Manny Pacquiao hasn’t been his normal self recently, but challenger Antonio Margarito isn’t about to take the pound-for-pound champ lightly.
Trainer Freddie Roach has admitted that Pacquiao has had a rough training camp and insists that distractions have been a problem. Pacquiao has had many commitments recently, including fulfilling his job as Sarangani congressman.
“I think those are all total excuses,” the Tijuana Tornado said in the third episode of the HBO documentary 24/7 Pacquiao-Margarito. “That he’s caught up in politics and isn’t 100 percent in the gym, I don’t believe that. I don’t pay attention.”
Margarito has about a five-inch height advantage, so Pacquiao is going to rely on his speed to take down the Mexican.
“My opponent is bigger than me. He’s slow, he’s not that fast. I’m faster than him,” the Filipino said. “What we need here is the speed … we need to use that advantage properly.
“He talks too much,” he added with a smile. “Let’s get it on.”
