WASHINGTON, D.C.: Exuding supreme confidence, protagonists Manny ?PacMan? Pacquiao and Antonio ?Tijuana Tornado? Margarito are predicting victory with less than six weeks to their November 13 junior middleweight title showdown at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas. Pacquiao, 31, who is currently training in Baguio City, told Manila newsmen that he has figured out how to demolish Margarito, without giving details that might reveal his game plan.
Pacquiao?s renowned trainer Freddie Roach is predicting a late-round knockout win, but said Pacquiao has to play a ?smart? game plan to nullify Margarito?s height and reach advantage.
?We can?t afford to stay in front of him [Margarito] or he?ll hit us,? Roach said from the City of Pines, referring to the Mexican-American?s vaunted 1-2 power shots.
Margarito, 32, and a three-time former world welter champion, was more open as he exuded confidence that he would defeat the reigning Filipino pound-for-pound best fighter of the world.
?I feel as if I have the power to knock out Manny Pacquiao,? Margarito told Lem Satterfield of FanHouse.com from his training camp in Oxnard, California. ?But if the fight goes to a decision, then it will have to be a decision where I?m the one that threw most of the punches.?
The key to victory, Margarito said, is for him to pressure Pacquiao and throw a lot more punches than his quicker foe, insisting that he has ?strength and the power? to knock out Pacquiao.
Using Pacquiao?s most recent successful title defense against Joshua Clottey of Ghana, Margarito observed that Clottey threw and landed few punches that he thought bothered the Filipino boxing icon.
?Clottey just didn?t follow up. I think, you know, that my key is just going to be to throw and land punches that are critical, but I just have to follow up,? Mar-garito said through his head trainer, Robert Garcia.
?I have to throw four- to five-punches and to keep busy and to throw punches in general. That?s what I learned from the Joshua Clottey fight.?
Margarito made it clear that he has no problem with the 150-pound catch weight for the vacant World Boxing Council junior middleweight (154lbs) title, saying he is almost close to that weight with six weeks to go in training camp.
?I have no problem making 150. I?m already close to it right now, and that will be no problem at all,? he said.
Margarito expressed satisfaction training under new mentor Garcia, tweaking weaknesses and ?mistakes? in his fighting style.
?I?m very comfortable and very happy to be here. I?m feeling better than ever right now. Every thing is going perfect. We?re correcting a lot of mistakes that I had been making,? he said.
Although he said he is completely focused on upsetting the heavily favored Pacquiao, Margarito said he wants to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., should he get past PacMan, the only fighter to win seven world titles in as many weight classes from flyweight to welterweight.
