What was announced in late July reaches its culmination Saturday night when Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito meet for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight World Title in Cowboys Stadium in Texas.
If he wins, Pacquiao -- an overwhelming favorite -- would claim his unprecedented eight title in eight weight classes.
While Pacquiao is widely considered as one of history's best pound-for-pound fighters, Margarito is thought of as more of a "bad boy," especially after his handwraps controversy surrounding his fight with Shane Mosley (plaster-like inserts were used by his train Javier Capetillo. Margarito was eventually stripped of his boxing license for a year, even though he claimed he didn't know about the gloves. And his recent mocking of Pacquaio's trainer Freddie Roach, who has Parkinson's, certainly did help things (he has apologized for that).
Adding to the intrigue is the claim from Roach that his fighter isn't ready, telling 60 Minutes that Pacquiao hasn't been "preparing the way [he] should for this fight."
The two fighters have their weigh-in set for Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
Pacquiao will step into the ring Saturday night with a 51-3 record, with 38 knockouts, while Margarito is 38-6 with 27 wins by KO.