a sustained, unanswered series of punches; Kyvelos landed his best punch of the fight early in the 2nd round, a straight right hand to the chin, but Antonio just smiled, nodded his head in recognition, and knocked down Kyvelos, flat on his side, with a left uppercut; Kyvelos got up, but was very unsteady and staggered backwards into the ropes without a punch being thrown; Antonio attacked and the referee stopped the fight at 0:54; after the fight, Antonio said, “I was was just so much stronger than him. I knew after the first round it would be a short fight. I hit him with some hard shots and knew he was weakening. He may have been undefeated, but I knew he wasn’t in my class.”…

2003 – on 10-17-03 in Phoenix he knocked out Maurice Brantley (23-6): it was a nontitle 10 rounder; Antonio scored one knockdown in the 1st round and another in the 2nd with a left hook to the body; Brantley was counted out at 2:47…

2ND WBO W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 2-8-03 in Las Vegas he TKO’d former WBA welterweight world champion Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis (22-1-1): Lewis started fast and outworked Antonio in the 1st round, but Antonio just smiled at him through the punches; Antonio staggered Lewis with a right hand in the 2nd round, followed with series of punches that left Lewis sagging into the ropes and defenseless, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:31; after the fight, Antonio said, “I saw the look on his face when he hit me with a left hand and I didn’t do anything. I knew I had him. He hit me with his best shots in the first round and I didn’t feel them. I threw my right uppercut and I saw his body shake, then I went with a big right hand and that’s when I knew I hurt him.”…

2002 – 1ST WBO W WORLD TITLE DEFENSE – on 10-12-02 in Anaheim, CA, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against Danny Perez (27-2): Antonio dominated the fight; he rocked Perez in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th rounds, constantly pressured him, and wore him down; scored 120-108, 120-108, 118-110; after the fight, Antonio said, “That’s what I wanted to do, leave no doubt. We protected for his right. That’s all he had, a right hand and a decent left hook. I’m not saying he didn’t train. I’m saying he didn’t think I would have gotten better in the last three years.”…

WON VACANT WBO W WORLD TITLE - on 3-16-02 in Las Vegas he TKO’d Antonio Diaz (37-3): Antonio gave an impressive performance in an exciting fight; the scores were even after six rounds – 58-56 Margarito, 58-56 Diaz, 57-57; but Antonio kept a relentless pace, swept rounds 7, 8, and 9 on two scorecards, and gradually wore down Diaz; Antonio scored a knockdown in the 10th round with a series of uppercuts; Diaz got up, but Antonio rocked him several more times, and Diaz’ corner threw in the towel to stop the fight at 2:17; after nine rounds, Antonio led by scores of 87-84, 87-84, 86-85; after the fight, he said, “I dreamed of being a champion. I wasn’t going to lose it. I stepped up and did it. I felt it was my best fight. I waited a long time for this belt. That is why I looked so good. Little by little, I began to break him down. By the sixth round, I got my second wind. My biggest concern was his experience, which I didn’t have.”…

2001 – WBO W WORLD TITLE CHALLENGE - on 7-21-01 in Bayamon, PR, he challenged lefthanded defending champion Daniel Santos (24-2-1): the fight had a premature ending - the fighters accidentally clashed heads in the 1st round and Antonio was cut badly on the right eyebrow; the referee stopped the fight due to the cut at 2:11, and it was ruled No Contest; looking back, Antonio said, “I was a little disappointed but it really wasn’t a fight, and I can’t say I fought him. I can’t say anything about that fight, because it was like it never happened. Maybe down the road he and I will fight, maybe at 154.”…

On 3-30-01 in Ft. Worth, TX, he knocked out Robert West (18-7-4): Antonio scored two knockdowns in the 1st round, and West was counted out at 2:19…

2000 – on 12-10-00 in Memphis, TN, he TKO’d former three-time world champion Frankie Randall (55-7-1): Antonio dominated the fight; he hurt Randall badly late in the 3rd, staggered him late in the 4th, and Randall did not answer the bell for the 5th round…

