TAKE FIVE: MARGARITO VS. GOMEZ PREVIEW

Friday, Feb. 17, 2006 | 12:33 p.m.

Fight facts The principals: Antonio Margarito (32-4, 23 KOs) vs. Manuel Gomez (28-10, 20 KOs) At stake: Margarito's WBO welterweight title Place/time: Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts; doors open 4 p.m., first bout 5 p.m., main event 8:15 p.m. Tickets: $50 to $200 TV: Pay per view, $39.95 Featured undercard bouts: Isaac Bustos (24-7-3, 13 KOs) vs. Ivan Calderon (24-0, 5 KOs), WBO minimum weight championship; Jose Antonio Aguirre (33-4-1, 20 KOs) vs. Brian Viloria (18-0, 12 KOs), WBC mini flyweight championship

1. Running scared? Promoter Bob Arum sees Saturday night's WBO welterweight championship fight as a showcase for Antonio Margarito, whose ultimate goal is to gain recognition as one of the sport's top fighters, pound-for-pound, while enjoying the big paydays that would come along with it. "Antonio Margarito is without a doubt the most feared fighter in the sport today," Arum said. "He is, I think, the most underrated fighter in boxing. Mention his name to fighters like Oscar De La Hoya or Shane Mosley and they faint. They don't want anything to do with him."

2. On deck Arum speculated that the sport's marquee names at 147 and 154 pounds have avoided Margarito because they don't relish dealing with his size and strength. Tall and rangy for a welterweight, Margarito, 27, goes 5-foot-11 with a reach of 73 inches. "He's too big, too tough," Arum said. Margarito, of Tijuana, has declared 2006 "my year" and is seeking megafights against the most bankable opponents available, including Floyd Mayweather Jr. "All those fighters can't run anymore," Margarito said. "They're gonna have to fight me."

3. Heavy hitter Manuel Gomez enters Saturday's showdown with a reputation as a hard puncher with the ability to score big knockouts. The same could have been said for Kermit Cintron, Margarito's opponent in his most recent fight last April at Caesars Palace. Margarito knocked Cintron down four times in that fight, delivering a fifth-round technical knockout. "I'm aware of (Gomez's) power, but I believe I can handle fighters with a big punch," Margarito said. "I've fought fighters with a bigger punch, and I've beaten them."

4. Messin' with Texas Arum referenced the old Western song "Streets of Laredo," about the untimely demise of a young cowboy, in recapping a visit he made to the south Texas cities of San Antonio, Corpus Christi, McAllen and Gomez's home of Laredo to drum up interest in the fight. It's quaint and scenic, but "the town hasn't changed since they did that song," Arum said. Even so, Gomez, 33, who was stopped by Mosley in the 11th round of a 1997 lightweight title fight, figures to have Texas boxing fans behind him Saturday. "I respect Antonio," Gomez said, "but inside the ring, there is no respect."

5. The odds Oddsmakers don't give Gomez much of a fighting chance. Margarito is a minus-1200 favorite according to odds at the Aladdin sports book, meaning bettors must risk $12 for each $1 they're trying to win. Gomez is listed at plus-500 at the Aladdin, meaning bettors would win $5 for each $1 risked. On the undercard, a major offshore book listed both Calderon and Viloria as approximately 7-1 favorites.