Category: Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao, after nearly four months of non-boxing, has started training in Baguio. With only 7 1/2 weeks left before his May 7 bout with Shane Mosley, it will be another laborious and agonizing time for Pacman.

Eddie Alinea of Philboxing interviewed Freddie Roach last Saturday. “The first day, or the first week for that matter, will be strictly on physical conditioning,” said Roach. “It will be all Alex’s (Ariza) show. Manny will be working with Alex 90 percent of the week.”

Ariza, the fitness coach of Manny, added: “I know Manny. I know that when he starts training he will give his 100 percent attention to it. Of course, like last year, there will be a lot of disturbances owing to his job as a congressman, but we will try to minimize that. He’s proven himself to be a pro in the past decade that we’ve been together and that won’t change.”

Of MP’s “short” preparation, Ariza countered: “For a boxer of Manny’s status, there is no such thing as a short training period. In fact, knowing him, the shorter the preparations are, the better for him. This is because, for many times, he has shown his capability to catch up.”

AZKALS. The PHL vs. Mongolia game will be shown live starting 12 noon today over Studio 23 (replay at 7 p.m.). It will also be shown 3 p.m. on Balls SkyCable 34.

The weather is a factor. Although our players are mostly from Europe (thus, they’re used to the cold), it’s reportedly as cold as -10 Celsius in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

Targets? “Honestly I expect 2 or 3 goals,” said Phil Younghusband. “Hopefully a better result than the last game.”

MAGSAYSAY. Future Balamban mayor (and today’s Councilor) Dave Karamihan loves running. He runs for public office; he organizes road-running races. He helps run one of the most dynamic of Rotary clubs: Cebu Fuente. (As to running on the road, when, Dave?) Now on its sixth year, here’s Councilor Dave on this weekend’s activities…

“We’re having the Paghandum ni Magsaysay Annual Adventure Trek. Activities start on March 19, Saturday, with a 21K (Climbathon) from the Municipal Oval to Mt. Manunggal. It used to be just 11km but the runners seem to make minced meat out of it so I made it 21km starting from the Poblacion. The last 5-6km is a dirt road.

“This is not your usual 21-km. city road. This is mostly uphill along the Transcentral highway. Water Stations will be aplenty. As for the Executive and Fun Runners, they will have different starting points along the route. Everyone (Open, Exec, Fun) starts simultaneously. Depending on the weather, the last third of the route is covered with fog! So it’s a race to the sky! Prizes start at 10K for 1st, 5k for 2nd, 3k for 3rd.

“On the same day will be the Painting Contest. This is our 4th straight year. Amateur and pro artists converge in nearby Adventure Cafe. In the evening, we party at the campsite. Ala concert at the Rock! Sponsored by SMB, as always, iba ang may pinagsamahan. Free flowing SMB for a Fee! hehe. Buy all you can… not drink all you can! The day after, March 20, we have the Mountain bike race. Race to Manunggal gihapon.

“I have my municipal dump trucks waiting near JY Square to ferry campers and racers in the early morning of March 19 and 20 (bikers). On March 20, I also have the same dump trucks ferrying campers home to Cebu City and Balamban. The campsite has toilet facilities for both men and women. Food stalls abound so no need to bring provisions. Participants are urged to help the local economy, so spend your money, bring your booty (kay concert man), experience the legacy, protect the ecology so leave with nothing but your memory! hehehe.

“This is the 54th Commemoration of the Death of Pres. Ramon Magsaysay. It was March 17, 1957 that his plane, the Mt. Pinatubo, crashed in Mt. Manunggal. So on March 17, we will have simple rites in the site to mark the tragic event. For details, call 3332190 loc 101 and look for Ceres Lozano.”

CITOM chief (and former Cebu City Councilor) Jack Jakosalem with Manny and Gerry Peñalosa

Dong Secuya is the founder of Philboxing.com, one of the sport’s top websites in the world. Last Sunday, Dong wrote a piece that had my eyes enlarged: for Manny Pacquiao’s encounter on May 7, 2011 with Sugar Shane Mosley, he wants to prepare… here.

“Pacquiao, who normally trains eight full weeks for his fights, has been quoted as saying that he wanted the first half of his next training to be held in Cebu but Roach was reluctant to the idea,” wrote Dong Secuya.

“‘Baguio is better, Manila is worst but Cebu has a lot of distractions also,’ Roach said who was to the point of walking out when Pacquiao trained in Cebu during the second Pacquiao-Barrera fight in October, 2007.

