BAGUIO CITY—If the remark of promoter Bob Arum holds water, then Mexican Antonio Margarito may be preparing a wrong fight plan the whole time.
Known for his astuteness in promoting marquee fights, Arum initially said he was told Margarito has been sparring some good number of rounds against four different fighters with similar left-hand stance in his training camp in Oxnard, California.
But when asked about his assessment of Pacquiao’s latest training, Arum gave a much gracious remark to his prized Filipino fighter that in some ways belittle the chances of the Mexican champion.
“That right hand, trust me, is the key to this fight. Everybody that fights Manny Pacquiao trains for him like he’s a traditional lefty. Yes, he is a lefty except that he hits with his right hand as well as his left hand,” said Arum.
Pacquiao, 31, did several rounds of punch mitts yesterday with trainer Freddie Roach obviously working to perfect that same right hand that smittened Arum.
“Manny’s opponents practicing on fighting traditional lefties are generally susceptible for that right hand,” added Arum.
Pressed to choose who has the edge between Margarito and Pacquiao, who incidentally are both under Top Rank’s banner, Arum leaned toward choosing the Filipino on the assumption that the current pound-for-pound king will be in his best element come fight night.
“If Manny, come the Margarito fight, isn’t in the best possible shape and using all the assets that he has, he will lose. But Manny Pacquiao at 100% will beat Antonio Margarito, that’s a fact,” said Arum. “Margarito is a very good professional fighter, who is much bigger and stronger and keeps coming. In order to fight somebody like that, you have to be in top physical and mental shape.”
Meantime, Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) will hold his final day of training camp today at the Shape-Up Gym here before traveling back to Manila later in the night. They leave for the United States Saturday night.
The Filipino boxing sensation will again spar four rounds each with fellow world champion Amir Khan and undefeated prospect Glen Tapia, then will wrap it up with three more rounds opposite Michael Medina.
Pacquiao will battle the 32-year-old Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) in a 12-round battle for the vacant World Boxing Council super welterweight crown set at a catch weight of 151lbs. The match will be staged at the $1.3 Billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Source: manilastandardtoday.com
