Stick to game plan, make it easy

DALLAS – The fight’s going to be easy only if Manny Pacquiao sticks to the game plan.

Freddie Roach is keeping his fingers crossed that Pacquiao does.

Because if he doesn’t, one can expect the unexpected on Saturday night at the Cowboys Stadium.

Roach said Friday he never told anyone that all Pacquiao needs to win this one is to show up on fight night.

“I said this is an easy fight for us if we stick to the game plan,” he told Pinoy scribes before a light, fun workout by Pacquiao in one of the giant exhibit halls of the Gaylord Texan Hotel here.

He continued by saying that with just hours separating Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, the Filipino ring sensation has the blueprint to victory in his mind.

“He knows what to do in any situation,” said Roach.

Margarito’s chances of winning this one, he stressed, are slim as long as Pacquiao sticks to the plan.

“If we stick to the game plan we won’t lose one second of the fight. I tell you we’ll dominate the fight and knock him out late in the fight,” Roach said.

“I’m very confident about Manny. He looks very good. He looks relaxed.”

Roach said it took Pacquiao a longer time than usual to get to tip-top shape because of all the difficulties caused by the bad weather, and the distractions, due to politics.

But once Pacquiao set foot in Los Angeles two weeks ago, all they needed was a little more time.

“From Baguio until now was a huge difference. The three weeks in America was great for him, his concentration level, his focus is a hundred percent better. His boxing was better. Everything is better,” said Roach.

“I think Congress is a little too close to Baguio and he’s missing the roll call and so forth. He wants a perfect attendance and all that. Then the President wants to talk to him.”

It was only in Los Angeles where Pacquiao put his game face on, and despite a couple more sidetrips, one to Las Vegas for a political gig, and in Hollywood for the Jimmy Kimmel Show, it was all to boxing.

“I know that we can beat this guy if we fight the perfect game plan and we need to do that to win,” said Roach.

Pacquiao was a little late than usual showing up for training. But Roach wasn’t bothered at all knowing that it was the last day of training, and that there was really nothing more left to do.

“It’s just going through the motions. He wants to work out a little bit. Maybe four rounds with the mitts and play around a little bit. Finalize the game plan and make sure he knows Margarito’s moves,” said Roach.

“We know him (Margarito) well and we know all his habits,” said Roach.

Any good habits he’d seen from Margarito?

“None. Fundamentally, I don’t rate him as a good fighter. Skill wise he has a good chin and he’s a strong guy and a big guy. But he crosses his feet and reaches for his punches. I’m not impressed,” he said.

Notes: Miguel Cotto is in town, and a Team Pacquiao member said the Puerto Rican, who took a 12-round beating from Manny Pacquiao a year ago in Las Vegas visited the Filipino superstar up in his suite at the Gaylord Texan Hotel Thursday. Roger Fernandez said the two fighters had a brief chat, and he overheard Cotto saying, “Go kick his ass.” Cotto lost to Antonio Margarito via an 11th round knockout in July of 2008. Six months after, Margarito was caught with illegal handwraps, and suffered a 9th round knockout to Shane Mosley. “Baka hindi makalimutan yung ginawa sa kanya ni Margarito (Maybe he can’t forget what Margarito did to him),” said Fernandez.... The office of House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte has released a list containing the names of 14 congressmen who were granted travel orders to the United States. But it doesn’t mean that those in the list are all bound for Texas to watch Manny Pacquiao’s coming fight. Belmonte said since the House is in recess, about 50 congressmen will be out of the country this week, most of them heading to destinations other than the US. Pacquiao was asked if he paid for the travel and accommodations of his fellow congressmen, and said, “No. They have their own budget.” Belmonte, of course, made it clear that congressmen leaving the country should use their own, personal money for their trips.... Mediamen covering the fight, at least most of them, gathered at Zepolle, the fabulous Italian restaurant at the Gaylord Texan Hotel, Friday for cocktails and dinner hosted by Top Rank’s Bob Arum and Todd duBeof. Among those who joined the Top Rank tradition were Bill Dwyre and Lance Pugmire of the LA Times, sportscaster Al Bernstein, Dan Rafael of ESPN, George Willis of The New York Post, sports historian Bert Sugar, boxing chronicler Michael Marley, Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, John Whisler of the San Antonio Express, Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review Journal, Greg Bishop of The New York Times, Steve Kim of Maxboxing, and a handful of sFilipino scribes. Wine flowed, matching well with the veal chops and pan-seared sea bass that were served. Pinoy celebrity couple Cesar Montano and Sunshine Cruz were spotted having dinner just a few tables away.