“‘I’ll take care and control everything,’ Pacquiao adviser and close friend Wakee Salud, who owns the gym where Pacquiao would be training in Cebu, told Roach over a cup of coffee. ‘Oh yeah? I’ll talk to Manny about it,’ Roach answered back.”

Imagine MP in Cebu? This is outstanding for you and me, Cebuanos. But, as Freddie is rarely wrong, he’s once more correct on this one: Cebu offers plenty of distractions. Think Waterfront Casino on late nights. Think Cebu Coliseum basketball on Sundays. Think of the easy, 60-minute plane ride to either GenSan or Manila. Coach Roach knows best: No better cage to confine the wild Manny than the Wild Card Gym.

Jingo Quijano and John P. with Goody Peñalosa and Jinkee Pacquiao

Kung Binisaya-pa, si Manny Pacquiao ni lapas na ug kalendaryo. He’s now 32. Last Friday at Gen. Santos City, Manny celebrated his birthday beside Bob Arum and the barong tagalog-wearing Freddie Roach. The Congressman serenaded the crowd with his MP Band then raffled off P1,000,000 in cash and a brand-new Toyota Vios. Wow. How we wished we were there to see Santa.

In contrast, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was in prison. It was his second arrest in three months. This time, he reportedly poked a security guard in the cheek after an argument over parking tickets. (Didn’t he earn $20 million against Mosley?) He now faces a barrage of court cases ranging from misdemeanor battery and assault to coercion, grand larceny and robbery. While Rep. Manny will become a Philippine senator or Vice-President, Floyd can end up in jail for the next 34 years. Thanks to his cowardly avoidance of our Pinoy boxing azkal, may his zero-loss record rot in prison with him.

Two boxing fights were aired simultaneously last Sunday. On SkyCable’s channels 12 and 33 were Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana and George St-Pierre against Josh Koscheck. The unanimous winner? Freddie Roach. He was in Khan’s corner in Las Vegas, Nevada; he was in St-Pierre’s mind in Montreal, Canada.

(Michelle Butalon, AFP)

It was a boxing lover’s Super Sunday. For with the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in Mixed Martial Arts, he engaged not in MMA—but in boxing. He mimicked another P4P numero uno. GSP was MP. The two are friends. The two admire each other. The two are pupils of Coach Roach. The two are the very, very, very, very, very, very best. How many verys was that? It doesn’t matter because Manny and George are the quickest, most athletic—and very best—fighters of this era.

GSP, thanks to Roach, jabbed and punched his way to bleeding the eye of Koscheck. That’s called boxing. And, in the many times that I’ve followed UFC, I’ve never seen mixed-martial artists spend so much time on four legs. UFC is often about takedowns. Sure, they spring roundhouse kicks and throw uppercuts, but, most often, these bouts involve floor exercises called grappling and wrestling. Not GSP. Not last two days ago.

George St-Pierre and Manny Pacquiao? They are so alike that, starting today, I call them this: beauty parlor beauticians. Their job: they perform facial treatments.

With Antonio Margarito, he had to undergo surgery on his fractured orbital bone. His right eye was shut closed by Manny. With Josh Coscheck, it was the same: his orbital bone was broken. Which side? Of course, GSP pounded on the same side as MP—the right eye. Nagsabot si Manny and George.

As to the sport of MMA, it’s gaining immense popularity. If this were business-talk, it’s eating “market share” from boxing. For, in boxing, what would the sport be like today without Pacman? In three words: Not as popular. Remember the days of Sugar Ray Leonard, Duran and Hearns? Or of Mike Tyson? Muhammad Ali? Frazier, Holmes, Foreman? Boxing was glorified then—especially the heavyweights. Today, minus Pacquiao, the sport would be sluggish and stale.

Mixed Martial Arts? “MMA is boxing…plus more,” wrote Lee Andrew Henderson in “MMA vs Boxing,” a May 18, 2007 Yahoo! Article. “MMA took the great sport of boxing and added amateur wrestling, ninjitsu and kickboxing. Many people refer to boxing as ‘the sweet science’ because of the strategy needed in boxing. Well the MMA multiples the amount of science. Boxers have to know from match to match what type of boxer their opponent is. There are different types of boxers with different strengths and different weaknesses of course but there are even more challenges for an MMA fighter. Just like a boxer, an MMA fighter might be facing a guy with great stand up who can box. This fighter might be light on his feet or he might be a slugger; he might have a great chin or he might have a glass chin. But in addition to that he has to know, how is his takedown? Can he defend the takedown? Can he submit me? What kind of ninjitsu does he know? How are his kicks? Everything that is great about boxing is multiplied by MMA.”

