Tag: Antonio Margarito

Those who are intrigued by the prospect of a fight between Manny Pacquiao and middleweight Gennadiy Golovkin will probably never see it.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer, threw out Triple-G’s name during a recent discussion about potential opponents for his longtime protégé and the subject became a talker. Would Pacquiao dare move up from 147 to 160 and face Golovkin? Would they meet at 154, four pounds heavier than the catch weight for Pacquiao’s fight with Antonio Margarito in 2010?

The answers to those question seemed to be “no” and “no” in an interview with the Manila Times.

Pacquiao told the newspaper that he will not fight above 147 pounds, which would preclude a meeting between two of boxing biggest stars.

“As long as it is 147 pounds, I am OK with that. But if it’s above that, it’s too big for me,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao was successful against the naturally bigger Margarito, winning by a near-shutout decision at AT&T Stadium outside Dallas. However, that was a decade ago. The Filipino icon is 41 now and less inclined to take such risks.

“No more,” he said. “I did not really have a hard time then, but he was too big.”

Then Pacquiao, perhaps having fun, backtracked a bit, leaving the door open a crack for a meeting at 154 if the Kazakhstani could make the weight.

“154? Hmmm. It depends, I guess,” he said, “but there’s no negotiation [between the camps].”

We’re still waiting to hear who Pacquiao will fight next. Mikey Garcia, who like Pacquiao is a small welterweight, reportedly is a leading candidate.