This is the worst training camp he’s ever had with Pacquiao - Roach

The trainer Freddie Roach hasn’t been pleased with the training camp with Manny Pacquiao as he gets ready to do battle with the lanky 5’11” Antonio Margarito on November 13th. Roach hasn’t been happy with Pacquiao’s energy, his distractions in camp with basketball, long drives and Pacquiao’s problems with sparring partners.

Roach told Steve Kim from Maxboxing.com, “The thing is, there were just too many distractions. So really, we didn’t have a bad training camp. [Pacquiao] just wasn’t very consistent. Every Sunday driving to Manila, a six hour drive each way. It’s draining for a fighter. Overall, I think it’s the worst training camp we ever had, yes.”

Yes, it could be that Pacquiao, at 31, is starting to show his age and the effects of putting on weight. When you power feed a little fighter like the 5’6” Pacquiao giving him six meals a day, it’s not surprising that he’s starting to show his limits. Pacquiao has been able to find success in being carefully matched as he’s moved up in weight in the past two years, but the constant power feeding seems to have caught up with him now.

It isn’t that Pacquiao is having a poor camp because of distractions, it’s because he’s getting old and putting on weight that his little body wasn’t meant to. Obviously, Margarito, a welterweight, has been picked as Pacquiao’s opponent rather than a legitimate junior middleweight to give Pacquiao a better chance of winning another paper title.

However, it’s not going to work this time. Margarito is going to wear Pacquiao down with his aggression, size and work rate and leave him a broken, bloody mess on the canvas on November 13th.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum plans on moving Pacquiao back down to welterweight after this fight, but I still see Pacquiao having problems unless they match him up against Miguel Cotto again.

But still watch Pacquiao vs Margarito Fight to know the real action. November 13 is the date. See you!

Pacquiao’s speed and accurate punching will be too much for Margarito - Steward

Watch Pacquiao vs Margarito - The trainer of Pacquiao Emanuel Steward is leaning in the direction of Manny Pacquiao to defeat Antonio Margarito on November 13th in their battle for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title. Speaking to East Side Boxing’s On the Ropes Boxing Radio program, Steward said “Even though [Margarito] has a physical advantage, I just don’t think he’s going to be sharp enough to deal with the speed and accuracy and pinpoint punching of Manny.”

Steward could be right, but he’s certainly been wrong many times in the past with his predictions. Pacquiao has got to home that he can take Margarito out early in the fight to save himself from taking a beating from the Mexican tornado.

Margarito likes to throw on average 80 to 100 punches per round, and when you have his kind of size and power, he’s likely to do horrible things to the little Pacquiao with his punches. Pacquiao has put on a lot of weight and weighs nearly as much as Margarito, but he’s going to be like someone putting a Ferrari engine in a small Volkswagen.

Sure, the car will go fast but it won’t have all the other great things that a real Ferrari has going for it. This is why Pacquiao could end up folding if Margarito stands his ground and takes the fight to him.

Pacquiao has been selectively matched in the past two years against fighters that had either just finished taking a severe beating or were coming into the fight weight drained.

Pacquiao hasn’t had to worry about getting hit too much, and that’s given the illusion that he’s dominating as he moves up in weight. He’s dominating all right, but he’s dominating fighters that had just finished taking a beating or had starved themselves on deer meat.

This is why it’s going to be interesting to see what Margarito does to Pacquiao’s head and body with his power shots. I can see Pacquiao getting cut badly over both eyes, and his nose twisted around like a question mark, and lips ripped and bleeding blood.

Pacquiao will be forced to swallow a lot of the blood and it’s going to fill his stomach quickly, making him feel sick. I don’t think this is going to go well for Pacquiao. 

Watch Pacquiao vs Margarito Fight and you will see real action inside the ring. Watch Pacquiao during his training below.

HBO’s 24/7 Pacquiao/Margarito

The 4-part HBO 24/7 Pacquiao/Margarito series starts tonight on HBO. The series is designed to go into the training and to some extent the private lives of Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito as they get ready for their November 13th fight at the Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. The past HBO 24/7 series has done a good job in getting the casual boxing fans to purchase fights between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Pacquiao, and Miguel Cotto and Pacquiao in high numbers. However, HBO was able to sell those fights because they were good match-ups going in between fighters that came into the bout with a big fan base.

It’s all well and good that HBO is putting together a high priced four part series to try and sell the Pacquiao-Margarito fight for pay per view, but I don’t know that any amount of drama and hype is going to produce the kinds of numbers that HBO will be looking for on November 13th. You can polish a flawed product as much as you want, but fans are still going to look at is as less than desirable regardless of how much the fight is hyped. Margarito vs. Pacquiao isn’t the fight boxing fans wanted to see.

