By Chris Williams: Freddie Roach isn’t worried at all about Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent, the recently suspended Antonio Margarito. Out of all the fighters in boxing for Pacquiao to fight, Margarito, a fighter without a boxing license and a fighter who was caught with loaded hand wraps, was the one that was selected. Roach isn’t worried him he says. Margarito was knocked out by an old guy, 38-year-old Shane Mosley last year in January. Maybe that’s why Roach isn’t worried about Margarito. I suppose Roach would be very worried if Pacquiao was fighting Paul Williams, Sergio Martinez or James Kirkland.

But Pacquiao isn’t fighting them. He’s fighting Margarito, who doesn’t look like the same fighter he once was two years ago for some strange reason. In an interview at the Telegraph.co.uk, Roach says “He [Margarito] is a big strong guy. I’m not overly worried about him. I’m not a big Margarito fan. Manny will have too much for him. It’s just the size I’m concerned about and what weight we will have it at. I’d like it at 147 lbs, but it’s most likely going to be at a catch weight between welter and junior middleweight.” Roach doesn’t need to worry about the weight. Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, has already got Margarito on board with a catch weight limit of 151 lbs rather the full 154 pound limit for the junior middleweight division.

What makes this seem so off-putting is that this will be a fight for the vacant WBA junior middleweight title, and yet it’s going to have a catch weight involved that will likely help Pacquiao more than it will Margarito. Indeed, I think it’s going to hurt Margarito, the bigger fighter. Pacquiao already fought for a title two fights ago involving a catch weight when he defeated then World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto by a 12th round knockout in November 2009. But here we are again with Pacquiao fighting for another title with another catch weight involved. I don’t know about you, but I think the catch weights need to be ruled illegal. I don’t see it as being a fair thing for both fighters when one of them isn’t allowed to fight at his maximum weight.