Pacquiao primed for final shot at history

The run-up to the much-anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito on Saturday night in Texas for the vacant WBC light middleweight title has thrown up a subtext which any Hollywood screenwriter would be proud of.

Questions have emerged surrounding the preparations of Pacquiao, who along with Floyd Mayweather is the most recognised and exciting fighter of his era.

Having recently been elected to the Filipino congress, Pacquiao has been less than focused on his training camp, consisting of an initial five weeks in the Philippines followed by three weeks at Freddie Roach's famed Wildcard Gym in Hollywood - at least judging by what we've seen, as well as by comments made by Roach during the build up on HBO's superb 24/7 television series.

This series of documentaries, which take you into the preparations of each fighter as fight night approaches, depict a man in Pacquiao whose hunger for the sport appears to have diminished greatly.

In an interview during the documentary, Roach revealed that one day in the gym Manny told him that he missed his job. When Roach replied "this is your job," Pacquiao responded: "No, I miss congress."

Scenes from episode two of the series show Britain's Amir Khan sparring with Pacquiao and dominating him, again leaving Roach worried about his fighter's focus and desire.

Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise if the greatest fighter ever produced by the Philippines - and one of the best ever seen in the sport of any nationality or era - has lost his desire, when we consider a career during which the man known to the world as Pacman has won an unparalleled nine world titles at seven different weights.

On Saturday he will be stepping into the ring to fight at his heaviest weight yet against the biggest opponent he's ever faced in Margarito, who will likely come into the ring at somewhere in the region of 165lbs.

Heightening the drama even more is that Margarito is a man hungry for redemption after last year's illegal hand wraps controversy, when it came to light prior to his fight against Shane Mosley that his trainer was wrapping his hands with a plaster of Paris type substance.

The offending wraps were replaced with the legal variety and Margarito subsequently suffered a brutal beating on the way to being defeated by TKO in the ninth round. Ever since, and throughout his one-year ban from the sport, Margarito has continued to plead ignorance, asserting that he was unaware that his trainer was wrapping his hands illegally.

In contrast to Pacquiao's less than stellar preparations, the 5'11" Mexican, who makes his home in Tijuana, looks in the shape of his life. Basing his training camp in Oxnard, California, Margarito has been working himself into the ground under the guidance of new trainer Robert Garcia.

Though Margarito may be one-dimensional in terms of his style, it is a style that could well cause Pacquiao problems.

Tall and rangy and possessing an incredible engine, Margarito comes forward throwing punches in bunches.

Unless Pacquiao is able to get inside and find the necessary angles to unleash his own artillery, he could be in for a long night, especially if he comes to the ring in anything less than top shape.

The extent of Pacquiao's fame in the Philippines is difficult to appreciate. But when you can turn up an hour late for an international commercial flight knowing that the aircraft won't leave without you, you begin to get the idea.

The fighter, who hails from General Santos City, enjoys the status of a national hero in a nation which has not had its problems to seek during its tortured history - first a colonial and now neocolonial dependency of the United States.

But Pacquiao's popularity is not merely due to his exploits in the ring. It is also a result of his devotion to the poor and dispossessed from whose ranks he emerged. It manifests in his habit for handing out a significant proportion of his money to those less fortunate.

He's declared more than once that his motivation for going into politics is to serve and help improve his country's fortunes. Not for him the life of a retired boxing icon, living in Beverly Hills or Las Vegas with nothing to do except spend his millions and wallow in luxury.

Instead he's chosen to replace one arena of combat with another - one that potentially brings with it more hazards than he's ever faced in the ring.

Naive and idealistic, maybe, but what isn't in doubt is the fact that Pacquiao has reached a crossroads in his career. It's for this reason that his upcoming fight against Margarito may well be his last.

If this is the case, let's hope that it's a scintillating fight to match the many others involving the Filipino legend.

Ref: Morningstar UK