GRAPEVINE ? Just as he did for his March fight, Manny Pacquiao arrived via chartered jet Monday night from Los Angeles, five days early for Saturday’s Cowboys Stadium bout against Antonio Margarito.
This time, however, it was on a jumbo jet that landed at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport as his entourage has swelled from 130 people for the Joshua Clottey bout to 200 for Margarito.
Of course, since his March victory at Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao has been elected to Congress in his native Philippines and seen his legend grow in the United States with the help last week of ABC’s late-night Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Sunday night’s profile on CBS’ 60 Minutes. Pacquiao’s entourage includes family, friends, trainers, chefs, musicians and a press corps from back home.
By contrast, Margarito, who lives in Mexico and trained in Oxnard, Calif., arrived at D/FW on Saturday night via a commercial flight from Los Angeles in a party of 10. He spent Sunday at a tamale festival in Dallas before working out in Fort Worth.
Lighter-than-usual light middleweights: Although Pacquiao and Margarito will be fighting for the vacant WBC light middleweight title, which has a maximum weight limit of 154 pounds, both fighters signed contracts that call for them to weigh in Friday at no more than 150 pounds.
That is a concession to Pacquiao, who has never fought above the 147 pounds he weighed when he won a lopsided unanimous decision over Clottey. Margarito weighed 154 pounds when he lost an attempt to win the WBO’s 154-pound title back in 2004.
Margarito, who is 5-11, is expected to enter the ring the day after the weigh-in at closer to 160 pounds. Pacquiao, who is 5-6 ?, will probably give up at least 10 pounds.
Size apparently doesn’t matter. The smaller but faster Pacquiao is a 4 ?-to-1 betting favorite.
Weekend doubleheader for Jones: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is expected to participate in the pre-fight promotion but not to the extent he did for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight, which took place during the off-season. Jones has planned to be at the fight Saturday night and fly to New York after on his private jet for Sunday’s Cowboys-Giants game.
