As the promotional wagon rolled into a melting Manhattan on Wednesday morning, in the penultimate leg of the press tour to promote the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito one thing was certain ? there was very little bad blood between anyone involved.
As Antonio Margarito stood up for the face-off with his opponent Manny Pacquiao something happened for the second day in a row.
With neither a leg bite in site nor a swear to fill the air, Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito looked sternly and angrily at each other. For all but a second. Then?laughter.
The ridiculousness of the situation clearly dawned on them as it had in Beverly Hills in the opening leg of the press tour.
No matter how much this bout is painted as a battle of ?Good vs. Evil? or ?Right vs. Wrong? Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito clearly have very little reason to be angry at each other. Both paid the traditional courtesies to each other in their addresses to the press and gave nothing but answers that they had clearly given ad nauseum.
In addressing the controversy surrounding his successful application for a boxing license in Texas all Margarito had to show was exquisite politeness.
?I?m very grateful to the Texas Commission for taking the time to look at my application and accept it.?
But it?s a different story between their respective coaches ? Freddie Roach and Roberto Garcia.
Freddie Roach, in a bullish mood, still maintains that the suspension handed to Margarito for having an illegal plaster like substance in his hand wraps (prior to his fight with Shane Mosley) was not enough.
?Panama Lewis got a life suspension so I don?t see how this is any different.?
Indeed for Roach the fight with Margarito was not even his first option.
?I would have preferred a third fight with (Juan Manuel) Marquez. A third fight would have given the chance to shut him up, but Manny said ?I?ll fight and I?ll agree with anything.?
The previous two fights remain controversial to this day. One resulted in a draw while the other was a narrow decision to Pacquiao. Some commentators have claimed that Marquez claimed both fights.
Roberto Garcia, Antonio Margarito?s trainer was also in combative form.
?Everybody knows what Toni does. It?s going to be a pressure fight. Everybody knows that Pacquiao is going to be faster. But you can neutralize Pacquiao?s speed with pressure.
When the case was made that others, such as Ricky Hatton and Oscar de la Hoya have tried and failed to pressurize the Filipino congressman Garcia was unequivocal.
?When (Oscar) de la Hoya and Hatton tried the pressure approach, they gave him (Pacquiao) too much respect. Oscar gave up after six rounds. Margarito is going to be in shape to pressure for the full twelve rounds.?
But it was Freddie Roach who go the last word in.
?Size doesn?t win fights. Skill does. I?m predicting a knockout.?
