ARLINGTON, TEXAS?There is widespread Panic in Pacland and, this time, maybe for good reason.
Even the greatest of military generals?Patton Eisenhower and the shifty Rommel?occasionally botched a battle plan.
Millions of Manny Pacquiao fans are asking themselves right now if the Pinoy Idol and his Coach Freddie Roach led team have made a weighty mistake in prepping for Saturday night’s WBC super welterweight title bout at Cowboys Stadium.
Pacman came in a shockingly light 144.6 pound or 5.6 pounds less than the contract catchweight limit he and Antonio Margarito agreed to. While everyone knew the smaller but so much speedier Pacquiao, age 31 and turning 32 on Dec. 18, would be below 150 I don’t think that anyone outside of Manny’s Inner Circle knew he would step on the scales less than 145.
Margarito went right to the limit, checking in at a full 150 pounds.
?I don’t know what to think of this,? respected New York trainer and former world champ Joey Gamache just told me by phone. ?If I’m with Pacman, I would have liked to see come in a few pounds heavier than he did.?
Speaking to Mexican TV reporter Ines Sainz, Margarito said he planned to return to the Gaylord Texan Hotel to stuff himself with food, albeity healthy food and to rest and relax for fight night. Margarito said he figured to step into the ring late Saturday evening at about 160 although speculation has him going as heavy as 164 pounds.
Asked about Manny’s foot and hand speed advantages opposed to his size and reach advantages, Margarito was placid.
?I have,? the 32 year old from Tijuana said, ?the power to punch him. I am in great shape, all I do now is wait, rest and concentrate.?
Pacquiao seemed unconcerned about his ?terrible lightness of being,? saying, ?That is all I can do. I am trying to gain but we put the focus on speed. I believe speed will be the big factor in the fight.?
If Pacquiao was upset about being so light, he showed no sign.
But that’s Manny. He lets other panic, he causes panic but he never panics.
You know the saying from his teeshirts, MANNY KNOWS.
Is Manny going to be too light to dominate Margarito and win over 12 rounds, I don’t see it. I see it as Pacman UD 12 with the turtle like Margarito taking a real pounding over the final six minutes.
Pacquiao, too light to fight?
Probably not but you can bet that Panic in Pacland will stir stadium ticket sales and worldwide PPV TV buys.
Drama King Bob Arum, he won’t panic because the loves this kind of elixir especially in a bout where the bookies established Pacman as a 6 ? to 1 betting choice.
Eat, Manny, eat.
