Pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao's November 13th clash with Antonio Margarito at the Dallas Cowboys stadium in Texas is still seen by many as something of an easy fight.
Predictions of very early finishes are rife, and even the bookmakers seem to think that the most likely outcome is a knockout win for Pacquiao before the end of the tenth round.
Part of this is down to the fact that Margarito has had a shaky couple of years with his suspension and bad performances either side of it. Part of it is down to the fact that Pacquiao has thoroughly dominated all of his recent opponents, and has never really been pushed in a fight for several years.
Despite the fact that he is making fast progress during training though, and according to sparring partners is growing steadily sharper and stronger, Pacman trainer Freddie Roach has begun to close the gym during some sparring sessions, which is likely for several reasons.
The reason Roach gave to Ring correspondent Ted Lerner is that Pacquiao tends to showboat when the crowds and media are watching, which understandably he wants to keep to a minimum.
All four of Pacquiao's sparring partners tower over him and if his concentration isn't where it needs to be there is a danger of either getting caught with a big punch or getting cut, both of which could set his training schedule back.
Another similar concern that Roach might have had about the usual crowds filling the gym is that he has instructed Pacquiao's sparring partners, namely Julio Chavez Jr, Glen Tapia, Vanes Martirosyan and Michael Medina to use rough house tactics and to fight in a similar way to Margarito.
At this early stage of the training camp, and against much bigger fighters, this may well result in Pacquiao taking more punishment than usual or than he would towards the end of a training camp when in full fighting shape.
If regular reports went out that Pacquiao was taking a lot of punishment in training, fans might begin to question whether or not he will be able to deal with Margarito on fight night, and the fact that he now has a second career as a politician would again be called into question. Neither of which are things conducive to making Pacquiao confident and focused for November.
Tactical reasons for closing the gym to the public on certain days aren't that likely given that Margarito has historically been fairly easy to prepare for. He technical ability will never be confused with Floyd Mayweather's, but what Margarito does, he does well, and most of his opponents have struggled with him as a result.
Most of all, the fact that Roach is being more strict than usual with Pacquiao's training means that he is taking Margarito as a serious threat. Despite his usual prediction of an easy win for Pacquiao, which he tends to make as much to unsettle or irritate opponents as anything else, Roach knows it will be a tough fight.
If nothing else, Margarito has a great chin and a lot of size on Pacquiao, and will be more motivated than ever. Those attributes coupled with a new trainer he works well with, and this could be Pacquiao's toughest fight since he last took on Juan Manuel Marquez.
Bobby Guilimen, Philly: "Mayweather more or less has to fight the winner if he wants people to ever take him seriously again, and he's terrified of both"
Renton Draugtner, Pittsburgh: "I still can't see this lasting the distance, Pacquiao wins inside ten rounds"
Source: Examiner.com
