If one buys into what has been in the news these last few days, then definitely, one would mistakenly conclude that the former welterweight title-holder, Mexican, Antonio Margarito is being underestimated on several fronts.
Vegas for one, has the "Tijuana Tornado", Margarito a 6-1 underdog at one point in time. I will be surprised if that odds will hold, in view of all the negative feedback emanating out of camp Pacquiao in Baguio City, in the Philippines.
Some scribes even have alarming news, that Manny is at present, seemingly somewhat unable to focus all his energies exclusively for this fight. Indicative indeed that the seriousness of the task-in-hand has not reached the critical level where the mind of the pound for pound champ needs to be, in order to benefit fully from all the training that they have already had these past four weeks of training camp.
Where in the past was attained without so much of a hitch, a positive result at this point in time, in this particular training camp, seem so far been somewhat elusive. Several factors come into play, and to generalise, it all points to the PacMan playing too much hookey!
Coach Freddie Roach, camp Pacquiao's head trainer, and Alex Ariza, the conditioning coach, have gone off sounding displeasure over these turn of events.
If Manny expects the washed down version of Margarito to show up come the 13th of November, with a symbolic white flag on the side, and all but ready to receive his beating, then he will surely be in for a rude awakening! Last report have Margarito with his trainer Robert Garcia, with a serious gameplan to offset whatever Pacquiao have in store for Tony come their ring date. The plan is to surprise the Pacman with motion, head movement, an offense led by a stiff jab. If successful at that, bit hook line and sinker, a stung "Filipino typhoon" will get knocked out.
Come fight night, Margarito comes to fight with a good enough defense against Pac, he should do well. And with his size, a win is not a remote possibility. However, if he will just rely purely on sheer size, his granite chin, and with a hope for his volume punches to kick in, also, his superb conditioning... he will fail!
He will either run for survival, or he will get knocked into retirement.
For surely the volume punches will not come, and the lack of a winning gameplan will spell doom.
I'm sure Manny Pacquiao knows what it takes to get the job done, tho. And the adjustments and fight preps are all proper. The negative pub is all that... negative pub to make the fight of more interest.
If Manny comes to fight Nocvember 13th with all his given talent intact.. and with a usual game plan, he should be able to inflict enough damage to cause a peculiarity experienced by all Pac opponents in the past, it shall take shape, and with it the possibility of a stoppage inside of eight!
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