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Weathering the Tijuana Tornado
By Steve Kim (June 20, 2007) Photo © German Villasenor/MAXBOXING

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In preparing for his December contest against Joshua Clottey, WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito and his management found it nearly impossible to find suitable sparring late last fall. Inevitably, it seemed that boxers who could replicate the style of the rugged Clottey were either tied up with other commitments or had priced themselves out of the picture.

Some just never bothered to show up after making commitments to Margarito's manager, Sergio Diaz, who shelled out thousands of dollars in unused airfare.

As the summer heats up, Margarito is preparing to face his mandatory challenger Paul Williams, a lean, lithe, 6'2 southpaw with the wingspan of a condor. But ironically enough, they haven't had too many problems bringing in able bodied left-handers.

"It's a big difference; we had a lot of trouble with our last camp," admitted Margarito to Maxboxing through his manager. "I got hurt, I hurt my hand, I hurt my ankle. Sparring was just difficult to get. People didn't want to come in, those that wanted to come in were asking for ridiculous money. We thought it was going to be difficult working with southpaws with the money situation, but it all came together. These guys have helped us. Southpaw is a difficult stance but I've been adjusting to them and they've been great throughout the whole camp."

As of last week, the quartet of lefties was comprised of Rodney Jones, Craig McEwen, Keenan Collins and Austin Trout. No, they aren't Xeroxes of 'the Punisher', but they give Margarito a consistent look at what he'll be facing on July 14th at the Home Depot Center.

"I think it's always difficult for any orthodox fighter to fight southpaws," said Margarito from the South El Monte Boxing Club, where his training camp is situated. "I feel very, very comfortable. I've fought southpaws, I've only had trouble with one southpaw and people believe that I can't fight southpaws but that's not true."

That particular left-hander would be Daniel Santos, who beat Margarito via technical decision over 10 rounds in September of 2004. Ironically, one of the main storylines of this promotion is that Williams was brought in as a sparring partner for that camp and there has been a war-of-words over just what transpired between the two when they moved around at the L.A. Boxing Club.

So, in 2010, will one of these boxers claim to have gotten the better of the 'Tijuana Tornado' as they position themselves for a crack at Margarito in the future?

"Y'know what? I think about it all the time," said Diaz, laughing loudly at the thought. "'This guy did pretty good today. Is he going to say anything?' Yeah, it crosses my mind."

There seems to be a misconception about sparring. It's not an all-out brawl that just happens to have 16-ounce gloves and headgear involved. Sparring, when done properly, is actually very controlled with specific, subtle things being worked on at various speeds. 'Gym wars' are very rare, and usually quelled by experienced trainers before they get out of hand.

It's hard to say who ever really gets the better of a session since most of the time the fighter who brings in sparring partners will box at a much more relaxed pace than the boxers who are brought in and regularly rotated in-and-out between rounds. A day of sparring to an experienced veteran is just another day at the office. To a fledgling young prospect, it could be the biggest fight of their lives.

Margarito usually spars three to four days a week, going between six and twelve rounds. He boxes at a very economical and smooth cadence. While his sparring mates are usually huffing and puffing after a few rounds as they get out of the ring, the champ barely breathes hard. That's experience. And these are the types of experiences that are the rite of passage for every young, hopeful fighter.

Back in the late 90's, when Margarito was just another unknown, tough Mexican, he was brought into Oscar De La Hoya's camp more than once.

"It was a learning experience helping Oscar out," he would recall of those days at Big Bear. "I took it as I was trying to learn, not just being his sparring partner. A lot of times I would have to hold back. Right here, if you notice, I don't ask my sparring partners to hold back. When I would go spar with Oscar, they would actually tell me, 'Hey, hold back, it's not a fight.' But at the same time, he was throwing hard at me. Here, this is training. I want them to throw hard at me."

Margarito pushes his sparring partners, but it's clear that he's at work with a purpose in mind. There is no ego contest to sweep rounds or to 'buzz' those in there with him. There should be a certain respect for those brought in, as they are there to learn and work, not be cannon fodder. Once that reputation grows that inexperienced fighters are taken advantage of, it becomes that much more expensive and difficult to bring in quality work.

It's hard enough to get these guys once you win a major world title. It was much easier for Diaz to bring guys in a few years ago than it is now.

"Antonio's a world champion now. So they expect more money, less time working, more sparring partners," Diaz says of the change in attitude he now faces. "But we pay, so that's what we have to do and that's why it's getting easier to get sparring partners."

