ROACH RELIEVED PACQUIAO IS IN LA
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 08 Aug 2007
Pacquiao and Fernandez arrives in LA.
Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach who is currently in Sacramento with Team Philippines as it prepares for the World Cup showdown with Mexico at the Arco Arena on Sunday, Manila Time, is relieved that Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao will be in Los Angeles today.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, one of Roach?s assistants at the Wild Card Gym, Rob Peters, said he was going to pick up Pacquiao at the airport and that Roach and all the people at the gym were "very happy" that after so many postponements Pacquiao was finally in Los Angeles and ready to begin training for the rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera on October 6.
Peters said in his estimation seven weeks was enough for Pacquiao to get in shape for Barrera. Peters said "no question, because when Manny shows up here he works so hard. In fact seven weeks is going to be I think the longest camp since the second (Erik) Morales fight which was about the same."
The gym assistant said that all he heard about Barrera was that he?s already begun training and was also "considering going up to Big Bear" where he used to train before. However, prior to the first clash with Pacquiao, Barrera had to abandon the training camp because of raging forest fires in the area.
Peters said that "as long as Manny is here this week, Freddie was alright because he knows better, he knows how Manny is and as long as he is here with a good seven weeks to go its gonna be no sweat. That?s plenty of time for him because when he gets into the gym he works like nobody I know."
Pacquiao?s close friend and confidant Rex "Wakee" Salud disclosed that only he and Pacquiao had tickets for Tuesday?s Philippine Airlines flight and lawyer Franklin "Jeng" Gacal and trainer Restituto "Buboy" Fernandez were slated to leave Wednesday. Salud said Pacquiao "refused to leave without Buboy" which ended when Salud switched places with Fernandez and Salud decided to stay behind and leave the following day with Gacal.
The business manager of Pacquiao, Eric Pineda said they were very grateful to PAL chairman Jaime Bautista for his help in enabling Pacquiao to leave as scheduled on Tuesday after several postponements in the recent past.
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