Freddie Roach wants Antonio Margarito knocked out within eight
Legendary trainer Freddie Roach expects his superstar fighter, Manny Pacquiao, to knock Antonio Margarito out when the two face off on 13 November.
Roach relayed the information to The Philippine Star, adding that he would be “disappointed” if ‘Pacman’ didn’t manage to score a knockout. Pacquiao and Margarito will meet in Dallas, Texas, for the vacant
WBC junior middleweight title in a bout that expects 70,000 fans.
“I’d be disappointed if we don’t knock him out,” Roach mused. “Inside eight rounds.”
Few doubt, with the exception of perhaps Freddie Roach, that Pacquiao will have his hands full with Margarito. The Mexican fighter is known for his legendary stamina and devastating aggression.
Roach hopes Pacquiao will be able to avoid punishment by using his superior footwork and speed to move around the ring. He doesn’t want Pacquiao to fight in close with Margarito, who is known to use his
elbows and head butts to gain advantage. With smart movement Pacquiao will look to reduce the space Margarito has to fire shots, a defensive technique Floyd Mayweather Jr. employs and specializes in.
“We’re working on that—the elbows, the head butts. We need to keep Manny out of that [close] position. We’re going to use a lot of angles for this fight. And if Manny fights the way he fights, we can
take that (risk) away and it won’t be a problem. It’s a fact. [Margarito’s] a very physical person and he can do anything to win that fight. If he can do anything he’ll do anything to win.”
In the bout between the two, Pacquiao will be the favourite. In the past he has been able to rally wins over bigger opponents like Oscar De la Hoya and Miguel Cotto, who share Margarito’s height advantage.
As well, Pacquiao is the much faster fighter, though the question of the stronger fighter is debatable.
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