PACQUIAO IN HIGH SPIRITS
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 18 Nov 2014
MACAU, China ? Five days before their 12-round World Boxing Organization welterweight championship encounter, both Filipino defending champion Manny Pacquiao and American challenger Chris Algieri expressed confidence of bringing home the bacon and define what?s in store in the future in their respective fighting careers.
Pacquiao, who has won an unprecedented eight world titles in as many weight divisions ? and would?ve contented himself in concentrating on his political career and playing and coaching in basketball - is eyeing a continuance of completely recovering from a devastating knockout defeat suffered two years ago and, perhaps, leave the 147-pound division to slide back to 140 or lighter.
Algieri, for his part, badly wants respect and recognition by earning a second title following his short reign as a junior-welterweight belt-owner that was stripped from him as fast as he won so he can earn a shot at Pacquiao?s crown.
Both the champ and the title-pretender said they?ve prepared long and hard for this fight, Pacquiao?s second in this ?city of sin? and Algieri?s first here and in Asia, billed as ?Clash in Cotai 2,? at the Cotai Arena inside The Venetian.
Pacquiao arrived here Monday night via two chartered Air Asia flights from General Santos City along with an 380-man or so entourage composed of members of his team, including chief trainer Freddie Roach, Sarangani Vice Governor wife Jinkee, youngest son Baby Israel, members of their families, supporters and plain kibitzers.
?Malapit na, limang araw na lang,? Pacquiao exclaimed a he emerged from his suit at the top of the luxurious The Venetian shortly before meeting with employees of the resort hotel Monday morning in a meet-and-greet session somewhere in the vicinity of the imposing structure that towers over the Cotai District skyline.
Pacquiao then proceeded to the hotel gym for a short mitts session with chief trainer Freddie Roach, which according to the Hall of Fame guru was a sample of what will happen in the next four days wrapping up the almost 10 weeks of build up program in the run to staking his belt Sunday morning (Saturday evening in the U.S.).
?Sparring camp ended last Saturday. There will be no more of the grueling kind in the remaining days of preparations? Roach said, adding that the four-round skirmish Monday on the request of his student himself was merely for sweating out purposes.
?We?ve past that stage and what?s left is mainly to maintain what we?ve accomplished in the camp and plotting out game plans and strategies,? the 54-year-old trainer disclosed.
Pacquiao was in high spirits during the session as he has shown during the three and-a-half-hour aerial voyage marked by picturing taking and signing souvenirs with members of the entourage, including members of the beauteous plane crew who exchanged banters and jokes with him and other passengers throughout the flight on Plane 1.
?As I have been saying, I?m very much ready to fight. Excited after more of or less seven months of (ring) inactivity,? he told several foreign media men who have already in town during a brief press conference following the training session.
Earlier in the day, the Fighter of the Decade jogged in the hotel hallway to eliminate jet lag that served as his roadwork. On the other side of the fence, Algieri, who arrived here a day before Pacquiao?s, likewise, swore his preparedness for the biggest fight of his career that will spell, too, a personal high U.S. $1.8 purse.
?I worked hard for 10 weeks or even more (for this fight) in the most strenuous and productive training in my career,? Algieri told newsmen that gathered around him Monday in his training session held earlier in the day.
?I will be setting a wicked pace and box smartly,? he professed as if to allay what the Pacquiao camp has been saying he?ll just run to salvage a win. ?I will be pressing all night long and dominate down the stretch.?
Algieri said he has been working with different sparring partner, including ex-welterweight king and junior-welterweight Zab Judah in what, he added, gave him different looks to prepare himself to whatever Pacquiao will throw at him.
?I am 110 percent prepared,? he declared.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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