Two more points I’d like to add. One, UFC appeals to the young. Maybe because of the added brutality and blood. Maybe because of the louder music and more in-your-face TV commentary. Maybe it’s the unusual shape of the octagon versus the square of boxing. UFC crowds are younger—and they wear less Armani suits. AFFLICTION! their shirts scream. Two, the undercards are better. In world title boxing fights today, do we even care about the undercards? For sure, Bob Arum doesn’t. There’s only one Main Event and all eyes are on those two gladiators. In UFC, no. Thiago Alves was superb. The 6-foot-11 Stefan Struve against 6-foot-7 Sean McCorkle—that was towering.

Finally, why do I say that MMA is more followed? Click on the Sports Illustrated website, SI.com. Scroll through the menu found at the top. What do you see? Two sports lumped together. But guess which one comes first? MMA & Boxing.

The odds of winning P650,000,000 in last night’s 6/55 Grand Lotto are one in 29 million. If that sounds near-impossible, consider this: The odds of a Manny Pacquiao living in our midst is one in 6.77 billion. That’s because, of our planet’s entire population, there is only one Manny Pacquiao. There is only one human being—a Pinoy—who is the universe’s “Pound-for-Pound No.1.” This means that—as far-fetched as it sounds—you are more likely to win the 6/55 Grand Lotto than to produce the next Manny Pacquiao. Our Pambansang Kamao is the rarest of finds in our Milky Way Galaxy.

Speaking of money, did you hear that the No.1 individual taxpayer in our nation today is not Lucio Tan. He’s not a Zobel or an Aboitiz or another Manny (Pangilinan) who heads Smart and Meralco and PLDT. He’s the former construction boy from General Santos City who is today’s Congressman from Sarangani. Last April and for the year 2008, Manny Pacquiao paid a whopping P125 million in taxes. He was the BIR’s No.1 pound-for-pound individual taxpayer, handily beating Willie Revillame (P58.6M), Piolo Pascual (P55.8M) and even San Miguel Corporation’s Danding Cojuangco, who contributed a measly P18.98 million.

In his latest fight against Antonio Margarito, the 31-year-old Pacquiao—whose first paycheck as a 16-year-old boxer was a few hundred pesos—earned, for those 36 minutes on the Texas ring, a total of $15,000,000 guaranteed purse plus $5,000,000 because of the 1.15 million Pay-Per-View (PPV) buys in the United States. Based on simple arithmetic, that’s $555,555 per minute. Translated to pesos, that’s P880,000,000 or P24,444,444 per minute.

Of course, Manny doesn’t take home all this money. I’m sure he pays a heavyweight-size tax amount to the IRS of America. The same in our country that’s newly-called (from the previous “RP”)… “PHL.” He pays Freddie Roach possibly a million bucks. There’s Top Rank’s Bob Arum’s share. There’s Alex Ariza, Buboy Fernandez, Atty. Jing Jacal, his two dozen staff who include boys who open the door for him and who wash his laundry. There’s the chartered airplane ride from L.A. to Dallas and back, the congressmen he’s invited to cheer for their classmate and, of course, his lucky charm, Chavit Singson—whose body sticks to Manny like a magnet when the HBO cameras are on. These are expenses. These are expensive.

And so, to be conservative, let’s assume MP takes home half. That’s still $10 million. Though no longer exceeding the lotto prize, that’s still nearly half-a-billion pesos. Is Manny Pacquiao our first Filipino billionaire sportsman? Absolutely. He’s passed that borderline some time ago. How about multi-billionaire? That sounds better.

Consider these numbers compiled by Abac Cordero of The Philippine Star. In his article last November 26 entitled “Pacman’s take: At least $20M – Arum,” here are some figures…

Manny has averaged “double-digit millions” in his last five fights. But prior to that, in his breakthrough fight against Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003, he “only” earned $500,000. Against the other top names like Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez and David Diaz, he averaged between $750,000 to $3 million. That’s more money than 99 percent of our population will ever see. But those numbers are insignificant compared to Manny’s last five fights. Here are his double-digit scores: Oscar de la Hoya: $15,000,000. Ricky Hatton: $13,000,000. Miguel Cotto: $13,000,000. Joshua Clottey: $12,000,000. Antonio Margarito: $20,000,000. From these five contests alone, Manny’s revenue was $73,000,000. Sliced in half, that’s $36.5 million or P1.6 billion. All earned by one man. All in five bouts. All in a short span of 23 months from December 2008 to November 2010. One billion six hundred million pesos.

