When it was announced that Manny Pacquiao would be moving up in weight to challenge Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC junior middleweight crown, the contest was initially met with disappointment. Pacquiao had just teased us with another stage of negotiations with Floyd Mayweather and settling for Margarito, a fighter still recovering from the hand wrap controversy that rocked his career in early 2009, as a replacement wasn’t the easiest proposition to accept. Vegas sports books later tabbed Margarito as nearly a 7-1 underdog in what some looked at as a mismatch of a fight.
Pacquiao has been on an incredible run in the sport over the past few years and very few looked at the plodding Margarito as much of a threat yet as the contest draws closer the reviews coming from each man’s camp seem to be polar opposite and the opinion on the fight has changed. Under the watchful eye of former champion Robert Garcia, Margarito has been impressively gearing up for the fight of his life while Pacquiao has had minor injuries, slight illnesses, and a chaotic typhoon to deal with as he trains in Baguio City in the Philippines.
Newsflash: Sergio Martinez pulling for Margarito in hopes of garnering rematch
The public perception has seen Margarito go from a broken cheater to that of a physical imposing beast who will be pressing Pacquiao every minute of the fight. RingTV.com co-editor Doug Fisher has been covering Margarito on the West Coast for several years now and after viewing him this training camp he agrees that the Tijuana Tornado is far from finished.
“Margarito is indeed training hard and he doesn't look like a faded or shot fighter in sparring,” Fisher conceded. “Given the reports for this fight, I believe the fight is not viewed as one-sided in Pacquiao’s favor as it was when the bout was first announced; however there are things every fan should keep in mind. Just because Margarito is in great shape and doesn't appear shot doesn't mean he can compete with Pacquiao; there's still a very significant disparity in skill, technique and talent between the two.”
Sound logic from Fisher. Asked whether or not any of the subplots surrounding Pacquiao’s recent training regimen should be of concern, Fisher notes that it is something he has had to accustom himself to as a fighter over the years.
”Pacquiao is used to crazy camps when he trains in the Philippines,” Fisher continued. “He may not be as focused as he should be during these camps but he's always in tip-top physical condition. Two full weeks at the Wild Card gym is plenty of time of Pacquiao to get his head on straight and refocus on Roach's game plan for the fight.”
Joe Quiambao is a former New York Golden Gloves champion and present day matchmaker for Dibella Entertainment. Always an avid fan of the sport, Quiambao also has Filipino roots and has long since admired Pacquiao’s achievements inside of the ring. When the fight with Margarito became official Quiambao seemed to be more than curious when assessing the matchup.
“I didn’t like the fight from the moment it was signed,” Quiambao said. “Margarito is a bigger guy and he throws a lot of punches. If you noticed in the [Joshua] Clottey fight, whenever he would open up, his punches would have an effect on Pacquiao. Clottey just didn’t throw any punches but Margarito will be. You have to wonder what would happen if he gets in that position.”
Slideshow: Memories from the Mandalay Bay including Pacquiao, Mayweather and Marquez
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum recently departed his headquarters in Las Vegas and headed to Pacquiao’s camp to witness his progression first hand. After a few days of witnessing some intense sparring as well as Pacquiao’s work with trainer Freddie Roach and strength and conditioning Coach Alex Ariza, Arum was less impressed than previous camps and even noted that this version of Pacquiao would lose to Margarito if the fight was to take place within a week. Quiambao knows the game very well and feels the wily 78-year old may be just trying to milk people’s interest.
“I think he could be just trying to sell the fight,” Quiambao. “The thing is that Pacquiao trains like a mad man. When he gets in the gym he is all business and trains just as hard a guy like Mayweather. I think he is going to have to use his speed and that he will have to be in great shape against Margarito.”
Having fought 41 professional bouts himself, Jacksonville, Florida’s Nate Campbell knows all too well about the rigors and temptations that come along with any serious training camp and what Pacquiao may be going through. A junior lightweight contender in May of 2003, Campbell struggled mightily against New Jersey’s Edelmiro ‘Tiger’ Martinez and came away with a draw. Campbell points to a poor training camp for his uneven performance.
“In that fight I needed Jesus just to get a win,” Campbell joked. “When you have a bad training camp you start losing focus on your opponent. When you have so many distractions going on outside of boxing it can wear on you mentally. They say that boxing is 90% mental but don’t you need 100% of your mental in order to win?”
Campbell’s crowning moment as a fighter came in March of 2008 as he defied the odds by bullying and battering Houston, Texas’ Juan Diaz in Cancun as he captured the lightweight championship of the world. Campbell said his training camp for Diaz was nearly perfect and that his younger foe had no chance by the time the two came face to face.
“He needed Jesus just to survive.”
Asked for his thoughts on the eventual outcome of Pacquiao-Margarito, Campbell seemed to stray away from the topic and actually seemed disappointed in the matchup, fully realizing how much the impact of money had to do with it. Campbell also revealed that he is slated for a ring return on November 27th against journeyman Walter Estrada at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the hopeful Juan Manuel Marquez-Michael Katsidis undercard.
Whether or not Pacquiao is performing less than expected in camp, it is something that he still has time to correct as he is set to leave for Los Angeles to resume training at the Wild Card Gym later this week. Perhaps Showtime analyst Steve Farhood sums it up best when noting that by this point in his career, training for a high-level training camp is like second nature to the General Santos City fighter.
“An unsettled camp is not unusual for Manny, so I don't put too much stock in that. I still like Manny on points, though he might not look as good as usual at the slightly higher weight.”
Source: Examiner.com
