PACQUIAO PUNCHING POWER IS BACK
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 15 Mar 2016
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Watch out Timothy Bradley!
Filipino future Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao has, slowly but surely, been regaining his punching power that fell 38 of his 65 rivals in a 20-year boxing career.
And if the assessment of chief trainer Freddie Roach will hold true, the eight-division champion is only three weeks away from completely recapturing his knockout punch.
"I saw it with my own eyes last Saturday that Manny really still has what it takes to knockout an opponent like he had been doing before," the 56-year-old Hall of Fame guru said Monday during a lull in a scheduled workout at the Wild Card Gym in the heart of Hollywood here.
Roach was referring to the sparring session held before Team Pacquiao left for the United States last Saturday in General Santos City camp where, according to him, the fighting Congressman from Sarangani punished his sparring partners -- Canadian-Congolese Ghislain Maduma and American Lydell Rhodes for 10 rounds with strong combinations that nearly dropped both to the canvas.
"Why, Manny even bloodied Lydell's lip that I had to cut short the skirmish from what was scheduled five rounds to four," Roach told this writer with a wide grin. "I set a 10-round sparring session and to complete that, I had to make Maduma's five rounds to six."
"That was the best 10-round sparring I've seen from Manny in years," the seven-time Trainer of the Year of the Boxing Writers Association of America attested.
After Monday's roadwork at the hilly Griffith Park in the morning and punching the mitts in the afternoon, Pacquiao, likewise, submitted himself to voluntary drug testing with representatives of the Voluntary Anti Doping Agency (VADA) held at his mansion.
The sparring side of the build up program resumes Tuesday with Pacquiao engaging Rhodes, Maduma and possibly Frankie Gomez and Jose Ramirez joining the duo in preparing him for his third showdown with Bradley at the posh MGM Grand Arena.
"I'll give him a little rest with only eight rounds of against the four in the next tdhree days of sparring," Roach bared. "Manny looks like he's still suffering from jet lag and needs some respite after that long trip from Manila."
Next week, Roach, who has been very vocal in his desire that his pupil knocks out Bradley, added that sparring will be for 10 rounds before raising the frequency to 12 rounds a week before proceeding to Las Vegas.
Photo: Pacquiao works out at Griffith Park in Los Angeles Monday morning. Photo by Wendell Rupert Alinea.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
The Scariest Division in Boxing
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Fri, 01 Nov 2024"Worcester Championship Boxing" Official Weights
Fri, 01 Nov 2024SCHOFIELD VS. TELLEZ GIRON FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Fri, 01 Nov 2024WEIGHTS FROM ORLANDO FLORIDA
Fri, 01 Nov 2024Team USA Sends Five Boxers to the World Boxing U19 Championship Finals and a Chance at Gold
Fri, 01 Nov 2024Press Conference Notes: Robson Conceição and O'Shaquie Foster Promise to Settle Rivalry in Saturday's World Title Rematch
Fri, 01 Nov 2024Undefeated bantamweight prospect Dominique “Dimes” Crowder Ready to cash in on The Boardwalk
Fri, 01 Nov 2024Kevin Arquero rules 3rd Fide Master Angelito Z. Camer Rapid Chess Tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 31 Oct 2024Plania stops Julio in 3rd round
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 31 Oct 2024MARIO "EL AZTECA" BARRIOS MEDIA WORKOUT QUOTES
Thu, 31 Oct 2024Mama fails to win WBO NABO fly
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 31 Oct 2024Top Rank Presents Junior Lightweight World Championship: Robson Conceição vs. O'Shaquie Foster 2
Thu, 31 Oct 2024Membership of World Boxing rises to 51 National Federations after it approves applications from seven more countries
Thu, 31 Oct 2024Malik Scott in Zurdo Ramirez’ corner
Thu, 31 Oct 2024GM Daniel Quizon favorite in the Kamatyas Rapid Open chess tournament in Isabela
Thu, 31 Oct 2024