Posts tagged boxing

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -Freddie Roach has a game plan to make life in the ring easier for Manny Pacquiao. If he had his way, it would be in place Saturday night when Pacquiao moves up in weight once again to take on Antonio Margarito.

The problem is he’ll never get Pacquiao to follow it.

“He could box more and be a little smarter,” said Roach, who trains boxing’s biggest star. “But he likes to exchange punches and that’s what sells tickets. That’s what makes him exciting, and that’s what makes him who he is.”

Pacquiao doesn’t figure to change his style against Margarito, even though other things have changed since he last stepped into the ring at Cowboys Stadium in March. An explosive puncher at any weight, he will fight in his usual frenzied fury as he tries to win an eighth title against a bigger but slower opponent.

Not to worry, Pacquiao says. When it comes time to fight, he will fight.

“The focus is always there,” Pacquiao said. “I’m always hungry for a fight. There is no distraction.”

Pacquiao, who began fighting at 107 pounds, plans to enter the ring at his heaviest ever to take on the rugged Margarito, who is attempting to rebound from a hand-wrapping scandal that almost cost him his career. But Pacquiao will still be the much smaller fighter, giving up both weight and height in a fight that is for a 154-pound title even though the contract weight is 150 pounds.

That doesn’t concern Roach, who believes Margarito’s style is perfect for his fighter. Continue reading “Manny Pacquiao fights to win for eighth title” »