A fruitful week at Pacquio?s training camp
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 06 May 2018
The first week of Filipino ring hero Manny Pacquiao?s preparation program for his coming fight against Argentine World Boxing Association welterweight titleholder Lucas Matthysse has been fruitful.
This was how his all-Filipino trainers ? Buboy Fernandez, Nonoy Neri ad Roger ?Haplas? Fernandez -- described their eight-division world champion friend?s opening five-day training camp has been.
Pacquiao, a senator, will be challenging Matthysse for the latter?s 147-pount crown July 15 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
More than anything else, their staying together at General Santos City?s Acharon Sports Center oval for early morning roadwork and at the posh gym bearing the champion?s name for indoor workouts, offered the chance of bonding together following a year of almost not seeing each other following Pacquiao?s defeat to Australian Jeff Horn July last year.
?Napakaganda ng simula ng training camp,? Buboy said in a long distance telephone conversation with this writer last Saturday. ?Halos isang taon kaming di nagkita-kita at yung five days na yun nagbigay sa amin na makapag-bonding uli na parang magka-kapatid.?
?At ang pinaka-importante siyempre ay yung ensayo. We were able bring Manny?s focus back to boxing,? Buboy, a town councilor in Polangui, Albay, said. ?Buong isang taon ang isip niya nasa trabaho niya sa senado. Kami ganun din. Hiwa-hiwalay ang pinagka-abalahan namin.?
?And that?s precisely the reason why I wanted to start the training as early as possible,? Buboy explained further. ?Para maibalik namin ang aming kaisipan at katawan sa boksing na I believe nagawa naman namin after only five days at the camp.?
Buboy said that after Friday?s training session, everybody, including Manny, was so happy, he, as chief trainer, decided to forego the scheduled session Saturday.
?Yeah, masayang-masaya kami lahat noong araw na yun. Lalo si Manny,? Neri butted in. ?Masaya kami dahil yung mga araw na na-miss namin sa pag-e-ensayo, na-recover agad namin.?
?Yung kuwentuhan at biruan tapos ng ensayo. Pagkain nang sabay-sabay. Pag-analyze kung ano ang naging kulang pag-plano ng strategy. Lahat ng buhay kaugnay ng boksing, naibalik namin.?
?Madaling araw pa lang nasa oval na kami. Takbo si Manny. Sampung rounds (4 kilometers) wala siyang angal at enjoy na enjoy siya,? Haplas, for his part, said. ?Buhay na namin yun mula nang mag-boksingero siya. Kumbaga, sinariwa lahang ng namin.?
From that hot Monday in GenSan, until Friday, Pacquiao has logged 20-kilometers of roadwork and 25 rounds working the mitts with Buboy, including nine rounds last day of the week. The same frequency the training team hopes to continue the following week starting Monday.
Depending, as usual, on the Senator?s mood.
?If Manny wants to increase the frequency, we might, although we still have to weigh things over. Masyadong maaga pa. May 10 weeks before the fight,? Buboy cautioned. ?We know naman Manny, kapag ginanahan, di maawat.?
?Kailangan pa ring bantayan, baka mag-peak agad at ma-over train. As I have been saying, that won?t happen because we won?t allow that,? Buboy assured.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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