"The weight is looking real good. He's been ready. He is in tremendous shape dude. For real! When we first came up, we were doing 10 rounds off top, and then we went right into 12. Margarito is ready. He's in condition and he's in shape. Pacquiao's got a tough task in front of him...Pacquiao is going to have trouble with this fight because everybody else that he beat that was supposedly a bigger fighter was already off their game. He caught Miguel Cotto after his beating that he took from Margarito. He caught a dehydrated Oscar De La Hoya. He fought Ricky Hatton...a coked up Ricky Hatton at that. I was in camp with Ricky for that fight and Ricky wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing to beat a cat like that," stated welterweight Cleotis Pendarvis, who's currently in camp helping former champion Antonio Margarito prepare for his upcoming November 13 clash with Manny Pacquiao. Check out what else he had to say about Margarito, his own career, and much more.
PC: How is everything going my man?
CP: Ah man, just chillin' man. It's been a regular day for me; just trying to take care of business.
PC: What was it like for you to get the call to be one of Antonio Margarito's main sparring partners?
CP: It was great. I felt like I needed that for the experience. I done been in camp with a lot of world champions already, so to be in camp with another world champ is extraordinary. It's a great feeling. You get to meet new people, you get to meet somebody that's in the same profession as you and they're making more money and everything, and you can get some pointers from him and he can get some pointers from you.
PC: And just to give our readers an idea, name some of the other champions you have been in camp with?
CP: Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Diego Corrales, Shane Mosley, Nate Campbell and Ben Tackie. I can go on and on (laughing).
PC: The one thing about your record that stands out to me is that you were never spoon fed at all. You are 10-3-2, but the combined record of your last 4 opponents is 95-19. So you are comfortable going in and giving work to these champions, right?
CP: Nah, it's really nothing man. There ain't nothing that nobody in this game is doing that surprises me, to keep it real. I mean, yeah, I got some losses and draws, but my record does not speak for my skills. I had some very bad outings man, especially with my losses and draws. The way those happened was kind of grimey, but it is what it is and you live and you learn. That's just life man and now from here on out, when I get in the ring with anybody, I don't plan on letting nothing go to the judges.
PC: You were coming off of a split decision loss going into this camp with Margarito, so that in and of itself had to be a blessing for you.
CP: Yeah, most definitely. God is good, every day all day. To come back to this camp and experience this again, and to be able to make a little money to support my family and myself...just to be able to continue on with my career on this road to be a world champion.
PC: Obviously you are a southpaw and all of you guys who are sparring with Margarito bring something different to the table to mimic Pacquiao. What do you feel you bring?
CP: I bring speed, power and movement. That's what I'm bringing to the table. I'm going to keep giving it to him the best way that I can until it's over.
PC: How has he been looking and how is he cutting down to 150? Is it going smoothly?
CP: The weight is looking real good. He's been ready. He is in tremendous shape dude. For real! When we first came up, we were doing 10 rounds off top, and then we went right into 12. Margarito is ready. He's in condition and he's in shape. Pacquiao's got a tough task in front of him.
PC: We've seen Pacquiao fight other big guys and have a ton of success, but Margarito is probably the busiest big guy he's faced as far as punch output. Do you think Pacquiao will have a tough time dealing with not only his size, but his volume as well?
CP: It's going to be a lot of trouble. First of all, if you watch the fight with Joshua Clottey and Pacquiao, you will see that Pacquiao can't take that kind of pressure from a big guy like that. Clottey just let that fight go himself. I don't know why he did it like that, but he did. Pacquiao is going to have trouble with this fight because everybody else that he beat that was supposedly a bigger fighter was already off their game. He caught Miguel Cotto after his beating that he took from Margarito. He caught a dehydrated Oscar De La Hoya. He fought Ricky Hatton...a coked up Ricky Hatton at that. I was in camp with Ricky for that fight and Ricky wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing to beat a cat like that man.
PC: I heard you guys were putting hands on Hatton in camp for the Pacquiao fight.
CP: They had to tell me and Marvin to take it easy on him. Robert Diaz's exact words were, "I need you guys to take it easy on Ricky Hatton, especially you 'Mookie' because he's losing confidence and we want his confidence to be up for this fight." Man, I dazed Ricky Hatton 3 times in camp. One time, I hit him with a right hook and I just grabbed him and walked him to the corner so he could get his footing and everything back up under him.
PC: You haven't done anything like that to Margarito have you?
CP: Nah, but they love my work most definitely. The people at HBO, from 24/7, was all like, "Mookie, you're looking real good. We hear a lot of good stuff about you and we hear bad too. We see all of the good right now. You're a flashy fighter." I told them, "Everybody always has something to say about somebody, but the thing about it is the people that talk bad about me never met me or been around me." It's crazy because a lot of fighters out here around my weight, it's their managers and promoters that are like...the small managers and promoters are the ones trying to shoot me down, especially locally in Cali where I'm from. They can keep talking, but I'm going to keep fighting and I'm not taking no more L's and I'm not taking no more draws.
PC: Are you hoping something can jump off for you with the recognition your are garnering from being in this camp?
CP: Yeah. It's been a couple of people that have come up here and looked at me already; Top Rank is one of them. I've been hearing a little about Goossen too. But Bruce Trampler from Top Rank came up here. I also talked to Ray from Top Rank, so we just gonna see what happens. I didn't come up here to play with Margarito 'cause I know Margarito ain't no joke and I come up here to do my job.
PC: You've been in camp with Margarito. Give me your final prediction?
CP: I got Margarito in 8.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]