Imagine if Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. agrees to the mid-2011 Fight Of The New Century? Manny’s money can climb to P3 billion. With all that cash, who needs the 6/55?

If it’s Bob Arum, the answer is Yes. The 78-year-old promoter who’s collaborated with Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and “The Greatest” himself, Muhammad Ali, said: “I look at Manny as being the best that I’ve ever seen, including Ali. Ali was a great fighter and had great, great attributes and it’s really unfair to compare a big guy like Ali with a little guy like Pacquiao. But when you look at the skill sets, Pacquiao is faster. Now you could say he is a little guy so he should be faster but Ali essentially had just the right hand. His left hand could jab and everything but it wasn’t power punching.”

What differentiates Pacman from the rest? “His left and right hand hit with equal power and that is what destroys his opponents,” said Arum. “They train to fight a left-handed guy and they watch out for his left hand but before they know it, they are getting pummeled by the right hand.”

Arum is correct. But he’s also biased. As MP’s publicist-negotiator-marketer rolled into one, he will trumpet his client’s achievements.

Michael Rosenthal of the “The Ring Blog” (www.ringtv.com) has a more objective analysis. Two days after MP’s victory, Rosenthal penned the article, “Let’s hold off on declaring Pacquiao the best ever.”

Don’t get carried away, Rosenthal explains. Sure, Pacquiao is a first-ballot Hall of Famer but to name him the best-ever? Not so fast…

“Let’s say we anoint Pacquiao the No. 1 fighter ever or place him in the Top 10,” said Rosenthal. “And then he loses a one-sided decision to Mayweather, which is a possibility if they ever meet. What do we say then? Oops?”

Valid point. Though we know Manny will beat Money, it is a worthy argument. “That’s why it might be best to call Pacquiao one of the better of all time and wait until his career is over before assessing him further,” added Rosenthal.

Here’s another opinion-maker: Bill Gallo. This guy’s a legend. At 87 years old, he’s seen more gloves than Mr. Arum. He’s also a legendary writer, having been inducted into the Intl. Boxing Hall of Fame.

“Just who is this guy, Manny Pacquiao?” asked Gallo in his piece, “In thorough beating of Antonio Margarito, Manny Pacquiao cements himself as one of best boxers ever.”

Gallo continues: “He’s every little guy’s hero in this world of bullies, because he has this habit of beating the hell out of bigger guys. That’s who he is…

“This is one hell of a fighter, the likes of which I haven’t seen since Willie Pep and Sugar Ray Robinson. Yes, those two whom I’ve always regarded as the best ever.”

Finally, Gallo concludes by saying, “I’m going to wind this up by asking myself this question: Okay, Mr. Boxing Man, are you telling me this Philippine Dynamo is the best you have ever seen?

“Yes, in a very long time. And he might just be the man who will eventually put boxing back in the upper deck of sports. Believe me, this kid who aspires to be big in Philippine politics, with his perpetual smile and special brand of punching ability, is indeed the goods.”

Next is the excellent critique by Kenneth Ragpala of Filipino Boxing Journal. In “Pacquiao’s spot in boxing’s history: A contemplation,” Ragpala writes, “How history will place Pacquiao in the annals of the sport remains totally subjective. He may be greater than the legendary names who have proven their worth. Or not. Maybe he is the best ever, who knows?  The truth, however, remains untainted. Pacquiao is definitely the best in his era.

“In the words of the highly respected boxing correspondent Scoop Malinowski, ‘it’s impossible to rank the great fighters. Impossible. You just have to pick a whole group and put them all in that utmost echelon.’

The conclusion? No doubt Manny belongs in the “Best Ever” debate. As to his ranking—No. 7? 3? or 1?—only the evaluator can assess. Because as Freddie Roach himself said, “It’s so hard to compare eras. We could argue all night long. Why not leave it at this: Manny Pacquiao is the best of his era.”

And the greatest when he KOs Floyd?

Of boxing’s 17 weight-class divisions, Manny Pacquiao has won eight. What’s next? A clash against Wladimir Klitschko, all of 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds? Maybe that one-foot height advantage and 100-pound weight difference will finally matter!

