Manny worry-free on fight time

On the eve of what admittedly is the “most important” fight of his career, Manny Pacquiao again downplayed claims that his training for the fight against Antonio Margarito had been plagued by distractions.

Pacquiao, in a recent conference call, also insisted that he had “trained hard and that there were no distractions.”

“Nothing to worry about,” said Pacquiao, who is also a congressman in Sarangani province.

“I have time for politics. I have time for boxing. This is why we’re not worried about the fight.”

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza and even Top Rank promoter Bob Arum had earlier expressed concerns over the Filipino superstar’s other activities during his four-week training in the Philippines.

Pacquiao on Friday told the Inquirer he is confident he can overcome Margarito’s height and size advantage.
“I can fight the bigger guys even though I’m small,” the seven-division champion said. “We always believed in our talent.”

Pacquiao’s confidence also stems from his belief in the fight plan that he and his trainers have cooked up for 

Margarito.

The Pacquiao-fight is set at a catchweight of 150 pounds.

“I have to win and I consider this fight a very important fight in my career,” Pacquiao said.

Margarito conceded that Pacquiao has shown that “he can punch at this weight.”

Pacquiao said he will try to be at 147 to 148 lb, where he feels “all of my power” a day before the fight.

The Texas Commission has appointed referee Laurence Cole to handle the title fight.

Cole was also the third man in the ring when Pacquiao scored a technical knockout victory over Mexican Marco 

Antonio Barrera, a win that shoved the Filipino to global stardom, in November 2003.