By Lem Satterfield
Former three time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito is only a few days away before he steps in the ring on Saturday night against Manny Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The vacant WBC junior middleweight title will be on the line.
Margarito's career plummeted after Shane Mosley knocked him out in January 2009. Prior to the loss, hard inserts containing a plaster-like substance were discovered in Margarito's handwraps. The California State Athletic Commission would later revoke Margarito's boxing license. He was unable to fight in the United States until this past August, when the state of Texas approved his application for a license to box.
A win over Pacquiao would restore his career and once again make him one of the premier fighters in the sport.
"I feel no pressure at all. I'm going to go in and do what I always do. To go in there and give everyone a great fight. I'm very confident in my preparation for this fight. It was my best ever. I'm very confident that everything is going to work out great. I've said this before, I feel so strong right now. I feel strong enough to knock him out," Margarito said to FanHouse.
"I feel comfortable, confident. My training camp has been going well. We should come out with a win."
Over the last two months, there have been widespread reports that Pacquiao's training has been plagued with distractions. Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach has questioned his fighter's dedication to the camp. Margarito is not buying any of the stories. He believes the stories are actually being planted in the media by Pacquiao's camp.
"I don't believe that. Pacquiao is a professional and he should be training hard for this fight. If that was the case, the press wouldn't even know that he wasn't training the way he's supposed to. This is just a plan to deceive us. We approach this fight knowing that the rumors are not true," Margarito said.
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here .
