Poor basics will seal Margarito's fate - Roach

MANILA, Philippines – After carefully studying Antonio Margarito’s fight tapes, trainer Freddie Roach pointed to poor fundamentals as a major drawback in the Mexican roughhouser’s style and said the other day his lack of ring generalship will make it easy for Manny Pacquiao to score a knockout in their 12-round bout for the WBC superwelterweight title at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 13.

“Margarito has no control of the ring,” noted Roach. “He has little foot movement. He doesn’t cut the ring off. Instead, he follows his opponent around. I don’t see sound fundamentals. His strong point is a good chin, a better chin than Ricky Hatton. But he quits - something he showed in the Sugar Shane Mosley fight.”

What makes Margarito dangerous is he’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain. And he’s desperate to straighten out his career tainted by a suspension stemming from a finding that his handwraps contained traces of sulfur and calcium to form a hardened plaster in the dressing room before the Mosley fight in January last year.

“If he wins (over Pacquiao), all of a sudden, he’s up there,” said Roach. “I think he got away with just a slap on the wrist for his loaded handwraps. The sentence was kind to him. Of course, he knew his handwraps were loaded. How could anyone not know he’s weighed down by a brick? Luis Resto and Panama Lewis served three years in prison and were banned for life when it was proved they conspired to pad handwraps in the Billy Collins fight. I’m assuming Margarito used loaded handwraps when he knocked out Miguel Cotto. Margarito came back from his suspension last May and is now fighting Manny - that’s getting off lightly.”

Because Margarito is known for his dirty tricks, Roach said it wouldn’t be smart for Pacquiao to stay on the ropes and invite the Mexican to bang away. Pacquiao used the rope-a-dope trick on Cotto who took the bait, abandoned his left jab and bore in only to absorb a brutal beating en route to a 12th round technical knockout loss in Las Vegas last year.

“Margarito’s an in between a Cotto and an Oscar de la Hoya,” said Roach. “Manny won’t fight him like he did Cotto. Margarito’s a dirty fighter. He’ll do whatever he can to win. He’ll throw low blows, butt and elbow. Manny’s watched tape, too. We compared notes about his habits and we observed the same things. We’ve talked about our gameplan and we’ll develop it as we go along in training camp.”

Roach said he has nothing against Margarito but didn’t appreciate his comments about Pacquiao during a recent press conference in Dallas.

“He likened his handwraps issue with (Floyd) Mayweather’s accusation of Manny taking performance enhancing drugs,” said Roach. “Wait a minute. Margarito got caught. Manny was accused but nothing was substantiated because he doesn’t do drugs. There’s a big difference between his issue and Manny’s. When I mentioned the Tijuana Tornado would get downgraded to a tropical storm, he stared me down.”

Roach said Margarito’s 4 1/2- inch height advantage doesn’t worry him.

“Size doesn’t win fights,” he explained. “Speed kills and Manny’s just too fast for Margarito. It’s easier to bring down a bigger guy than a smaller guy or someone who’s your size. Margarito’s not a mover. Besides, we still don’t really know if he can punch. I’ve talked to three guys who’ve sparred with him and they’re giving me different impressions. Rashad Holloway sparred with Margarito and broke his eye socket. One guy, Zavala, swore Margarito can’t punch after sparring with him but another guy, the Scottish kid Craig McEwan, told me he hits like a hammer. Whatever, we’ll be ready. Margarito is a volume puncher, he’s no Joshua Clottey. He’ll keep Manny busy.”

Roach said he expects the first four rounds to be explosive.

“We’ll see a very competitive first four rounds,” he said. “Margarito will come out attacking. Then, Manny will start breaking him down with his power and speed. He won’t be able to handle Manny’s speed. He’ll begin feeling Manny’s power and remember, he cuts easily. Manny will go on to beat him up badly. I think it’ll be over by the eighth round.”

Margarito, 32, is coming off a unanimous 10-round decision over Roberto Garcia for the vacant WBC International superwelterweight crown in Aguascalientes, Mexico, last May. Garcia was floored in the first round and was never in contention as the judges scored it 100-88, 99-90 and 99-89. Margarito’s record is 38-6, with 27 KOs compared to Pacquiao’s 51-3-2, with 38 KOs.

Pacquiao, 31, has won his last 12 fights, eight inside the distance, and hasn’t lost since dropping a decision to Erik Morales five years ago. If he beats Margarito, Pacquiao will set a new record by capturing his eighth world title in eight different divisions.

Source: philstar.com

Pacquiao – Margarito and Other Big Bouts as Boxing Heats up in November

We sit here today approaching the last week of a hot September month. October is right around the corner, so what does this mean for fight fans? Nothing but silence and a whole lot of nothing. Do not get me wrong, there are quite a few fights scheduled for October but nothing that really sticks out. Well actually there is one hot date in October that I really want to see. That date is October 16th when Vitali Klitschko takes on Shannon Briggs, Live from the O2 World Arena in Germany.

