Holloway kinuha din kaispar ni Margarito

Matapos si Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, si Mexican world welterweight champion Antonio Margarito naman ang sinasagupa ni American welterweight hopeful Randy Holloway sa boxing gym.

 Kinuha ni American trainer Freddie Roach ang 5-foot-10 na si Holloway bilang sparring partner sa preparasyon ng 5’6 na si Pacquiao kontra sa 5’10 1/2 na si Oscar Dela Hoya sa kanilang ‘Dream Match’ noong Disyembre 7 na nagresulta sa eight-round TKO ni “Pacman” kay “Golden Boy” sa kanilang non-title welterweight fight.

 Sa kanilang sparring session naman ng 5’11 na si Margarito, ang 27-anyos na si Holloway ang mas maliit.  

“I’ll tell you what, against Pacquiao I was the bigger man, the stronger man,” ani Holloway. “Against, Tony, I’m the smaller man. I kinda felt like Pacquiao, so I got to be a lot smarter. The heart of me, I love to fight, they call me a ‘Blaxican’, some days I’m black, some days I’m Mexican. Tony’s a very heavy-handed guy, and he can obviously punch. It’s two different styles.” 

Nakatakdang idepensa ni Margarito ang kanyang suot na World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown laban kay American challenger Shane Mosley sa Enero 24 sa Staples Center sa Los Angeles, California.   

Ayon kay Holloway, may 9-1 win-loss ring record bilang welterweight, mas mabigat pa ang sparring sessions sa gym kesa sa tunay na laban.

 “Without a doubt, most definitely. I mean, the fights I’ve had, I haven’t fought top level guys, not at all. I’ve fought a couple of pretty good fighters. They were talented but I was able to go in there and do what I had to do,” wika ni Holloway.

 Kagaya ng dapat asahan, pinuri ni Holloway si Pacquiao kahit na ilang beses siyang nasaktan nito.

“It was a fun experience,” ani Holloway kay Pacquiao. “Manny’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met outside of boxing, he’s a great guy, a great human being, a very talented fighter. From the first day of camp I saw him getting a lot smarter. He took his bumps and bruises early in the camp, but we had a great camp. It was a fun experience.” (RCadayona)