Distracted Manny Pacquiao works hard to refocus

LOS ANGELES -- Manny Pacquiao admits this hasn't been his best training camp. But boxing's pound-for-pound king insists he'll be ready when he faces Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

"My mind is 100 percent for this fight," Pacquiao said Wednesday during his media day workout at Freddie Roach's Wild Card Boxing Club. "I will be ready to give my best effort."

Seven-time world champion Pacquiao (51-3-2) has been devoting more time to his new job as a congressman in his native Philippines, and many think it has distracted him from preparing for Margarito (37-6-0).

Pacquiao said that's not the case.

"I was still focused in the Philippines, but I had some things that I was dealing with that didn't allow me to totally concentrate on my training," he said.

When asked if it was politics, Pacquiao said no. But he would not divulge the issues he faced. Neither would Roach, his longtime trainer.

"I know what happened, but I'm not going to discuss it," Roach said. "What's important is that we're here and Manny's moving forward. He had his best day of training (Tuesday). We've brought in some new sparring partners. He sometimes tends to take it easy on the guys he spars with, and we've got to make the most of these next two weeks."

Pacquiao spent 2½ hours working out Wednesday as cameras captured his every move and nearly 200 media members crammed into Roach's second-floor gym in Hollywood.

"I'm feeling good," said Pacquiao, who weighs 148 pounds now and figures to be under the 151-pound catch weight when he meets Margarito for the vacant WBC super welterweight belt. "I'm not underestimating Margarito. He's a very tough, aggressive fighter, and I'm moving up to another weight I have never fought at before. I'm trying to put more weight on, but I don't want to be any more than 150, 151. If I put on too much weight, it will slow me down."

While Margarito is bigger, Pacquiao said he is faster.

"That's my advantage I have over him, and I have to use it," Pacquiao said.

But will Pacquiao be in optimum shape? Roach isn't sure. Neither is Pacquiao's strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza.

"It was the worst start to a camp that I can remember," said Roach, who has been training Pacquiao since 2001. "We've had issues before when we started in the Philippines, but it seems this time we had more to overcome.

"But since Manny got here last weekend, we've been able to pick up the pace. This is where he is most comfortable. There aren't the kind of distractions he deals with back home. I'm encouraged by what I've seen the past couple of days."

"Freddie and I believe that 80 percent of a fight is conditioning," Ariza said. "Not to say he's not in condition; he's just not in Manny condition.

"Manny's a relentless juggernaut, and when he's in tip-top shape, he can control the pace and he can keep that pace for 12 full rounds. Margarito's no (Joshua) Clottey. He's not going to let you just sit there and beat on him."

When asked if Pacquiao can beat Margarito without being in peak condition, Ariza said: "Yes. But at what cost? Fifty extra punches? Sixty extra punches? Damage to his skin? Loss of brain cells?

"I think there's a price to pay when you don't prepare. At this level, there's no such thing as luck. You're either prepared or you're not."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.