As good as I think Klitschko is, I have always felt that Briggs has the ability to shock the World. The key will be conditioning and the mental state must also be at an all time high. Other than this fight, nothing in October really grabs my attention. In this day and age, we have way too many promoters and top fighters for this to be going on. Other than my sons birthday party in late October, in which we will be going to Disneyland for, I will pretty much be free all month long. So if you have a party, a late night cricket match, dinner, a card game, or heck anything else that you want to invite me for, feel free to invite me, I’m all yours.

Now come November, that is a whole different story. In the first week of November we will have JuanMa vs. Rafa, Judah vs. Matthysse, Guerrero vs. Escobedo. Then the very next week we will have the loaded Pacquiao vs. Margarito card, Haye vs. Harrison, followed by Danny Green vs. BJ Flores. Third week of November we will have the explosive rematch between Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams, we will also have a loaded card brought to you by none other than Andre Rozier, it will feature Chin Checker Curtis Stevens, Will Rosinsky, the complete package that is Sadam Ali, and the future problem that is Shemuel Pagan. Then we close out the month with Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Katsidis, and Celestino Caballero vs. Jason Litzau.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a few fighters that tangle in October that I will have a close eye on. Like Tor Hamer, Ismayl Sillakh who I feel will be the future at 175, Dallas Jr., Shawn Estrada, Javi Molina, Kevin Hoskins, Danny Garcia, Lucian Bute, Shawn Porter, Kendall Holt at welterweight, Eloy Perez who I feel is a very good young boxer, Charles Huerta, Randy Caballero, Deontay Wilder, Wilfredo Vasquez Jr., Jorge Linares, David Lemieux, Jorge Diaz vs. Emmanuel Lucero is going to be a shoot out, Glen Tapia, and Povetkin. Other than the solo performances of these very good fighters, only the match up between Klitschko and Briggs gets my attention. Oh and how could I forget the clash between Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar in Anaheim. As I mentioned above, I will already be in Anaheim that weekend in Disneyland celebrating my son’s Birthday, so I just may have to stop by and take a peek.

I am not really a MMA fan, but I am however a Cain Velasquez fan. My good friend went to High School with Cain and are both good friends with one another, and my brother who is a huge MMA fan is the one responsible for getting me into digging Cain as well. Like I said, I am not a MMA follower, so I really couldn’t tell you who will win this clash. But I will go on to tell you that Cain Velasquez is a very good exciting fighter. So in October it will be Klitschko vs. Briggs and Lesnar vs. Velasquez. If you guys feel that there is something that I am missing for the month of October that you feel I should check out, please comment below and let me know. until then I will pretty much be gone till November.

Source: diamondboxing.com

It's on to Baguio for Team Pacquiao

MANILA , Philippines – If he’d need to throw Manny Pacquiao inside that black Escalade he’d do it.

Freddie Roach yesterday said he’d done with the one-week pre-camp at the Elorde Gym in Quezon City and can’t wait to get to Baguio City for the tough grind heading to the fight with Antonio Margarito.

“We’re done here. We need to move to Baguio,” said Roach, who said it’s difficult to deal with the traffic in Manila since it takes him easily more than an hour to get to the gym from the New World Hotel.

“It’s the traffic,” said Roach who had planned to take Pacquiao to Baguio last Wednesday. But a sudden change in plan had them pushing the trip to today, just in time for the start of the sparring on Tuesday.

Traffic was so bad Thursday evening that Roach, along with conditioning coach Alex Ariza, and sparring partners Michael Medina and Glen Tapia, jumped out of their van along North Edsa and took an MRT to Makati.

Roach was asked if he’d go up to Baguio today with or without Pacquiao.

“Manny knows me,” he said.

The 31-year-old boxer, however, assured his coach that they’d be taking the five-hour drive to Baguio today, just in time to rest in the evening, go out for a good run tomorrow morning.

“Tuloy na tayo bukas. Baguio na. (We’ll push through tomorrow. It’s on to Baguio),” said Pacquiao after his two-hour workout.

Roach said seven weeks before the fight is just the right time to get to Baguio. They can stay there for four weeks, then spend two weeks in Los Angeles, and the last one in Dallas heading to the fight.

“It’s time to get a little more serious now. This is the last day here. I will open the gym in Baguio a couple of times maybe on Saturdays but we’ll have it closed down in sparring. We need to start working within ourselves a little bit more,” said Roach.

Again, Pacquiao assured him of today’s trip to Baguio.

Source: philstar.com

Pacquiao Bothered by Foot Pain

MANILA, Philippines — Just before working out Saturday afternoon, Manny Pacquiao told his conditioning coach about a sharp pain on the sole of his left foot, although it doesn’t appear to be much of a big concern as the pound-for-pound king went on to train like hell before a big crowd at the Elorde Boxing Gym in Quezon City.

Pacquiao went to the Cardinal Santos in San Juan late Friday and the fighter summoned Alex Ariza to tell him about it.

“That’s why I am here for,” Ariza shouted back at Pacquiao as the Filipino was doing light exercises on top of the ring 50 days before he collides with Mexican Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on November 13.