Heck, it’s not even the second, third or fourth fight that they wanted to see. I think it’s fair to say that few boxing fans wanted to see Pacquiao matched up with Margarito. However, that’s what they’re getting. It’s admirable that HBO has decided to put together a 24/7 series on this fight, but I don’t know that they’re going to be able to sell a less than desirable fight like this to the casual boxing public. Instead of putting together a 24/7 series, they need to put together a fight that boxing fans want to see and really care about. Watching Margarito give excuses for why a plaster-like substance was found on his hand wraps before his fight with Shane Mosley last year isn’t my idea of entertainment.

This isn’t enough for me to want to purchase the fight for $55. And I don’t want to see Freddie Roach doing most of the talking during the 24/7 series. That doesn’t appeal to me. Roach is utterly predictable at this point. All he’ll be doing is predicting another knockout win for Pacquiao, while at the same time cutting down the fighting ability of Margarito. Instead of talking about these things, Roach should be making excuses about why Pacquiao isn’t fighting Paul Williams, Sergio Martinez or Juan Manuel Marquez. At least those potential fights are mildly interesting.

You ought to watch Pacquiao vs Margarito Fight on November 13 to see it happen right in your eyes. It is not about the fight. It is the history in the making once more.

Juan Manuel Marquez wants Pacquiao at a catch weight of 143 or 144

WBA/WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KO’s) is interested in fighting a third fight against Manny Pacquiao if Manny will agree to fight him at a catch weight of 143 or 144, according to boxing news from ESPN’s Golpe a Golpe. Marquez, 37, says “First Pacquiao would have to accept, but I would fight him at a catch-weight of 143 or 144 pounds.” Pacquiao probably won’t accept and he won’t likely bring it up to his promoter Bob Arum, who seems to want no part of matching Pacquiao up with Marquez in another rematch.

Instead, Arum seems intent on putting Pacquiao back in with his Top Rank fighter WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto. After that, who knows. The only deviation I see Arum making from matching Pacquiao up with one of his own fighters in his stable if Floyd Mayweather Jr. shows serious interest in fighting Pacquiao. That is likely going to be the only exception. If that fight doesn’t happen, it’s Cotto, and maybe Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., if he doesn’t taken apart by Cotto next year.

As far as Marquez wanting a fight with Pacquiao, Arum already suggested that Marquez prove himself at welterweight before he’d match Pacquiao up with him. Arum recommended that Marquez fight and beat one of the following fighters: Shane Mosley, Joshua Clottey, Andre Berto or Timothy Bradley. Clottey was an odd name in the bunch, because he doesn’t seem to be fighting too well. He’s lost his last two fights. However, Clottey is another one of Arum’s Top Rank fighters, and if Marquez were to fight him, it would obviously increase the value of Clottey if he were to win. He probably wouldn’t, but there would be a small chance that Clottey would throw enough punches to get the win.

Marquez should forget about Pacquiao unless he approaches Marquez for a fight, and I don’t see that happening. Pacquiao lets Arum make all the fights and he seems to be fighting the guys that Arum is lining up right now. I think Marquez just doesn’t figure into the plans that Arum has for Pacquiao in 2011. Maybe if Marquez and Pacquiao are still fighting in 2012, and Pacquiao has exhausted all of Arum’s Top Rank stable fighters, maybe then he might look towards matching Pacquiao up with Marquez. I highly doubt it, though.

Marquez looked like he’s lost something in his last fight against Juan Diaz, and I don’t know that a 38-year-old Marquez will have enough left to get a third fight with Pacquiao. Marquez has a fight coming up in November against WBO lightweight interim champion Michael Katsidis. Beyond that, he can fight guys like Humberto Soto and John Murray at lightweight. Those are good fights for Marquez. He’ll do okay if he stays at lightweight and finishes his career without facing Pacquiao. There’s also Amir Khan, who seems eager to fight Marquez. If Juan Manuel wants a big money fight, Khan might be the one to look to. That would be contingent on Khan beating Marcos Maidana in December, and who knows what will happen in that fight.

Watch Pacquiao vs Margarito Fight for you to see real action coming from Pacquiao.

Source: boxingnews.com

Would it be good for boxing if Margarito knocks Pacquiao out cold?

Watch Pacquiao vs Maragarito Fight - I think it would be an excellent thing if Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KO’s) gets his head taken off in November against Antonio Margarito (38-6, 27 KO’s) at the Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. I think it would be a good thing for boxing to see Pacquiao stretched out on the canvas, wondering what hit him. The good thing would be the great fights it would open up between Margarito and Miguel Cotto, and Margarito and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Margarito wouldn’t even blink if Mayweather asked him to agree to random blood testing. Margarito would gladly accept the blood testing without complaints and we’d have a major fight to get excited about instead of seeing Margarito fighting guys Joshua Clottey.

