Margarito Size No Big Deal-Roach

FOR HALL-OF-FAMER Freddie Roach, the size advantage of Mexican Antonio Margarito over his ward, pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, hardly matters.

The four-time Trainer of the Year still believes Pacquiao will knock out Margarito, who enjoys at least a 4-inch height and 6-inch reach advantage, when they tangle for the vacant World Boxing Council super welterweight crown on Nov. 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“Size doesn’t win fights, [it] still does,” Roach told BoxingDispatch.com Wednesday during a gathering at the Chelsea Piers in Manhattan York where the two fighters held the second stop of their three-city promotional tour.
“I’m predicting a knockout.”

While he regards Margarito as a strong fighter, Roach insists he’s “not a big puncher.”

Meanwhile, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum had to abruptly leave the Pacquiao-Margarito kickoff press conference in Los Angeles after he learned that his 49-year-old lawyer son was missing during a hiking trip in the mountains in Seattle, Washington.

Arum grabbed the first available flight out of Los Angeles with his wife Lovee after his son was reported missing on Sunday. They had just returned from Europe.

Michael Marley reported on boxingscene.com that John Arum was “a highly skilled environmental attorney and is committed to working for water reforms in Washington and to helping create a state where both people and natural fish populations can coexist.”

Roy Luarca and Ronnie Nathanielsz, Phil. Daily Inquirer