And there is a premium to treat camp members with respect. Again, when you're asking guys to take punches, that comes at a cost. And the fact is, you may need them again in the near future.

"You can ask them," says Diaz, "I give them what they want. I rent cars for them. I put'em up in the same hotel Antonio's at. I give them money for the meals. I take care of them. They're helping us, they're taking care of us. I have to take care of them."

OK, so how do you get the appropriate sparring partners? After all, it's not like you can just go on craig’s list to find individuals between 147-160 pounds who just happen to be left-handed boxers.

"I don't depend on myself," says Diaz, who says he compiles a mental list as fights are being negotiated. But mostly, he leans on those in the business of boxing who have a greater knowledge of such things. "I don't shut the doors and depend on what list I bring about. I listen to everyone and I get help from other people as well."

And former adversaries can become bedfellows. Marshall Kauffman, who trained and managed Kermit Cintron against Margarito in 2005, reached out and recommended Collins. Other managers, like Bob Spagnola, would contact Diaz and push for Trout. McEwen was a natural choice given his size and style, but also because he trains at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood and was endorsed by several associates of Diaz.

At the big-time level, sparring partners are paid with the money allocated to fighters in the form of training expenses that are negotiated with the promoter. Or sometimes, the camp just comes out of pocket. It's the price of doing business.

"They're making good money," Diaz would say of the sparring partners, who get paid weekly. "They know Tony's a hard worker and they've heard of him. They've heard the way he trains. They start asking for more money. But as long as we see that they're giving us the work that we're asking for, we have no problem."

On June 12th, Margarito would go 12 strong rounds with the foursome of Jones, McEwen, Collins and Trout, each going three frames before stepping out. While they all try and resemble Williams, their backgrounds and futures are as divergent as can be.

Jones would go the first three rounds, and as usual, he gives Margarito trouble with his movement. Despite having two bad knees, he still gets around well in the ring. Seemingly in a perpetual bounce as he circles the ring, Margarito has to work hard to cut off his movement. The 38-year old native of Stockton, California is by far the senior citizen of the crew and by far it's most accomplished, having fought for two world titles and compiling a career mark of 37-4-1 with 22 KOs.

But what's most notable about Jones is that back in June of 1996 in his 14th pro outing, he would decision Margarito over 10 rounds in Culver City, dropping his mark to a rather pedestrian 9-3.

Did Jones see a future world champion then?

"Yes," he says surprisingly, "everybody - even when I fought him, it was my first ten round fight - they were predicting him to be the next world champion. And that was the buzz when I first fought him.

Asked how he's changed, Jones surmises: "He's really got his conditioning and stamina up. And of course, he increased his strength a lot too. So his ability to put pressure on fighters has greatly increased."

As accomplished as Jones is - having been a legitimate jr. middleweight contender for much of his career - why work as a sparring partner at this stage?

"I just fought for the IBF title against Cory Spinks and I really didn't get a lot of good sparring for that fight. This was an opportunity for me to get some really world-class sparring and to get my body back in time, to get back in shape, to get back into the mix in the jr. middleweight division."

The old vet is here to make one last run at what has so far eluded him.

"That's right, that's what I've been basically trying to do, is to win that world title. I'm hoping with the right circumstances that that would be in the future."

If there is one fighter so far in camp that has matched the work ethic of Margarito, it's been this guy. It's clear, he still has the passion and zeal for the sport.

"Oh, definitely, I have the love for the game and I'm also looking hopefully to get a fight pretty soon," says the classy Jones. "So I have to keep myself in top shape and do the best I can with the training and everything I have here."

Going the next few innings was McEwen, who currently is getting quite an education for a 4-0 fighter as he has not only sparred with Margarito, but with Bernard Hopkins, who is training with Roach at the Wild Card in preparation for his July 21st assignment against Winky Wright.

McEwen, a native of Scotland, has had his eyes opened a bit on what the world-class level looks like. With Margarito, it's a lot easier to exploit his weaknesses from the outside watching, than actually executing it.

"Because watching him outside the ring, you just see that he makes a lot of mistakes as a world champion," said McEwen, who is co-managed by Roach and Billy Keane and promoted by Golden Boy Promotions. "You think, 'I'll work on this and I'll work on that.' You get in there, it just goes out the window. He just comes forward, he walks through everything. You try and land these shots and he just looks at you like you're nothing."

He says that Margarito is the most physically taxing fighter he's ever been in the ring with.

"As an amateur with 370 amateur fights and I've never fought anybody, anything like that," he says. "He's just so strong and I spoke to my manager and Freddie, as well, and said, 'I need to work on my strength and conditioning.' Just because I'm a middleweight and he's a welterweight and I've been in with light heavyweights and they're not as strong as him, no way."

