PACQUIAO TAKES A REST FROM TRAINING
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 18 Feb 2016
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Manny Pacquiao's chief trainer Freddie Roach could only offer a sigh of relief it happened this early in his preparations for his coming fight against fellow former World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Timothy Bradley.
The Hall of Fame boxing guru cancelled Wednesday's training session to give his prized ward the needed rest two months after pitching camp here, mostly doing roadwork, two days of grueling grind in the gym, and, of course, playing basketball by way of cross-training.
"Manny's in great shape when I got here and I thought I can push him a little bit the moment we started preparations in earnest," Roach said in an interview over a cup of coffee and chocolate shake at his favorite cafe here.
Roach was referring to the energy-sapping six-round mitt-punching session he and Pacquiao underwent upon his arrival here last Monday followed by a more rigorous 10-round skirmish Tuesday.
The five-time trainer of the year had earlier planned to do away with the mitts Wednesday and to just confine the day for lighter rounds with the heavy bag, double end and speed ball, precisely to allow the eight-division titlist's tired body a respite.
"He called me this morning (Wednesday) begging me to cancel the whole day training activities. I consented because, for one, as I said, there's nothing much more to do as far as his physical state is concerned, and second, it's still too early in preparations," he pointed out.
"He confessed having to play basketball in a tournament in the evening and I thought giving him that won't hurt much since we still have seven weeks left building up," he said.
Pacquiao, admitted getting hooked into playing the sport his countrymen love most, too, as his second passion, next only to boxing. He, in fact, attributes his playing the game why he remains fit even during a long nine-month layoff as an offshoot of his defeat to 49-0 win-loss record holder Floyd Mayweather Jr. May of 2015.
Roach, on the other hand, has always been opposed to his pupil of 15 years' playing the game, especially during training for a fight, but has always consented knowing playing gives Pacquiao reason to be happy.
The former understudy of the fellow Hall of Fame trainer Eddie Futch though had set a deadline as far as his playing the hoop game is concerned. "We have a deal and that deal has been enforced the past many years. That he will stop playing basketball four weeks before a fight."
The deal, Roach, an alternate in the United States amateur boxing team to the 1976 Melbourne Olympic Games, added the agreement is followed in all other distractions Pacquiao might encounter in the course of the run up to the April 9 third showdown with Bradley.
The son of former New England featherweight champ Paul Roach, considers the same-sex relationship controversy involving Pacquiao as one of those issues that might disturb the fighter's build up program, adding though that his pupil has a right to his own beliefs.
"Manny is a Filipino, a citizen of the biggest Christian country in the world. He's the only man on earth to have won world championships in eight divisions and as such is adored and respected by the entire world. As a government leader, he's bound to make a stand on pressing issues," Roach stressed.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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