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Michael Medina (left) with fellow sparring partner Glen Tapia. ABAC CORDERO |
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Michael Medina, with his boyish looks, can’t be mistaken for Antonio Margarito. So, the best thing he can do now is fight like Margarito.
“I asked him to fight like Margarito,” said Freddie Roach of Medina, who serves as one of Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partners for his Nov. 13 fight in Texas.
Pacquiao trained behind closed doors at the Shape Up Gym yesterday afternoon following a hard run in and around thegolf courses in the City of Pines.
Pacquiao left for Manila Saturday afternoon to be with his family and grace a sports festival at Camp Aguinaldo. He was back in Baguio Sunday evening.
Medina, who is six feet tall, is in fact a shade taller than Margarito, and with his big right can actually make Pacquiao feel that he’s in the ring with his real opponent.
Medina sparred four rounds with Pacquiao last Saturday, and was good enough to land some good shots against the smaller but faster pound-for-pound champion.
In the second round of the session, he pushed Pacquiao’s head with a stiff left jab, and all throughout he tried hard to bully the 31-year-old champion the way Margarito would.
Only 24 years old, Medina, nicknamed “Murder Man,” has a ring record of 24 wins with 19 knockouts, two losses and two draws. He is expected to do better when sparring resumes today.
“I’m here to help Pacquiao in his fight against Antonio Margarito,” the good-looking Mexican told The STAR. The other sparring partner, Glen Tapia, is just as tall, as strong as Margarito.
Two other sparring partners, undefeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0) and Vanes Martirosyan (28-0), are coming in.
“I don’t know much about Antonio except from what I’ve seen on TV in his fights. I know he’s a strong fighter and a physical fighter.
He likes to exchange blows and he can take a punch,” he said.
Medina, however, is quite convinced that Pacquiao should be the better fighter come fight night.
“I’ve seen that Pacquiao is a great athlete. I’ve seen him develop each day. He’s just getting stronger and that’s amazing. I don’t think nobody else can develop that quick,” Medina added.
He said it’s an honor for him to be helping Pacquiao for his upcoming fight even if it’s against a fellow Mexican. He said it doesn’t mean anything to him because it’s purely professional.
“Manny has won the respect of all the boxing fans. And as a Mexican I respect him, too. He’s one of my idols in boxing,” he said.
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