He makes no bones about it, he struggled early on his first few days dealing with the constant pressure.

"First week I was here, he just blew me away," he admitted. "Everything in my arsenal, I tried everything and he just took it away from me. It disheartened me a lot. I was going home, speaking to my girlfriend and I was like, 'Maybe I'm not cut out for this. This is a tough game.'"

Since then, as he has gained experience, he has begun to hold his own more and more. His style, more than any, imitates Williams the best. The only problem has been his stamina. Roach has constantly been on him about his roadwork. But he's getting better.

"Over the weeks, just watching him, getting used to it, sitting on my feet a little bit and just taking my time and letting everything go," said a hopeful McEwen, who resides in Hollywood.

His work has earned the plaudits of Margarito.

"Everybody has a different style, they're all helping me," he said. "But I have to say Craig McEwen, he's the one who's been giving me some very good work. And he's more of a Paul Williams-style. He moves, he runs, he throws. He surprises me with his punches."

Next in line was Collins, a lean, welterweight from Reading, Pennyslvania, whose current record stands at 12-1-1. Armed with quick hands and an abundance of courage, more than anybody, he is willing to engage Margarito in heated exchanges. Even when he's not getting the better of it, he has no problems exhorting the champ to bring more heat.

Collins, at age 30, can not be considered a prospect. But what he is unfortunately, is a skilled, gutty combatant who has problems getting fights. A common curse of not being a right-handed boxer. So he comes to Southern California to stay sharp and wait by the phone.

"Getting in there with a world-class fighter, it's good on my behalf," he says. "He brings continuous pressure. I've been in there with world-class fighters, I got Joshua Clottey ready to fight Margarito, I sparred with Kermit Cintron and I sparred with Delvin Rodriguez. He brings unbelievable pressure, he just keeps coming and coming and coming.

"You would think, I mean, I went third, he had two other fighters before me, you would think he would be tired. But he just kept coming."

Collins says he was given one specific instruction by Margarito's trainer, Javier Capetillo: "Pump the jab."

Finishing off the day’s work was Austin Trout, a well-built jr. middleweight with a record of 10-0 with 8 knockouts, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, another prospect cutting his teeth in the pro ranks.

Trout facially resembles Jeff Lacy a bit and boxes like WBA 154-pound titlist Travis Simms. The 5'10 lefty is a good technician who throws sharp punches.

"It's truly a blessing," he says of this work. "I mean, I get to spar with a world champion. It shows where I'm at as a professional in this game. I'm flattered that they picked me to come up here."

And it's a common theme; taking advantage of Margarito's deficiencies is a lot harder than it looks on the surface.

"It's a lot harder!" said the friendly Trout, who's just 21. "I watched Margarito and I followed him a lot. I'm a fan, actually, so I'm a little star-struck getting in there and sparring. But as far as watching on TV and actually sparring him, at first, I thought, 'Alright, I can take him,' but I have a lot to do.

Trout does well when he gets his right jab off and creates space for himself on the outside. As of now, these rounds are tougher than anything he's had in a real contest.

"This experience, you can't imitate it," he says. "I just thank God that I got the opportunity to come and better myself as a professional at this camp. So I most definitely am going to come out better than I did before.

He believes that every young boxer must go through this type of gauntlet.

"Yes, because it's not like the amateurs where you fight to get your experience. So coming to these camps is where you get your actual experience and it shows off in the fights."

MIDWEEK FLURRIES

Speaking of Joshua Clottey, I hear he might be headlining the August 9th show on 'Versus'....A source tells me that the Oleg Maskaev-Samuel Peter bout on September 29th could end up in one of three locations: Moscow, Russia, New York, or Cancun, Mexico. CANCUN!?!? (Yeah, that's exactly how I reacted when I was told this)......In a game of musical chairs/trainers/gyms, Israel Vazquez is no longer training with Justin Fortune in Hollywood, but with Rudy Perez (of Marco Antonio Barrera fame) at the So. El Monte Boxing Club....I like the way ESPN2 is finishing up its Friday Night Fights for 2007 when they feature Lamont and Anthony Peterson along with Zab Judah on a two-and-a-half hour show....Why have no pay-per-view numbers been released for Cotto-Judah? I was told that HBO's deal with Top Rank prevents them from doing so....BTW, those with HBO HD viewed that rebroadcast with HD, proving that it was produced in that format.....Only downside is that they then got to watch Andre Direadful's performance in hi-def also......