In the conference call this week to hype the Nov. 13 showdown in Dallas, it sounded to me like perhaps Antonio Margarito’s confidence isn’t soaring, that maybe he knows in his gut that Manny Pacquiao is on a higher tier than him at this point of his career. But then I tuned in to the third installment of HBO’s 24/7, Pacquiao-Margarito edition, and I (briefly) considered the possibility that Pacman’s speed of hand and foot won’t be an overwhelming edge, that maybe the Mexican could pull an immense upset.
Well done, HBO.
LOL.
We see Pacquiao working against Ray Beltran, David Rodela, Rashad Holloway and Willie Price, for a total of 12 rounds, and Freddie Roach liked what he saw. Holloway had sparred with Margarito, before his fight with Shane Mosley. In one sparring session, a punch to the right eye, which broke his orbital bone. He feared his career would be over. After the hand wrap scandal, Holloway wondered if perhaps Margarito was using an illegal aid in sparring. “I’ll hurt Pacquiao as if I’m wearing plaster but there won’t be anything in the wraps,” Margarito said, with a slight grin.
A parade of lefties is brought in to spar with Margarito. One, Cleotis Pendarvis, is a decent mimic of Manny. But Margarito, it seems, won’t look to conventional wisdom in fighting a lefty. He’ll swarm Manny, make him back up, he says.
He doesn’t buy that Manny is distracted, and says that’s all excuses.
We see Pacman on the Jimmy Kimmel show, and then, two nights later, Manny’s wife Jinkee arrives.
In Oxnard, we see that local youth flock to Robert Garcia’s gym. He likes it, likes to help them stay away from the streets. Brandon Rios, who will fight on the Nov. 13th undercard, was a youth headed the wrong way, in Kansas, and he flew straight when he met Garcia in 2004.
Pacman then says he is properly conditioned, that h