On 6-16-00 in Indio, CA, he knocked out two-time world title challenger David Kamau (30-2): Antonio scored two knockdowns in the 2nd round, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:59…

On 2-19-00 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d previously undefeated lefthanded Argentinian prospect Sergio Martinez (16-0-1): the bout was on the undercard of the first Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera fight at the Mandalay Bay; Martinez was favored to win, but Antonio dominated most of the fight - he scored a knockdown with a right hand late in the 1st round, constantly pressed forward, and bloodied Martinez’ nose in the 3rd; Antonio staggered Martinez with a series of punches in the 7th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:57; after six rounds, Antonio led by scores of 59-54, 59-55, 59-56...

1999 - on 10-23-99 in Ft. Worth, TX, he TKO’d Midwest veteran Buck Smith (178-12-1): Antonio stopped him with a body punch in the 6th round; Antonio’s brother had been killed by a gang the day before; looking back, Antonio said, “I took his death very hard and it affected me a lot. A lot of people closest to me did not want me to go through with the fight. I was not into the fight, but I went through with it. The hardest part was that my brother was always with me. He never left my side, but that night he did. I was not there with him. It was very hard. I think the only reason I fought that night is because I knew my brother would have wanted me to. I did it for him.”…

On 6-12-99 in Indio, CA, he won an 8 round split decision against local prospect Danny Perez (16-1): it was an exciting fight; Antonio was knocked down in the 1st round, but came back strongly to win by scores of 77-74, 76-75 Margarito, 76-75 Perez; Perez went on to win the NABF title…

1996 - on 10-14-96 in Anaheim, CA, he knocked out heavily-favored Ghanian prospect Alfred Ankamah (16-1): Antonio staggered Ankamah in the 2nd round and he barely survived; but Ankamah recovered and was coming on strong in the 4th when Antonio knocked him down and out with two right hands…

On 6-28-96 in Culver City, CA, he lost a 10 round decision against slick southpaw Rodney Jones (10-2): Jones frustrated Antonio with his speed and constant movement; scored 99-91, 99-92, 98-92; looking back, Antonio said, “Jones was toughest fight. It was my first time fighting a southpaw, and he was very tall, six-foot three.”…

He debuted at the age of 15 on 1-14-94 and won his first five fights…

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Antonio said, “I was born in Torrance, California. I moved with my family to Tijuana when I was very young. I grew up there, and played soccer and basketball. I have three sisters and one brother. My brother was murdered a couple of years ago. I found out about it the day I had a fight.

“My father was a big boxing fan, and he took me to the fights when I was eight years old. That’s how I became interested in boxing. I started soon after that. I had 21 amateur fights, with a record of 18 wins and 3 losses. My father sells mattresses, but he mainly does it to keep himself busy. I help him out financially, and every way I can. He doesn’t have the papers to cross the border, and he’s never seen me fight in person.

“When you live in a border town, everything is always a little tougher. Everything in life is a little tougher. You know how difficult it is, so I think most of us were brought up that way, work hard for everything you get. I think it shows in everything, especially in boxing.”

Antonio is a full-time fighter; he said, “I’ve been married for six years. We’re very happy, it’s a very good marriage. Having children has crossed our minds, but we want to wait another two years. I have big plans in this sport, and I just want to feel like I’m ready and secure before we have kids.

“I’ve made money and we’re living a lot better than we used to. We paid off our house. I haven’t had the real big purses yet, but when they get bigger, I want to get in the real estate business, or maybe even the restaurant business.”…

STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style and good offensive skills…at his best, he keeps a relentless pace, constantly pressures his opponents, and wears them down…has good punching power, a good body puncher…tough and determined…a big, strong welterweight, is always well-conditioned…has good stamina…is experienced against good opposition…

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 42 fights…224 total rounds…83 world championship rounds…

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 5.3 rounds…

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 72 %…

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds – 3 (2-1)…10 rounds – 8 (5-3)…