It would sensational for Pacquiao to lose to Margarito. It might be a good thing for Pacquiao’s love sick fans, because I can see a lot of them in deep morning after Margarito leaves Pacquiao laying senseless on the canvas with both eyes shut tight and Freddie Roach frantically trying to revive him. Yeah, it would be gloomy day for Pacquiao’s loyal horde of fans. But look at the bright side, at least Pacquiao would be free to practice his politics without worry about having to take time away from the people. In the meantime, we could have some great fights with Margarito taking on all the fighters that Pacquiao hasn’t fought. We could have a rematch between Margarito and Paul Williams, Margarito vs. Sergio Martinez, Margarito vs. Andre Berto, Margarito vs. Shane Mosley II. I don’t expect Pacquiao to ever face any of those fighters, which is why I think it would be the best thing for boxing if Margarito totally destroys Pacquiao in one of those brutal career-ending knockouts.

We wouldn’t have to worry about a time-wasting rematch between Margarito and Pacquiao, and could focus on the thrilling bouts that Margarito could bring to the sport against Mayweather, Martinez, Williams, Mosley, Berto, Alfredo Angulo and James Kirkland. I seriously doubt Pacquiao would even be missed if Margarito is busy fighting those guys. Who would need Pacquiao with Margarito facing the best fighters in boxing instead of taking on Miguel Cotto over and over and Joshua Clottey.

Is the Pacquiao-Margarito card worth purchasing?

I’m looking over the November 13th Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito card and I can’t say it’s got me eager to dump $55 on it, when most of the fights on the card appear to be huge mismatches starting with the main event between Margarito and Pacquiao. I know Pacquiao probably won’t be fighting too much longer, but I’m not much into paying big bucks to see him beat up on guys that look as horrible as Margarito has looked in his last two fights.

I’m tired of watching Pacquiao beat up on guys that were recently beaten by somebody else, and that’s the case with Margarito. I don’t even think I would watch this fight if were free. There’s no suspense with this bout. Margarito is looking terrible recently and I don’t see anything changing just because he’s fighting Pacquiao.

The undercard fights are as follows:

Kelly Pavlik vs. Brian Vera – Pavlik is coming off a one-sided beat down to Sergio Martinez in April and Vera is also coming off a loss to Maksym Bursak in September. Why should I care about watching two guys that are struggling with their careers? This is the co-main event , and I can’t believe this is what they’re showing. This should be on regular cable, and I’m not talking HBO or Showtime. I see this as ESPN all the way.

Guillermo Rigondeaux vs. Ricardo Cordoba – I never heard of Cordoba and pretty much don’t care about this fight. Rigondeaux has looked good on ESPN, but I don’t see any reason to pay to see him fight at this point. I wouldn’t mind watching him on ESPN if they put him in with a named fighter but again, I don’t pay to see him fight this guy.

Mike Jones vs. Jesus Soto-Karass – I already saw Karass get beaten up by Alfonso Gomez, who I don’t even rate, last year. I think Jones is a decent fighter, but I’m not interested in this mismatch. He’s going to destroy this Karass guy and it’s not interesting having to pay to see this mismatch. Now, if Jones were matched Shane Mosley, Andre Berto, Kermit Cintron, Alfredo Angulo, Jan Zaveck, Saul Alvarez o Zab Judah, the I wouldn’t mind seeing this fight. But I don’t want to see Jones beat up on a guy that was beaten by Gomez and who I’m not impressed with. This is a mismatch. No thanks. I’ll pass on this fight.

Source: boxingnews24.com By Chris Williams

The Three Things Wrong with Pacquiao vs. Margarito

Make no mistake about it, I am a Manny Pacquiao fan. I was also a big Antonio Margarito fan before his hand-wrap controversy. But after the last few Pacquiao fights (Clottey excepted) where he proven over and over his ability to fight and win a smart puncher’s fight, the fans are looking for something more, something else.

Despite my disdain, however, I still think it will be an exciting fight. It is a bit of a contradiction, I know, but as a boxing fan down to my heart, I have no intentions of missing the action. I do, however, have concerns and disappointments which I hope the promoters of one of the oldest professional sports in the world may take note of. The fans have a voice, and we’re speaking out. We feel as though we’ve been left by the wayside in favor of greed, ego and bureaucracy. It’s a shame, but it’s our reality.

From what I can see, there are three central reasons why Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito on November 13th, 2010, is all wrong for boxing…

1. It’s Not Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot that can be done about this problem, since Floyd has expressed he is not thinking about boxing, and does not seem interested nor prepared for a fight this November. Much has been said about who said what, what went down, what did not and so forth, but the bottom line is that Floyd is on break, and we as fight fans have to respect that, even if we’d rather see him get it on with Manny.

