British world champion Amir Khan has predicted Manny Pacquiao will knock out Antonio Margarito in the WBC super-welterweight bout, even though he is nearly six pounds lighter than his Mexican opponent.
Khan, who retained his own WBA super lightweight title in May, is a regular sparring partner for Filipino Pacquiao and they are both trained by Los Angeles-based Freddie Roach.
"I was quite surprised to see his weight at 144.6 pounds," Khan told Reuters after seven-time world champion Pacquiao officially weighed in on Friday well below Margarito's 150 pounds.
"But the power he hits with, it's easy for him to hurt anyone."
Khan, who will defend his title against Argentina's Marcos Maidana in Las Vegas on December 11, believes Pacquiao's less-than-expected weight is part of a plan hatched by Roach to counter Margarito's size advantage with blinding speed.
"Manny's going to use his footwork and speed, move in and out, and he's going to plaster him with so many shots that the referee's going to jump in and say no more," Khan said.
"Pacquiao's going to be that much faster and Margarito is going to be hit with combinations that are going to rip his face. Margarito won't catch him. He's slower than Manny and he won't be able to hit him flush."
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