Jones Praises Margarito

Antonio Margarito underwent successful surgery on his fractured right orbital bone at Methodist Hospital in Dallas on Tuesday, three days after Manny Pacquiao broke his face in a one-sided junior middleweight title bout at Cowboys Stadium.

Margarito, a three-time welterweight titlist, went the distance with Pacquiao but was punished throughout the fight despite outweighing Pacquiao by 17 pounds and having a 6-inch reach advantage and 4¼-inch height advantage.

Pacquiao is also the only fighter in boxing history to win titles in seven weight classes.

Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) fractured Margarito's orbital bone in the fourth round, swelling his right eye and badly bruising it.

Pacquiao pounded on Margarito so severely that at one point in the 11th round he looked to referee Laurence Cole and asked him to stop the fight. After the fight, Pacquiao said he carried Margarito in the final round because he did not want to inflict anymore damage to him.

"I fought as hard as I could against a great champion in Manny Pacquiao," Margarito said.

Margarito stopped Cotto in the 11th round of the welterweight title fight. In Margarito's next fight, a ninth-round knockout loss to Shane Mosley in January 2009, Margarito was discovered to have loaded hand wraps in the dressing room before the fight. "I always imagined Margarito and Cotto being a big fight again, but Cotto may not want to wait that long," Arum said, noting that Cotto probably will return in April, which is before Margarito likely would fight again.

So with Margarito, let's assume Cotto fights Chavez. I'll get Tony another fight and maybe he'll fight the Cotto-Chavez winner sometime in the fall."

Arum said he would also be interested in matching Margarito with middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, who is promoted by Lou DiBella, if Martinez defends his title against Paul Williams in their rematch on Saturday night (HBO, 10 ET) in Atlantic City, N.J. HBO will also replay Pacquiao-Margarito on the telecast.

"The Dish Network number is bigger than the number we did for Pacquiao when he fought [Oscar] De La Hoya [in December 2008]. Gonzales, in a chance interview, said that "undoubtedly, Congressman Pacquiao deserves it."

Bohol Rep. Arthur Yap also filed House Resolution no. 609 "commending its most distinguished member, the Honorable Manny Pacquiao."

The resolution stated that "Pacquiao once again brought pride, honor and glory to the country for his masterful and overwhelming victory against three–time World Champion Antonio Margarito of Mexico, capturing the World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Welterweight World Champion, and winning an unprecedented 8th championship in as many boxing weight divisions."

HR 609 also confers upon Pacquiao, the "Congressional Medal of Achievement," the highest honors which Congress bestows upon any individual.

Speaker Belmonte earlier said that "the Philippines is again proudly united in congratulating world boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.