Pacquiao falls in late rounds

TRAINER ROBERT Garcia believes his ward, Antonio Margarito, has all the tools to stop Manny Pacquiao in the later rounds when they clash for the vacant World Boxing Council super welterweight crown on Nov. 13.

“I just know that Antonio will have the heart and the power and the conditioning to be a great champion, and to beat anybody out there,” Garcia told Lem Satterfield of BoxingScene.com on Monday.

“But I think that we can get him (Pacquiao) in the later rounds. So I’m going to say that Antonio will stop him in the later rounds.”

Garcia, a former International Boxing Federation super featherweight champion who also trains Filipino star Nonito Donaire Jr., said Margarito will begin his 10-week preparation in the first week of September.

Though the super welterweight limit is 154 pounds, Garcia doesn’t mind if his fighter battled Pacquiao at a catch weight of 150.

According to Garcia, Margarito was already within the weight limit two weeks before he fought and beat Mexican Roberto Garcia in his comeback bout on May 9 in Mexico.

Margarito’s license to fight in the United States was suspended for one year after he was found guilty of using hardened hand wraps on Jan. 24, 2009, when he yielded his WBA welterweight title to Shane Mosley.

If Margarito doesn’t get clearance to fight in Las Vegas or Texas, the Pacquiao fight may be held in Monterrey, Mexico, with Abu Dhabi another option.

Garcia said he’s been watching tapes of Pacquiao’s fights and is familiar with Freddie Roach’s training style. He said he has a good idea what strategy Pacquiao will use against Margarito.

Meanwhile, unbeaten Mexican WBC silver middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is receptive to the invitation offered him by Roach to be Pacquiao’s main sparring partner for the Margarito bout.

“I would be very happy to help,” Chavez, who holds a 41-win (30 KOs), 1-draw, 1-no contest record, was quoted in another BoxingScene.com report. “I think it would be a new experience for me.”