While this fight — and this article — is not about Floyd, in a way it is ALL about Floyd. More specifically, it is about the second failed negotiations to put together one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. A fight that would heal the scarlet letter branded into boxing’s chest. A fight that would lift the sport from its funk, and get people who never cared about the game before to pay attention. A fight that would prove to the world that boxing can be a noble sport, despite the fanfare, and that the younger upstarts like MMA and UFC are just toddlers by comparison.

A fight that we all hope will still one day take place, while both fighters are fighting at their best.

2. Margarito Shouldn’t Be Licensed

I am definitely on the side of Chris Mannix in believing whole-heartedly that Margarito should not be allowed to fight in any state, nor any country, until the athletic commission who suspended him lifts that suspension. In this case, California imposed his ban from the sport, and denied him reinstatement only a few weeks ago. All of the other commissions would have done well to respect that ruling. Respect to Nevada for following suit.

The fact that Texas gave him a license to fight with little struggle is a black eye to the sport, and shows that there may be more palm greasing going on in the game than some would like to believe. Top Rank Promotions, Jerry Jones, and the athletic commission of Texas all have incentive to make this fight happen, as it will likely draw more than 70,000 fans to Cowboys Stadium, and bless (curse?) Texas with another big night of boxing.

We can all discuss the moral high-ground, forgiveness, lifetime bans, and so forth, but as of right now, Margarito still denies he knew anything about what he did, and has not apologized to Shane Mosley nor any possible previous victims of this atrocity such as Miguel Cotto. Even if Margarito claims ignorance to knowing what was wrapped around his hands, he still has every obligation to apologize to those unsuspecting opponents he stepped into the ring against. That much we can all agree on.

3. Pacquiao Had Better Options

Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, knew full well that there were dozens of fighters for Manny to take on, and at least five serious contenders primed to enhance Pacquiao’s legacy further. Instead, he has chosen Margarito, whose new nickname should be The Pugilistic Pariah. I can only imagine Arum is banking on the controversy surrounding Antonio as a means of promoting the fight. A story of second chances and more accolade for Pacquiao. The problem is that neither fighter is a true Light Middleweight, so the accolade will have an asterisks even more than the previous seven titles Manny has accumulated on his way to superstardom.

What about Timothy Bradley, perhaps the most promising undefeated up-and-comer, and a genuine boxer like Floyd? It would be a great test, and good preparation for a Mayweather showdown. Bradley ran a clinic on Lamont Peterson and showed great heart in his win over Abregu last month. This, to me, would have had the makings of a great test for the pound-for-pound king Pacquiao, and would quiet many critics who feel Manny has avoided clever fighters, opting instead for warrior battles against come-ahead punchers. Oh, by the way, Bradley’s available, too!

What about Shane Mosley, who would gladly pay the feather-fisted Sergio Mora some step-aside money in order to meet Manny in the ring? Mosley went twelve rounds and lost clearly to Floyd, true, but he’s still a good style match-up for Manny. Perhaps Arum was not interested in Pacquiao being Floyd’s clean-up man for the third time, who knows?

There’s also Angulo, who has looked more than impressive against Alcine and Julio, and who is available this Fall? He holds the WBC Light Middleweight belt, so there’s the chance for the eighth title in a legitimate match-up. There’s also the Mexican fan-base and — for those who might not now — Alfredo is an interesting character with an interesting story that would play well on a venue like HBO’s 24/7. We all would like some insight as to why he turned down $750,000 to fight Martinez, also.

How about Andre Berto, who is available and won an impressive TKO over Quintana this past April? Martinez may be a little too large of frame for Pacquiao, but why not? Manny hasn’t showed any weakness at the heavier weights thus far. Heck, I’d even pay to see Paul Williams in with Manny, a completely different type of challenge for him. There are more than this, of course. And Margarito wouldn’t even show up as a top ten choice on many fans’ lists.

At the end of the day, however, this is the fight we boxing fans were given, whether we like it or not; the problem is that most of us do not. We can only outcry for the best fights, and little more. While other sports are designed so that the best compete against the best, but boxing is not other sports, though sometimes we may wish it were. A National Boxing Association could remedy many of the inherent problems where the wrong people have all of the control.

You may and likely do find more things wrong with this fight, but they are secondary to the above three. We are still waiting for a bold move in this sport, a chance for boxing to get it right, as they say. And we’ve got our eyes fixed on May 2011 already…

But Still you will love to watch Pacquiao vs Margarito Fight

Source: boxingnews24.com By Ryan Dunn