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Pacquiao will 'overwhelm' Margarito - Roach

Manny Pacquiao beat Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium in March © Getty Images

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Freddie Roach has fired a warning shot to Antonio Margarito by declaring that Manny Pacquiao will "overwhelm" the Mexican when the pair meet on November 13.

Pacquiao will bid to win a world title in an eighth weight division when he steps into the ring with the hard-hitting Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas - and the Filipino's trainer is backing his man to smother his opponent with blistering speed and relentless aggression.

"I think we will overwhelm him with the punches he will land on him with the fast hands and combinations. In eight or nine rounds I think we will break him down," Roach said.

"Margarito throws a lot of punches and he makes too many mistakes to beat us. He has bad habits and we are going to take advantage of all of them."

Margarito, 32, has returned to the sport after serving a one-year suspension for having illegal hand-wraps ahead of his defeat by Shane Mosley in January 2009 - but Roach, who will witness Margarito's hand-wrapping, believes the boxer has paid his dues.

"I'm a professional and I do my job," he said. "There will be no tampering with hand-wraps this time. It's not an issue - it's in the past. We are past that now. We are fighting on equal terms. It helps the fight in general because of the press and the notoriety of the fight. But it doesn't change the fight at all; it will be on the up-and-up. Both will be equal in hand-wraps and that's the way it is.

"To me, he was suspended for a year, he did his time and now he is a free man now and he is eligible to fight. It is the best fight out there for us right now. It is going to be an action-packed fight. It is going to be better than the Clottey fight of course. Everyone knows Margarito throws punches. He is a volume puncher; he is a three-time world champion. We've got our hands full but we are ready and have what it takes to beat him. I don't see any issues."

Roach admitted he has been blown away by the level of support his charge has received, with another huge crowd expected at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night.

He said: "I have never promoted a fighter before that has so captivated a country and a people the way Manny has. He is idolised and followed by every Filipino, whether he is in the Philippines or anywhere else around the world.

"It is a phenomenon like I have never seen before. I promoted 25 Ali fights and other fights for Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and George Foreman, but I have never seen the enthusiasm of a people towards a fighter the way I see the enthusiasm for Manny Pacquiao."

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