By Chris Williams: Freddie Roach, the trainer for WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, is certain in his Spock-like way that Pacquiao will stop two-time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito on November 13th in their fight for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title. Speaking to the Telegaph.co.uk, Roach said “Manny will start fast with this guy [Margarito], and we will finish with him fast.” Roach, like always, is dead certain about Pacquiao’s ability to take out one of his opponents. Roach never shows any hint of doubt about Pacquiao in terms of what he can do with his opponents.
What likely helps Roach in this case is that Margarito was easily beaten only fights ago by 38-year-old Shane Mosley in a 9th round TKO, and Margarito looked very average in beating little known junior middleweight Roberto Garcia in May. Roach predicted knockout wins for Pacquiao over the weight drained and shot Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, who had been viciously stopped two fights prior to fighting Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton, who also had been knocked out two fights prior to taking on Pacquiao.
The one opponent where Roach was wrong about his knockout prediction was Joshua Clottey. In that fight, Pacquiao won a 12 round decision. However, Roach predicted that the fight would be an exciting one, but it turned out to be a real dud.
Roach is hoping that Pacquiao can win an 8th world title in his fight against Margarito. Pacquiao will probably get his trinket, but it’s too bad that he didn’t take on the best junior middleweight in the division when he had the chance to before Sergio Martinez vacated his WBC title. That would be a real test for Pacquiao, not this fight. Margarito hasn’t even been active at junior middleweight until recently when he fought Garcia in May. That was Margarito’s first fight in the division in years. Pacquiao has never fought at junior middleweight and will be moving ahead of other top contenders to get the chance to fight Margarito for the vacant WBC title.
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