Conditioning will be critical for Manny
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 29 Apr 2015
Manny Pacquiao is aware that stamina will be a crucial factor in outworking Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in their Battle For Greatness in Las Vegas this weekend. Pacquiao has to be in the best condition of his life to put pressure on Mayweather from the opening bell with a swarming all-out attack. That means Pacquiao can?t afford to let up. His hands must keep pumping and his legs must keep moving so Mayweather is forced to fight defensively.
There?s no argument that Mayweather has superior defense. But in boxing, defense doesn?t win fights. You win by scoring points and you score points only with offense. You?ve got to throw and land. If offense is the yardstick, Pacquiao has the advantage because he?s known to be a volume puncher. He may not be as accurate as Mayweather but makes up for it by throwing and landing a lot more than his opponents. Mayweather has gained a reputation as being hard to hit. So the challenge for Pacquiao is to break down his defense and outpace and outgun him.
Pacquiao?s strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune, a former heavyweight who once fought Lennox Lewis, said preparing for Mayweather has entailed workout adjustments. ?You cater towards each opponent,? said Fortune in Boxing News. ?With Mayweather, it?s a lot more leg work because we think we?re going to be chasing him and using a bunch of angles so Manny needs to be super-explosive off his legs. Legs are where your power comes from, legs and hips, so we?re just developing that.?
Fortune called both Pacquiao and Mayweather freaks. ?These guys, they run hard, they run fast, they?re explosive,? he said. ?Manny is super-explosive, his legs are ridiculous, his angles are crazy. You don?t know where he?s going to be. He?s all over the place and that?s Manny?s gift. That?s the way he fights, he?s very, very difficult to pin down and when you can?t pin someone down, you can?t hit them.?
Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach said the Filipino will be in tip-top shape for Mayweather. ?Manny has really raised the bar in this training camp,? he said. ?He?s a different Manny Pacquiao than I have seen him going into previous training camps. He is punching so much harder in training for this camp. Manny is better than ever, his attitude is different and I?ve never seen him work this hard. His speed is faster, his punches are harder. I?m really happy where he?s at. His legs look great. He?s on his toes all the time. Mayweather is a good counter-puncher but Manny has faster hands and his combinations are better than Floyd?s.?
Pacquiao has employed at least seven sparmates in getting ready for Mayweather, each of them simulating the American?s style. The roster includes 5-9 welterweight Rashidi (Speedy) Lewis of Massachusetts, 6-0 lightweight Kenneth (Bossman) Sims of Chicago, 5-6 superfeatherweight Roger (Speedy) Gonzalez of California, 5-6 1/2 lightwelterweight Dierry Jean of Haiti, 5-10 superlightweight Keandre Gibson of St. Louis, 5-9 lightwelterweight Edis Tatli of Kosovo and 5-8 lightwelterweight Gloferson Ortizo of California. Since Mayweather enjoys a five-inch reach advantage over Pacquiao, Roach brought in sparmates with length like Gibson whose wingspan is 73 inches, Jean 72 inches and Gonzalez and Ortizo both 70 inches.
Mayweather reportedly contracted 10 left-handed sparmates, including two victims DeMarcus Corley and Zab Judah who gave him some trouble in their fights. Corley, 40, hasn?t fought since September last year and once lost to Pacquiao sparmate Viktor Postol. Judah, 37, hasn?t fought since losing to Paul Malignaggi in December 2013. Both Corley and Judah are tall, rangy and over-the-hill. Their only similarity to Pacquiao is they?re southpaws. Pacquiao isn?t tall, rangy or over-the-hill.
?My training camp is basically running the same way,? said Mayweather. ?I think it has been smoother than others. I feel very comfortable and happy with my perforamcne. They push me hard at camp. They know what I need. The timing for this fight is right. This fight is about legacy, fans and family. I surround myself with all of the right people. I can?t say that this matchup is about hype. This is real life. This is two future Hall of Famers in a megafight.?
Pacquiao also said he couldn?t be happier with his training camp. ?I have a lot of sparring partners that are similar to Floyd?s fighting style,? he said. ?We?ve done well, we know what to expect. I have watched tape on Floyd to make sure that our strategy and technique in training camp are correct. I can say that beating Floyd would be the biggest victory of my career.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
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