Manny: I’m focused; speed will carry me through

HOLLYWOOD—Manny Pacquiao shows it: His vaunted speed is back. The blinding moves were there for everybody to see during his workout Wednesday at the Wild Card Gym here, where he focused on offsetting Antonio Margarito’s six-inch reach advantage in their Nov. 13 fight in Arlington, Texas. “Speed will carry me through (in this fight),” Pacquiao told Manila-based sportswriters in Filipino after a gruelling 2½-hour training at the gym owned by trainer Freddie Roach. “We can use that easily. If there’s speed, there’s nothing to worry about. Even Freddie (Roach) is very happy with my performance.” Pacquiao was visibly pleased during the workout, and he joked with Filipino trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri while skipping ropes. “I’m focused and ready to fight,” said Pacquiao, who invited the sportswriters to join him at the cramped dressing room for more talk. “My stamina is there. I tested it when I sparred for 12 rounds on Saturday. It’s back to normal. “We already have our strategy on how to neutralize Margarito’s long reach. My main concern now is how to give the fans a good fight.” He dismissed the notion, though, that the 5-foot-11 Margarito will be easy to hurdle in his quest for an eighth title in as many divisions. “I consider this a tough fight,” said Pacquiao, who is barely 5-6½. “There will be lots of action because of his aggressive style.” Pacquiao, whose wife Jinkee arrived Wed-nesday night, said he will spar for just seven rounds Thursday as training winds down here and Team Pacquiao braces for the trip to Texas. Unlike in his previous fights when Pacquiao normally sparred for at least 140 rounds, Roach has charted 110 for the Margarito bout.