GRAPEVINE -- Manny Pacquiao is a little guy.
At Saturday's fight he will be as big as he's ever been, physically, and yet he'll still give up about a dozen pounds to challenger Antonio Margarito. The two will clash for the WBC world super welterweight title at 150 pounds at Cowboys Stadium.
Pacquiao has fought all styles and sizes of opponents on his way to world championships in seven weight classes. In three days, he'll get another challenge when he fights at his heaviest weight class, which normally extends to 154 pounds.
For Pacquiao, 150 pounds represents the boundary of what his frame can hold and still produce the signature speed that's defined his career. 
"I kept trying to put on weight, but at 150 I felt too heavy, too slow," Pacquiao said Tuesday during a workout at the Gaylord Texan. "I'll stay at 147 so I can have my speed." Margarito said he'll meet the 150-pound restriction for Friday's 5 p.m. weigh-in at Cowboys Stadium but will be between 160-162 pounds come Saturday night.
"From the time this fight was made it was always the bigger, stronger guy against the speedier guy," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "It's also a fighter who uses one hand with the power right hand, Margarito, against a fighter with two hands, Pacquiao, whose left and right are the same."
A look at Pacquiao's top-five fights:
5. Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera, Oct. 6, 2003: Pacquiao entered the fight as a 4-1 underdog. In that era, Barrera was considered the top featherweight (126 pounds), but Pacquiao dictated the fight and forced Barrera's corner to stop it in the 10th round.
4. Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto, Nov. 14, 2009: Pacquiao pummeled Cotto for 11 rounds before the referee mercifully stopped the bout. The welterweight victory proved Pacquiao's willingness to take on all fighters. At the time Cotto was considered one of the elite boxers in the 147-pound division.
3. Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, March 15, 2008: A brilliant fight that saw both boxers seize the advantage at different stages. Pacquiao won by a split decision with a 115-112, 114-113 advantage while Marquez picked up a 115-112 score from the third judge. The victory earned him the WBC super featherweight (130 pounds) title.
2. Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales II, Jan 21, 2006: This is the fight that launched Pacquiao into the boxing world's conscious as a legitimate fighter. His 10th-round TKO avenged his March 19, 2005, loss to Morales, which was the last loss of Pacquiao's career. It was the second victory of his current 12-fight winning streak.
1. Pacquiao vs. Oscar de la Hoya, Dec. 6, 2008: The mainstream public knew of the Golden Boy but still hadn't fully caught on to PacMan. This fight brought Pacquiao mainstream awareness but more importantly proved he could stand in against a much bigger fighter, even if de la Hoya was past his prime. Bob Arum said the Philippines Congress wanted to vote to not allow Pacquiao to leave the country for fear he would be destroyed by de la Hoya. It was Pacquiao who did the annihilating as de la Hoya quit on the stool before the ninth round.
tlopez@star-telegram.com
Tobias Xavier Lopez, 817-390-7760
Source: star-telegram.com
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