Although Ariza was not actually alarmed, Pacquiao was a bit bothered, citing what happened to Yuri Foreman against Miguel Cotto last June.

Foreman was winning the fight with Cotto when he suffered an ankle injury and eventually got stopped by Cotto in the ninth round.

“Do you remember the guy Cotto fought who kept on falling down because he could not endure the pain?” Pacquiao told a handful of scribes who were on the ring apron.

While his current injury is not even remotely related to what struck Foreman, Pacquiao was obviously affected as he pointed to the writers where exactly the pain was like a kid telling his mother that his thumb was sore.

Still, Pacquiao went on with his calisthenics as people from all walks of life took pictures and giggled at his mere presence on the eve of his departure for Baguio City where the most crucial part of training camp will take place.

Roach said he is going to Baguio “with or without Manny.”

The past six days, Roach has been working with Pacquiao and the fighter has given his master nothing but praise.

But Roach insists the atmosphere in the City of Pines offers more than what Metro Manila could.

“I hate the traffic here (in Metro Manila),” said Roach, whose opinion was seconded by Ariza.

“It took us one and a half hours going here (from Makati),” said an exasperated Ariza.

Last Thursday, Roach and company had to get off their service vehicle and rode the MRT after being caught in a monstrous traffic jam.

Source: mb.com.ph

Pacquiao, Roach break Manila camp

Manny Pacquiao continued to give trainer Freddie Roach a million and one reasons to smile after they held their last training session in Metro Manila on Saturday afternoon. Pacquiao and Roach have been working out at the Elorde Boxing Gym on Del Monte Avenue corner Roosevelt since Monday and the celebrated trainer has nothing but praises for the pound-for-pound king who has a Nov. 13 date against Antonio Margarito in Dallas.

“Manny continues to work hard and he is good to fight in the next four years if he still continues to show the drive,” said Roach told reporters, stressing that the power is still there even though the Filipino hasn’t fought since March.

Even if Pacquiao had earlier complained of pain on the sole of his left foot, Roach said he hardly noticed that Pacquiao was bothered by it.

“He is still fast and he beat the hell out of me today in the mitts,” added Roach, who joins Pacquiao and members of his entourage on a road trip to Baguio on Sunday afternoon.

Pacquiao’s performance in the gym is expected to reach another level once they set up camp in Baguio, a mountain resort that is five to six hours from Manila by land and which has an elevation of more than 5,000 feet.

“I am only about 50 to 60 percent right now,” Pacquiao told the same set of reporters who had quizzed Roach.

And when told about Roach’s observation that he could still fight for the next four years, Pacquiao was quick to say that “nobody knows what tomorrow will bring.”

Roach has scheduled Pacquiao’s first sparring session with Michael Medina on Tuesday.

Source: mb.com.ph

Pacquiao should dedicate his fight against Margarito to abused women

I was talking to my friend, boxing writer Ryan Songalia of BoxingScene.com when he brought up the idea of "Manny Pacquiao should dedicate his fight against Margarito to abused women". At first the thought sounds like a simple and clever way for Pacquiao to get back at and shame Floyd Mayweather Jr. who is facing domestic charges, for all the trash talk he has unleashed against the newly elected Congressman of Saranggani Province. But as I delved deeper into the issue, I started to seriously say to myself, "why not?"

Boxers have had a very highly publicized violence against women rap. Without going too deep into it, fighters like Arturo Gatti and Edwin Valero have been involved in domestic violence which ended in tragedy. Abuse against women should not be tolerated in any society and boxers of all people should not be involved in such acts of violence.

If Mayweather as well as his uncle and trainer Roger Mayweather who is also charged with assault against one of his former female boxers Melissa St. Vil, are indeed proven guilty of charges filed against them, they should be penalized for it fully. Pacquiao on the other hand has not had any history of domestic violence or abuse against women in any form. The 31-year-old Filipino slugger is happily married to his beautiful wife Jinky who is the mother of his four children.

With Pacquiao's history of standing up for worthy causes, this issue should be a 'no brainer'. The Philippine legislator can really help bring attention to this often swept under the rug issue and promote a zero tolerance approach to abuse against women. A true fighter has no business laying his hands on a female. One might wonder, had Mayweather focused more on trying to lay his hands on Pacquiao and making their fight happen, instead of facing jail time and counting days while he is in the slammer, he would be worrying about facing the best southpaw he will ever have faced while counting the millions he will make against him.

Source: Examiner.com

Pacquiao-Margarito lineup

Below is the current working bout sheet for Top Rank’s November 13 Pacquiao-Margarito mega-show at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas:

Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito
Kelly Pavlik vs TBA
Guillermo Rigondeaux vs Ricardo Cordoba
Mike Jones vs Jesus Soto Karass
Robert Marroquin vs TBA
Richie Mepranum vs TBA
Jose Benavidez vs Winston Mathis
Joe Hanks vs TBA
Mike Lee vs Keith DeBow

Source: fightnews.com