MANILA, Philippines ? Former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, in the thick of his training for a much awaited return to the boxing ring against Filipino slugger Manny Pacquiao next month, refuses to get distracted by rumors of his foe?s struggles in his own camp.
The 32-year-old boxer from Tijuana, Mexico is confident that come fight night, the bout will end with his arms raised in victory.
?Pacquiao won?t stand up to my punches,? said Margarito (38 wins, 6 losses, 27 knockouts) in an interview quoted by John Martinez of Boxscore News. ?He?s been shook by smaller fighters than me and he will find out the hard way that his punches won?t hurt me.?
Margarito has been rated as an underdog against the much smaller Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), and will carry added pressure of trying to become only the third boxer to halt the seven-division champion from the Philippines.
What?s seemingly an even bigger prize for Margarito would be an emphatic comeback to the sport where he was sidelined for more than a year after being found with illegal hand wraps prior to getting beaten by Shane Mosley in their January 2009 faceoff.
?I know that everyone?s saying that I?m going to lose and get knocked out and that I?m no match for him (Pacquiao),? Margarito said, referring to Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach?s repeated claims that the Filipino will take him out before the eighth round of their fight.
