ROACH: WEIGHT IS NOT A PROBLEM FOR MANNY PACQUIAO
By Alex P. Vidal
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 20 Jun 2008
LOS ANGELES, California ? Unlike in his previous world championship fights, weight problem is not an issue or something to worry about with barely a week to go for Manny Pacquiao who will gun for immortality by challenging dangerous World Boxing council (WBC) lightweight titlist David Diaz (34-1, 17 KO) in a ?Lethal combination? at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 28.
?No, weight is not a problem here. Manny?s weight is okay and he is comfortable in the weight (where he will fight Diaz),? Roach told mannypacquiao.ph in an exclusive interview a day after he failed to report in the Wild Card gym after being zapped by a flu.
Roach, 48, said his foster son Pacquiao (46-3, 35 KO) has already concluded his last 12 round sparring session and is already winding up his training that seriously romped off immediately after the national sports icon arrived here first week of May.
?So far, so good,? volunteered Roach who was expected to be back Thursday (LA time) for the finishing touches of Pacquiao?s training regimen that was nearly disrupted had he not decided to forgo an invitation to visit the Olympic facilities in Beijing, China end of the week of April.
After a nearly three-hour duke out at the Wild Card gym, Pacquiao, who will turn 30 on December 12, grabbed his guitar and proceeded to his favorite Thai restaurant downstairs to take his meal.
There was no sign of fatigue and worry for Pacquiao who feasted on rice and soup with fried fish and juice drink together with prized nutritionist Alex Ariza and some friends while watching the power point presentation in the wall inside the restaurant of his March 15 shootout with Juan Manuel Marquez.
He looked fresh and unshaven after the workout and was in good mood apparently feeling comfortable that he does not anymore limit his meal. Pacquiao?s media liaison Winchell Campos and former world rated bantamweight trailhorse Vernie Torres joined him in his workout. There was no more sparring session.
?It?s different now because he is scaling the lightweight division, unlike in his previous fights were he had to starve himself to death in order to get his weight in the superfeatherweight,? said San Francisco-based boxing writer and former boxing manager Hermie Rivera.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.
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