Former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito is picking Manny Pacquiao to defeat unbeaten IBF/WBC 147-lb champion Errol ‘The Truth’ Spence Jr on August 21st in Las Vegas.
The retired 43-year-old Margarito (41-8, 27 KOs), who lost to Pacquiao by a brutally one-sided 12 round unanimous decision in November 2010, believes that Manny’s speed and high work rate will be too much for Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) to deal with.
Former IBF/WBA/WBO 147-lb champion Margarito retired in 2017 following a win over Carson Jones. Margarito doesn’t believe that the 42-year-old Pacquiao’s age will be a problem for him in this fight because he’s been keeping active by exercising.
Margarito feels that it’s only a problem for a fighter returning if they haven’t been staying in shape during their time out of the ring.
Margarito: Pacquiao too fast for Spence
“Look, yes, but to me, Manny Pacquiao truly is a legend, and you can see it in his timeline of work,” said Antonio Margarito to Fighthype when asked if Pacquiao will be having a hard time against Spence on August 21.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViWDg2KukA0
“Really, I believe all the punches Manny Pacquiao throws,” Margarito continued. “He’s way too fast and has way too much movement [for Spence]. I know many people are saying the years add up, but when one is still exercising, they don’t really [add up].
“I mention it to you why? Because when I made my return to boxing after all those years, even my joints hurt,” said Margarito. “But Manny Pacquiao is still an excellent fighter. So I’m going with Manny Pacquiao [to beat Spence].
“But he’s [Pacquiao] still ready for this. So, yes, the years do add up, and experience really counts a lot,” said Margarito.
Manny does have a lot of hand speed that is going to give Spence problems in this fight. But you can expect Spence to adapt to Pacquiao’s speed and give him problems with his timing and his size.
Pacquiao must throw 1000+ punches
“I believe so, but Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter,” Margarito said when asked if Pacquiao must throw 1000 or more punches to beat Spence. “He really does throw way too many punches, and when I fought him, I always mentioned that.
“He [Pacquiao] can throw six punches to my one punch, and it ended up being his seven to eight to my one punch. So he was really too fast.
“You have to change everything from the mitts to the sparring, so now he has to do that,” Margarito said when asked if Pacquiao will be able to deal with Spence’s southpaw stance.
“But I believe Manny Pacquiao will be able to adapt. I believe it’ll benefit Manny Pacquiao because he moves so much, and the truth is, he’s much too fast,” said Margarito.
If Pacquiao is looking to throw close to 100 punches each round, it’s going to put him in the firing line for Spence’s huge shots, and he could get worn down.
While it’s good for a fighter like Pacquiao to throw over 1000 shots in a fight, he will have to take a lot of punishment from Spence o throw that many shots.