MP possesses everything. He endures a brutal training regimen. That’s called hard-work. He owns an insatiable appetite for digesting pain—absorbing wooden sticks that flagellate his torso and crunching 10,000 sit-ups. He has focus. Humility. He’s devoted to God, kneeling down for prayer upon climbing the Dallas stage and repeatedly making the sign of the cross as if to pray, “Forgive me, Father, as I punch this—” Bang-bang-bang-bang!

Because if there’s one new quality we’ve learned about Pacman—the world saw it on display last weekend. We know Pacquiao’s killer instinct. His impulse to jump on the half-naked man and paint his white face red. He throws six punches in the wink of his opponent’s brown eyes. He is more offensive than Mike Tyson; scores more points than Kobe Bryant. Yet, for all of this “Mexicutioner” style and how he delights in slaughtering enemies—for all of his lion’s heart—we saw a different heart from Manny. His heart of compassion.

For what would have happened had our Filipino lacerated and slashed the Mexican in the last six minutes? The Tornado would have twisted, curled, warped. His fractured eye socket—which needed immediate surgery—might have led to worse: Brain injury? A mind that will forever be sleeping in a Tijuana hospital bed? A debilitated and paralyzed body? Who knows?

MANNY KNOWS. Because in the midst of the flurry of his punches, Pacman paused. He said, “PRRT! Ref, time out!” In those moments, Manny transformed from boxer to U.N. Goodwill Ambassador. Manny stopped, asked the referee, “Look at his eyes, look at his cuts,” and, in the post-fight press-conference, admitted what boxers rarely, if ever, say, “I didn’t want to hurt him anymore.”

Bobby Nalzaro said it perfectly yesterday: Manny had pity. For MP to have the sense in the middle of war to disarm himself, to hide the bullets, to assess his enemy’s damage, and to grant clemency to Margarito… why, that’s heroic.

It showed us his true character. It showed the world how a Filipino can fight—yet not be cannibalistic. It showed concern and sympathy—words never, ever used in the sweat shops of boxing. It’s called heart. A heart with two faces: that of a fighter and that of a humane person.

Thinking back on the historical magnitude of Manny Pacquiao’s achievement—and our good fortune to have witnessed it—we can’t clap or cheer enough on his first 10 rounds of boxing. His skill. His footwork. His Gen.San-bred granite chin. His power. His speed.

But, to me, the new Pacquiao was defined in those last two rounds. The face of Tony Margarito was brutalized and disfigured—and Manny could have killed him. Yet, he danced away. For Manny is no killer—only his instinct is. What compassion from a Filipino.

Haide Acuña: “Manny Pacquiao is a hero because he shows both kids and grown-ups that despite poverty, anyone can succeed in life through hard-work, persistence, humility and faith.”

Efren Belarmino: “Manny by KO in 7. Margarito will get tired.”

Chester Cokaliong: “Will this be MP’s last fight? No, because of the big money he’s getting in every fight. And he would want to fight Mayweather, knocking the lights out of the big mouth to cement his legacy.”

Iko Gomos: “Pacman by KO. But I hope that it will be in the later rounds para dili bitin. He’s too fast and he throws bombs from everywhere and in any stance.”

Atan Guardo: “I’m in Dallas now. From LAX to Dallas airport this morning, be it white, black, Latino, everybody tells me they’re rooting for Manny. You can feel his energy. It’s Manny by decision.”

Edward Hayco: “Manny’s strongest weapon is his Humility.”

Margaux Herrera: “His simplicity and boy-next-door charisma despite being a world-renowned athlete. His religious beliefs and convictions are admirable and reflective of Filipinos.”

Jack Jakosalem: “Unbelievable speed and accuracy. Punching power of a middleweight. Can take the strongest punches from a full welterweight opponent. The endurance to go 12 rounds with the same superb performance as the first round. And the best smile in boxing!”

Noy Jopson: “Size or speed? Size of Margarito will be a big factor as Manny will have bigger surface area to target. All that mass will be hard to cover-up and ultimately Manny’s speed will overwhelm the Mexican. He will get hit from so many angles en route to our Pambansang Kamao’s record-setting 8th weight-class title!”

Dave Karamihan: “If this were sex, size is important…”

Basti Lacson: “The only worshipping the world will be doing today is for Pacquiao, the World Overlord of Pain. He will end Margarito’s stint as punching bag on the 7th by sending him to the floor.”

