Sunday, February 09, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Margarito retains WBO title belt

By ROYCE FEOUR
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Antonio Margarito showed Saturday night he is a welterweight to take seriously.

Margarito, of Tijuana, Mexico, stopped Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis at 2:31 of the second round of their scheduled 12-rounder to retain his WBO welterweight championship at Mandalay Bay.

Although the WBO version of the 147-pound title has less prestige than the major titles, Margarito wants to fix that by meeting WBC-WBA champion Ricardo Mayorga.

Margarito, 146 1/2, put himself in the welterweight mix with his quick stoppage of Lewis, a former WBA welterweight champion.

Margarito hurt Lewis with a right uppercut, then came back quickly with an overhand right. He then unleashed a two-handed attack and referee Joe Cortez stopped the fight.

It was Margarito's second defense of the WBO title he won from Antonio Diaz with a 12-round decision 11 months ago at Bally's.

Margarito said if Lewis came to him, he knew it would be an easy fight.

Margarito, 28-3, said he took Lewis' hardest punches early and they didn't affect him.

"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," Margarito said. "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."

Lewis, who lost his WBA welterweight title to Mayorga, didn't complain about the stoppage.

"He had a right to stop it," Lewis, 22-2-1, said. "I wasn't fighting back."

Margarito, who was a 2 1/2-1 favorite, put on a T-shirt after the fight that read "Wanted: Ricardo Mayorga."

"Let's see if he fights a Mexican like me," Margarito said. "How many rounds can he go with me? If everybody wants to see it, let's do it."

A Margarito-Mayorga showdown is unlikely because Don King promotes Mayorga and Bob Arum promotes Margarito.

Margarito said if he can't get Mayorga, he might move up to 154 pounds and try to fight Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas or Shane Mosley.

"(Margarito) is one of the guys who paid his dues early in his career and is coming on now," Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler said. "He was overshadowed by the bigger names and worked his way up. I wouldn't be surprised if he positioned himself for a fight with De La Hoya."