Robert Garcia:Pacquiao Will Go Down In The 11th Round

9:22 AM // 0 comments // Ian Purugganan // Category: Margarito , Pacquiao //

Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, predicted the fight will end at the 8th round, but Robert Garcia thinks otherwise. He believes Antonio Margarito has what it takes to knock out the man considered as the best boxer in the planet today.

And as proof of that, the trainer of the Mexican fighter who’s on the comeback trail, has picked the particular round where the end will come for Manny Pacquiao.

“I like it in later rounds. I’m picking 11,” said Garcia moments after stepping down from the ring following the open public workout the 32-year-old Margarito did Tuesday afternoon at the Longhorn Exhibit Hall of the Gaylord Texan Hotel here.

Freddie Roach, the counterpart of Garcia in Pacquiao’s corner, has been consistent in his forecast of Margarito going down between the eighth and ninth round.

But Garcia, 39 and a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-featherweight champion, believes their chances of pulling one of boxing’s biggest upsets relies on the fight stretching in the late rounds.

“The longer the fight goes, the better our chances. That’s guaranteed,” he said.

And there’s no other way for them to win this one than stopping the world’s pound-for-pound king on his tracks.

“Knockout, knockout. No doubt about it,,” Garcia added. “But it’s going to be a tough fight.”

Asked about why he’s confident Margarito can knock out the Filipino ring superstar, Garcia stressed, “I know my fighter. I know the condition he is in, the heart that he’s got. And I’ve been watching those Pacquiao fights over and over again the past three months.”

By repeatedly viewing Pacquiao’s previous fights, Garcia admitted having seen a lot of flaws in the seven-time world champion’s fighting style, but would rather not bare them in public.

“You guys will see that on the day of the fight. Margarito’s height and reach will be a big advantage, but we’ll gonna push him to fight,” Garcia said.

Margarito’s trainer also addressed the issue surrounding the Mexican’s weight problem, pointing out he has no trouble meeting the catchweight of 150 pounds set for the fight.

As of Tuesday, Garcia said Margarito is on weight already.

“He’ll be coming in at 150 during the weigh-in,” he said. And come fight night? “160, 162 maybe. But no, we won’t go up at 165.”