Melanie Lim: “Manny is a hero because he has given hope to many and because he has proven that if you work at your craft, you can attain success.”

Stephanie Medalle: “His free spirited English reflects the pure confidence that no matter what, he will get the job done!”

Jay-Jay Neri: “MP’s last? I don’t think so because Pacquiao needs to beat Mayweather before he retires—making him the greatest of all time in my book.”

Anton Perdices: “Pacman on the 7th because of his power and speed.”

Harry Radaza: “MP by TKO, 9th or earlier. I don’t buy the smokescreen that he’s not in top form and is distracted. It’s all to sell tickets. He’s too smart and too good not to prepare. There’s only one reason Pacman wins – heart! I am organizing a live telecast at the Lapu-Lapu Sports Complex at only P100 with a unique twist: live round girls to parade around the venue between rounds!”

Mayor Mike Rama. “Pacquiao has an eagle’s eye in terms of focus. He has the heart and valor. He will have Margarito kneeling down by the 5th round.”

Jerry Roa: “He’s a hero because of the way he conducts his business. He fights with a singular purpose… to make people get their money’s worth. This marginally-schooled man’s business ethics can put many a businessman’s practices to shame.”

Cleo Santos: “Manny continues to bring honor and pride to the Phils. which gained us better respect from other nations. Also, he is a living example amongst the youth that dreams can truly happen as long as you put your heart into it.”

Joe Soberano: “He is the only world champion in 8 diff. weight classes (including the super welterweight class which I, along with many, predict his easy win over Margarito). He has even transcended boxing with his numerous achievements, fame, fortune. And he has been an inspiring, revolutionary force to millions of Filipinos who hope to emulate Manny’s success in overcoming the odds.”

Wilton Uykingtian: “Manny is a good, generous, humble and God-fearing person. That’s why he was gifted with boxing power (and lots of girls, hehe). He’s the greatest Filipino boxer.”

Only three mornings remain before the world’s most anticipated boxing event. Isn’t this exciting? The wait? The hype? The agony of hearing about Manny Pacquiao’s distractions in Baguio and Manila and, two weeks prior to fight day, all these “problems” fading away as Freddie Roach predicts a knockout victory? And yes, isn’t Mr. Roach always correct? Remember his prediction of a Round 2 KO against Hatton—he got that one right. That’s because Freddie Roach is a psychic. He also tells the truth. He doesn’t do this talking to intimidate enemies—this isn’t “trash talking.” It’s The Master having supreme confidence in The Student. What’s the latest prognosis of Freddie, the modern-day Nostradamus?

“Well you know, he’s got a reach advantage, and he’s tall, and he’s going to be a lot bigger, of course, but size doesn’t win fights—skill does. We out-skill him in every aspect—speed, timing, and I have no fears whatsoever,” said Roach in an exclusive interview with Jenna J of On The Ropes Boxing Radio Show in the article written by Geoffrey Ciani.

“I think it’s going to be an easy fight if Manny fights the right fight. The only problem I have is that some people say that Manny can’t bang with the big guys and that he’s not strong enough and Manny wants to prove that he is big enough. So somewhere in the fight he will go on the ropes and he will bang with him. We’re prepared for that, but the thing is I would rather see him outbox him. Knowing Manny Pacquiao, he’s going to try to bang with him and he’ll be successful because again, we’re ready for it. The thing is, I think the best way to fight Margarito is to outbox him, but again, we’ll do whatever it takes.”

Roach was asked about the weight differential between the Filipino and the Mexican. “You know what, Pacquiao weighed 147 pounds yesterday after a workout,” said Roach in this Nov. 9 interview. “He’s going to go into the ring at 149 pounds, his prime fighting weight. If he Pacquiao comes in a little heavier, like at 152-153, he’s a little slow and a little more sluggish. I know my fighter’s prime fighting weight, and again, we’ll be about 149 pounds and Margarito will be by fight time 160 to 165. Again, I’m not worried about the size of this guy. Speed and skills are going to win this fight, and Pacquiao outweighs him in those departments easily.”

As to Roach’s final words during the interview, he said, “Well Margarito is a little bit of a slow starter. We’re going to start quickly on him and we’re going to overwhelm him with combinations and speed. I think we’ll break Margarito down and I think we’ll knock him out in about eight or nine rounds and I think he just won’t handle Manny’s speed. The speed is going to be way too much for him.”

Read the entire piece here.

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