FilAmstar.net: Leonard, Roach see Pacquiao dominating bigger Margarito

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Leonard, Roach see Pacquiao dominating bigger Margarito
Jul 30, 04:52 PM

But Antonio’s trainer Garcia predicts upset
By JUN MEDINA

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao will overwhelm and knock out three-time world welterweight champion Antonio Margarito of Mexico in their proposed fight on Nov. 13.

This is the assessment of American boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard, who dominated boxing in the 1980s, and Pacquiao’s renowned trainer Freddie Roach.

Quite predictably, Margarito’s trainer Robert Garcia took a contrary view and insisted that the bigger Margarito could handle the explosive Pacquiao and even stop him in the late rounds.

Asked in a video interview with ESNews who he thought has the edge in Pacquiao-Margarito, Leonard said: “Pacquiao, with his speed, his ability, and his power.”

Considered one of the all-time boxing greats, Leonard is remembered for his classic battles against Roberto “Hand of Stone” Duran, Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns and “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler.

“[Pacquiao] will just overwhelm Margarito with his hand speed, his foot speed. You know,” he told ESNews. “But it’s like I don’t want to say mismatch because there’s never a mismatch per se between two fighters. But Pacquiao dominates.”

Roach, who has trained Pacquiao (51-3-2, with 38 Knockouts) since he started fighting in the United States in 2001, thinks his prized Filipino fighter will stop Margarito (38-6, with 27 KOs).

“Manny will knock him out, we will knock him out,” Roach told Brad Cooney of boxing website 8Count.com.

Roach, a four-time Trainer of the Year, said he has no problem with a Pacquiao-Margarito match-up, which he described as “marketable.”

“Well, they are negotiating the fight right now,” Roach said in that exclusive interview, the transcripts of which were posted in 8Count.com. Saturday. “…Where is the fight going to be? Is [Margarito] going to be licensed in America? Will Nevada do it? Will California do it? Will the fight be in Mexico?”

Roach said he wants Mexican junior middleweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who is about Margarito’s size, to be Pacquiao’s chief sparring mate.

But Garcia, Margarito’s trainer, is convinced that his fighter, who enjoys considerable height and reach advantages over Pacquiao, would outlast the seven-division world champion in their projected Nov. 13 clash.

“I’ve never called fights or ever predicted anything. I just know that Antonio will have the heart and the power and the conditioning to be a great champion and to beat anybody out there,” Garcia told Lem Satterfield of BoxingScene.com.

“But I think that we can get him in the later rounds. So I’m going to say that maybe Antonio stops him in the later rounds.”

Pacquiao and Margarito are expected to fight for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) junior middleweight title (154 pounds) at a catch-weight of 150.

“I believe that the fight will be at a catch-weight of 150 pounds, and 150 is no problem for Antonio. The last time he came in to camp, he was 12 pounds over where he had to fight, which was 154. Two weeks before the fight, he was already on weight,” Garcia noted.

“So he had no problem making that weight. So he will be a very strong fighter in there against Manny Pacquiao.”

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