By Ricardo Lois

February 16th, 2004 - When Antonio Margarito added a few pounds and fought Daniel Santos this past fall, it marked the optimistic beginning of junior middleweight campaign. Marquee fighters like Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, and Ricardo Mayorga populated the division at the time.

A win could have increased the probability of Margarito fighting for a significant amount of money against one of the afore mentioned junior middleweight boxing icons.

Unfortunately Tony's September bout in Puerto Rico ended with technical spit decision loss to hometown fighter Daniel Santos. Worsening matters, in the following months Mayorga was knocked out by Felix Trinidad, De La Hoya was executed by Bernard Hopkins, and Mosley again was bested once more by Ronald "Winky" Wright.

Margarito's junior middleweight move proved disappointing and the division's glamour fighters were left defeated, contemplating retirement, or moving down to welterweight. An opportunity for a big fight meant Margarito would have to move back to his old welterweight neighborhood.

Via a telephone conversation last week, Margarito shared his thoughts on his failed junior middleweight experiment, "It [the fight with Santos] was bad luck. Even with the cut and not displaying myself as well as in other occasions, I still feel I won that fight."

Margarito continued on to say, "I still make one hundred and forty-seven pounds. I do not feel defeated. The welterweight is going to get even better now. Oscar is coming down, some junior welterweights want to move up, and other junior middleweights want to move down."

Four months after his loss to Santos, the native of Tijuana, Mexico finds himself in preparations for a Friday night fight with Sebastian Lujan on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights Main Event Special".

Promotional companies Top Rank and Main Events are in the process of building up a bout between the Margarito and young Puerto Rican slugger Kermit Cintron. In attempt to increase interest in the proposed April ESPN Pay Per View fight between Cintron and Margarito, Cintron was to fight Steven Martinez on the same February 18th ESPN2 card.

An injured tendon in his right hand forced Cintron to pull out of the Martinez bout in order not to jeopardize a future date with Margarito.

"Hopefully Cintron will heal. It would be a good fight. He is a fighter who likes to look for the knockout. I like that, on my part I am a proud Mexican with a huge heart and I leave it in the ring every time I fight. I think we would have a great fight," said Margarito.

Does the Tijuana, Mexico based Margarito feel any pressure, seeing that a fight verses Lujan and then Cintron might be his final run at glory in boxing?

"I have no pressure. I am prepared for this fight and I will be the one with my hand raised in victory. I want to move on and fight someone else later down the road, someone on the level of Oscar De La Hoya or the other stars in boxing."

Lujan is a limited opponent with a record of twenty-two wins, fourteen by knockout, one loss and one draw. A solid record until you investigate and discover the Argentine gladiator never fought in the United States and only once outside of his homeland.

The Lujan bout seems to be a mere formality for Margarito with the battle against Cintron being the true test of the Mexican’s staying power in boxing.