EXPECT THE BEST PACQUIAO ON FIGHT NIGHT
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 12 Apr 2015
LOS ANGELES - The best of Manny Pacquiao in his 20-year- boxing career. That's how chief trainer Freddie Roach and his training staff have been preparing the 36-year-old Filipino boxing superstar for his coming historic, biggest and richest fight with undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The World Boxing Organization welterweight belt-holder and the World Boxing Council/World Boxing Association 147-pound titlist collide on May 2 at the MGM Grand Arena in the city of vices of Las Vegas in Nevada for the bragging right of being recognized as the Greatest Fighter in this era or of all-time.
Pacquiao himself assured that he will be at his finest in their 12-round encounter with the owner of the immaculate 47-0 win-loss slate, which happens to be his first outing in celebration of his 20-year-anniversasry as a prizefighter.
"I am fighting a man considered by many as the best fighter today and it follows that I should be in my finest when we meet to prove to all and sundry that I deserve more than a second fiddle billing," Pacquiao told this writer during the temptation night of the weight-loss competition he is sponsoring among his and Sarangani Vice Gov. Jinkee's employees, member of Team Pacquiao, friends and supporters held Saturday in Glendale, California.
"The whole of the boxing community, in general, and the boxing world, in particular, have been eagerly awaiting this fight to materialize after years of uncertainty and I believe they, too, deserve the best from both of us protagonists," Pacquiao reasoned out.
"To attain the bests fighting form requires the bests training program and I want to thank Freddie, my conditioning consultant Justin Fortune and members of the training team (Buboy Fernandez, Nonoy Neri, Roger "Haplas" Fernandez and Marvin Somodio for bearing with me in this long, hard but fruitful training camp.
To prepare himself for what he said could be the most critical phase of his build up program, the holder of 10 championship belts in eight weight divisions, did away anew with the scheduled sparring session for that same day.
"Starting Monday, training regimen will include that tactical side of preparations," the Sarangani fighting Congressman said. "We started this phase already late this week, and we will continue the same procedure next week.
Pacquiao was referring his watching the tapes of all of Mayweather's significant fights and design counter-acting with flaws they found.
"I do not usually watch tapes of my rivals, but in this fight I had to according to Freddie I did and to my surprise, marami akong natutunan," he quipped.
The cancellation of Saturday's sparring was one of the rare times that the training staff did it third straight days, surprising many. Roach, likewise, did away with the routine Tuesday and Thursday.
As a substitute to sparring, Pacquiao went into another punishing 23-round routine at the Wild Card Gym that included 13-rounds of pounding the mitts with Roach plus 10 more with the balls and floor exercises, which, according to assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez was part of getting Pacquiao ready short (via knockout) and long (12-round) fight.
"We've been really preparing Manny for a KO win at kung hindi man mangyari dahil alam naman nating magaling tumakbo si Mayweather, manalo siya sa puntos," explained Buboy.
"Twelve round ang limit ng laban, pero as of now, Manny is ready to fight for 20 rounds or more," ganoon namin siya ihinahanda. "EverytHing happens in boxing, di ba. Iba na siyempre ang nakasisiguro."
Photo: The eight-division world champion hosts the "Temptation Night" of his weight loss competition at the Community Center in Glendale, California.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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