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The irresistible story about whether Manny Pacquiao is out-of-shape, or out-of-focus, or more politician than pugilist is either setting the stage for a monumental upset in a loss to Antonio Margarito or masterful spin in the promotional wizardry exercised by Bob Arum.

The guess is all of the above and maybe more. There’s nothing new about Pacquiao and distractions. If anything, they’ve become inseparable. Pacquiao almost seems to be energized by familiar chaos that surrounds him like a human typhoon.

It’s fair to wonder whether the storm will reach a tipping point and overwhelm the Filipino Congressman on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium against a bigger man who used to be called The Tornado and is anxious to prove he doesn’t need illegal hand wraps to be one all over again.

The hand-wrap controversy, which has haunted Margarito since a loss to Shane Mosley 22 months ago, has been shoved into the background. Glovegate is an afterthought and Arum made sure of it with his trip a couple of weeks ago to the Philippines for a look at Pacquiao’s training camp. The story’s emphasis shifted subtly, yet unmistakably onto the star, Pacquiao, and away from the controversy, Margarito, when Arum warned the Filipino that he was in danger of losing if he didn’t work harder. The next day, Arum said all was well. Pacquiao looked good.

With his early warning, Arum accomplished a couple of tasks. He motivated Pacquiao and he ensured that the attention moves toward and stays on the biggest attraction. That’s where it belongs. Pacquiao makes the money. Talk about a marquee fighter in a battle with distractions is as old as Muhammad Ali. It’s compelling enough to invest in pay-per-view. But controversy over what, when and if Margarito knew about altered wraps and whether he should be allowed to fight in Texas after a denial in California is just buzz-kill.

Intrigue about Pacquiao’s readiness gained momentum at the very moment he set foot at LAX Sunday. That’s when trainer Freddie Roach told the media that the Filipino part of the training camp was the worst he had ever endured.

Trainers, of course, are paid to worry. Roach sounded as if he were relieved to be away from Pacquiao’s many commitments and desire to stay close to his newfound position in the Filipino Congress. He blew off for a day to visit Filipino President Benigno Aquino. Roach also told reporters that Pacquiao told him that he missed his job. Pacquiao’s comment to Roach is curious, to be sure. If he had not been so good for so long at his job in the ring, he wouldn’t have one in politics. In the political ring, misplaced priorities are an argument. Against Margarito, they’re a loss.

If priorities are in fact misplaced, there are questions — further intrigue — about whether Pacquiao has enough to time to put them back in order. In comments during media day Wednesday at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, Roach sounded as if two-to-three weeks were enough. Yet within a week after leaving the Philippines, Pacquiao planned to be back on the campaign trail for a quick trip Friday to Las Vegas where he is scheduled to appear with Nevada Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat and majority leader, who is a tough run against Tea Party darling Sharron Angle.

Just a couple days after Roach told the media that there were no politicians around to take Pacquiao away from the Wild Card Gym, the trainer has another reason to worry. But Arum, Senator Reid’s friend and loyal supporter, can’t be worried at all. Otherwise, Pacquiao wouldn’t be taking this trip in support of a fellow politician who might be in bigger trouble than he will be against Margarito.

All options still on the mat

Henry Cejudo, a freestyle-wrestling gold medalist at the 2008 Olympics and one of the best stories at the Beijing Games, is 2-0 as an amateur boxer. Cejudo, who began training alongside Top Rank prospect Jose Benavidez, Jr., at Central Boxing near downtown Phoenix not long after Beijing’s closing ceremonies, won his second amateur bout in a surprise appearance a week ago at a tournament during the Arizona State Fair.

Cejudo, who won his boxing debut during a smoker at Central, has told the wrestling media that he probably will return for another shot at Olympic gold at the 2012 Games in London. But boxing, which will perfect his punching know how, might also be one way of jumping into mixed-martial arts. That opportunity looms, especially since Ultimate Fighting Championship chief Dana White announced Thursday that the UFC will merge with World Extreme Cagefighting.

The merger will include the addition of two weight classes, 135 pounds and 145. There also are plans for a 125-pound division. Cejudo, who grew up as a boxing fan, won Olympic gold at 55 kilograms, 121.25 pounds.

Notes, quotes
· Kelly Pavlik trainer Jack Loew is relieved that weight won’t be the biggest opponent when the former middleweight champion tries to resurrect his career against journeyman Brian Vera on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard at catch weight, 164 pounds. “We were burning this kid out,’’ Loew said Tuesday of training before Pavlik loss to Sergio Martinez. “We were training four or five times a day and it was because of the weight. We trained more for the weight than we did for Martinez.’’
· Most of the talk is about Pacquiao-Margarito, but the Fight of the Year might happen on the Saturday before Nov. 13 when featherweights Rafael Marquez and Juan Manuel Lopez tangle on Nov. 6 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand. Arum, Lopez’ promoter, called it a Fight of the Year candidate. There was no argument Monday from Lopez. “My expectation is the same, that it will be a Fight-of-the-Year-type candidate,’’ said Lopez, who also expects the bout to end in a later-round knockout.

Photo Chris Farina / Top Rank

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