What Pacquiao should do to score an impressive win over Matthysse
By Leo Reyes
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 25 Apr 2018
Manny Pacquiao isn?t done yet. The world?s only eight-division champ has lost his last fight against Australian challenger Jeff Horn because he did not train properly.
Another contributory factor to his loss to Horn is over confidence which also pervades among the coaching staff inside the camp. They all have counted out Horn because he was a greenhorn and ill-prepared to face a seasoned fighter like Pacquiao.
Still, Pacquiao should be blamed for giving more importance to his work in the senate while training for the Horn fight. He was shuttling between the senate office and his training camp. On some occasions, he only had to change wardrobes and in just a few minutes he was already running around the ring with trainer Freddie Roach.
There were times when training sessions were cut short because of exhaustion. This writer was a frequent visitor at his Elorde Gym camp near Pacquiao?s senate office in the Manila Bay area and had witnessed how he and his team prepared for the Horn fight.
Roach and is team could not take the blame entirely for the loss because they were not in control of Pacquiao?s work schedule in the senate. Pacquiao had to honor his commitments to his constituents that he would devote his time in the senate. He made a promise not to miss a single session. Pacquiao was an absentee legislator during his incumbency in the House of Representatives.
Despite the lack of preparation, Pacquiao exhibited a competitive fight against Horn, who was the obvious underdog in the days leading up to fight night.
For the upcoming Matthysse fight, Pacquiao needs to be serious in his training camp. He needs to give more time to his conditioning in the early part of his 10-week training schedule. He needs to completely forget his senate work to fully concentrate on his physical conditioning and training. Besides, the senate is in recess for the most part of his training for the July 15 fight in Kuala Lumpur.
The key to victory is a complete mind and body conditioning. If Justin Fortune couldn?t join the team as the conditioning coach due to limited budget which could also be the reason why Roach was temporarily sidelined, Pacquiao can tap local talents to assist head trainer Buboy Ferdnandez on physical conditioning.
While Matthysse is a knockout artist, having sent 36 of his 44 opponents to the canvas, he is beatable and Pacquiao can dominate him if he is physically fit on fight night.
Matthysse?s lone knockout loss came in the tenth round in a title fight against Victor Postol of Ukraine for the vacant WBC light welterweight title on October 3, 2015 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
Pacquiao?s choice of Matthysse for his next opponent is commendable because of his track record as a hard-punching knockout boxer compared to his promoter Bob Arum?s choice of former light welterweight belt holder Mike Alvarado.
Pacquiao could have taken the opportunity to score an easy win against Alvarado but there was no world title at stake in the proposed fight. Read more: http://philboxing.com/news/story-135554.html
Photos: Pacquiao and Matthysse pose in front of the iconic Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on April 21 during their press tour ahead of their world title clash on July 15 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. Photos by Carlos Costa/PhilBoxing.com.
While Pacquiao?s adviser Michel Koncz has cautioned Pacquiao about over training, he seems to forget that by the time he touches globes with Matthysse, he would have been inactive for over a year.
?I want to see him start training next week but because he?s older now he?s got to go slower and take it easy and so he doesn?t get injured, Koncz told Philstar.com
?He has to pace a lot better than before,? Koncz added.
Pacquiao needs more time to train because of his long layoff. He can?t take it easy with Matthysse because this time he is the challenger and he needs to score impressively for the win if no knockout happens in the early rounds.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Leo Reyes.
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