Team Pacquiao on Track
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 07 Apr 2011
With no sign of tiring down from the long 15-hour trip from Manila to Los Angeles, WBO world welterweight and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao opened his last five weeks of preparation Monday and Tuesday on the road to meeting ?Sugar? Shane Mosley next month in Las Vegas with his crown on the table.
And if chief trainer Freddie Roach is to be believed, the eight-division owner of 10 titles, is, indeed, on track in making himself in tip-top shape in his quest to become the first man to knock Mosley in their scheduled 12-round encounter May 7 at the MGM Grand in the Sin City Las Vegas.
?No sign of slowing down despite having a few hours of rest since we arrived here Saturday. Just like when we were in Baguio, he?s been serious in all we?ve been doing since we started here (Wild Card Gym) Monday (Tuesday in Manila).
The Pacman worked six rounds of sparring Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), according to the 51-year-old Roach, against Shawn Porter and Karim Mayfield.
?Excellent,? he said of what he saw in the resumption Pacquiao?s sparring regimen consisting of three rounds each against Porter and Mayfield. His other mate, Rashad Halloway was on standby. David Rodela who was in Baguio along with Porter, is still in London and will be arcing next week.
The four-time ?Trainer of the Year? honoree said they will gradually increase the frequency of three days in-a-week sparring as the need arise in the coming days until they reach the maximum 140 rounds a few days before fight time.
The next sparing is on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) with, probably, Halloway joining Porter and Mayfield in testing Pacquiao?s wares.
Pacquiao himself expressed satisfaction at the way his preparations are going, saying he has never been happy in what transpired since starting working out a little less than a month ago.
?Ganadong mag-ensayo as usual. Pero mas inspired ako ngayon,? he told Malaya Business Insignts in a chance conversation after yesterday?s workout using Roach?s cell phone. ?nakasama ko kasi ang pamilya ko bago kami lumipad patungo dito sa Amerika.?
?We started with conditioning last Monday and everything went well. Maganda rin ang sparring kanina, six rounds at me mga na-gain ako kay Porter at Mayfield sa power punching. Tuloy-tuloy na ito, hopefully,? Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao?s bout with Mosley, a three-division kingpin, will be his second as a Congressman representing the province of Sarangani following his decision conquest of Mexican Antonio Margarito November last year in Dallas.
Pacquiao never really had a perfect rest since arriving in L.A., the reason he said why he left the airport immediately after their Philippines Air Lines flight touched down.
?Pagod na pagod ako sa napakahabang biyahe. Kaya humihingi ako ng pasensya sa mga fans na naghintay sa akin sa airport. Alam ko namang maqiintindihan nila ako dahil mahal nila ako,? he said.
?Mas mahaba at mas mabigat ang kagiging paghahanda ko dito at lahat ng oras na kailangan kong magpahinga ay sasamantalahin ko.?
His fans, however, had a chance of seeing him in last Sunday?s mass at the Christ the King Church presided over by Msgr. Paul Montoya, which he attended along with some members of Team Pacquiao
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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