ROACH BACK TO SUPERVISE PACQUIAO?S TRAINING CAMP
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 10 Mar 2015
LOS ANGELES ? Manny Pacquiao?s chief trainer Freddie Roach meets his prized pupil for the first time Monday since they worked together in the World Boxing Organization champion?s demolition of erstwhile unbeaten Chris Algieri last November in Macau.
The 55-year-old Hall of Famer flew in here Sunday from Macau following Chinese prot?g? Zou Shimming?s unsuccessful crack at the International Boxing Federation flyweight crown held by Thai Amnat Ruenroeng last Saturday.
Roach arrival has given hopes to bring back decency to the Wild Card training camp what started like a house on fire a week ago but turned sputtering the past few days, will finally go full throttle.
Twice, Pacquiao failed to attend gym session, including last Saturday?s when he complained of fatigue brought about by jet lag due to the long, almost three-week barnstorming that brought him here in L.A. , New York, London, Miami and, again L.A.
The teacher and the pupil meet at the Roach-owned Hollywood sweat shop Monday afternoon in what could be the start of the WBO 147-pound titlist?s rigorous build up program on the way to his welterweight unification fight with yet-to-lose American Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2 at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The 38-yer-old Mayweather, holder of the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association pieces of the crown, has reportedly been in earnest training at his Las Vegas camp and has already been at the sparring stage of the program for his 12-round showdown with the Filipino ring icon in what is billed as the mega-fight of the century.
Reports that led Pacquiao?s following to worry, especially with the news reaching Los Angeles that ?Money? won?t be content in merely exploiting his defensive prowess and has, in fact, been preparing to mix it up in their coming duel.
Proof of this, reports had it, that the five-division titleholder has floored one of his sparring partners in a skirmish before the week ended.
Assistant trainers Buboy Fernandez and brother Roger ?Haplas? Fernandez both welcomed those reports as the least for them to worry about.
?Good, that means Manny will not be chasing him the whole night,? Buboy said. ?Mas maganda nga sa atin na makipagsuntukan siya (Mayweather) para hindi na masyadong mapagod si Manny kahahabol.?
?Haplas? agreed, saying, ?Lamang si Manny kapag nakipagbakbakan si Mayweather. Sanay na si Manny sa bugbugan at hindi na siya matatakot sa mga balitang ganyan.?
?Fight is over,? fellow assistant trainer Nonoy Neri, who had just arrived here with Roach and another Filipino deputy Marvin Somodio, for his part, said.
All three though said the concentration in the remaining weeks of the camp will still be how to break Mayweather?s patented defensive blanket that netted his immaculate 47-0 win-loss slate.
?Focus will remain on how to penetrate his so-called stonewall defense. There will be no changes because that?s his forte,? Buboy declared. ?Ngayon pa ba siya magbabago ng fighting style eh yun na ang nakalakihan niya??
?Tingin ko bluff lang yun para magbago kami ng training. Hindi na niya kami makagogoyo, no,? Buboy said with a naughty smile.
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