Roach willing to bet everything on Pacquiao
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 01 May 2011
Prior to Manny Pacquiao?s fight against Mexican Antonio Margarito last year, chief trainer Freddie Roach announced he was willing to bet his house on the Filipino boxing icon, who was then perceived to be ill-prepared owing to many distractions that punctuated his preparations.
Two days before Team Pacquiao drives to Las Vegas, site of his World Boxing Organization welterweight championship bout with Shane ?Sugar? Mosley, Roach said he is ready to lose everything if only to prove to all that his 32-year-old pupil is ready to rumble, defend his 147-pound crown and remain the world?s pound-for-pound king after their showdown on May 7 in Las Vegas.
?Yes, I?m willing to bet everything ? my house, my car, everything I own ? that Manny will beat the hell out of Shane this coming Saturday (Sunday in Manila) and emerge with his reputation intact,? the 51-year-old four-time ?Trainer of the Year? honoree told this writer right after Pacquiao ended his three-week training at Roach-owned Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.
Against Margarito, I told you that had I been married and had children, I would have bet them, too,? he recalled. ?Now, find me someone willing to buy the soul of a 51-year-old trainer who believes that there?s nothing, not even the dreaded right hand of Mosley can stop Manny from keeping his six-year unbeaten record immaculate.?
Roach then reiterated that the camp, Team Pacquiao pitched, first in the pleasant Baguio City the in Los Angeles, has never been as perfect as it had been.
?I told you when we left Manila that Baguio was the best start we?ve had in our 10-year partnership. That ideal set up continued here in L.A. where we not only maintained the gains we accomplished in Baguio, we improved tremendously on them a lot? Roach assured.
?It?s too bad You didn?t see Manny sparred against three, four sparmates while we?re here, but I assure you, I never saw him packed power in both fists. I never saw him as fast in both his hands and feet. In short, this was the first time I saw Manny so focused, so determined and so hardworking in following his regimen and the things member of the coaching staff had instructed him,? Roach remarked.
?His execution of the game plan and strategies we mapped out was superb. Alex (conditioning coach Alex Ariza, and sparring partners Shawn (Porter), Ray (Beltran), David (Rodela), Rashad (Halloway) can all attest to that,? he pointed out.
?He?s a f-----g beast,? B?He?s a f-----g beast,? Beltran, who has been with the them for the past seven years and had sparred with Pacquiao for more or less 400 rounds, said with great emphasis, ?like a monster, so intense.?
And for those who still doubt Pacquiao?s readiness should listen to Porter, who has been giving the eight-division kingpin the hardest sparring.
?Yes, Pacman is ready to go to war, ? Porter told this writer in a separate interview, recalling their intense sparring Thursday when they drew cheers from onlookers who were lucky to have sneaked through the strict closed-door session.
"We went five rounds. The fourth round, I got him on the ropes, I started throwing, he started exchanging, and I say I can't stop til' he stops,? Porter related.
?I guess he was thinking the same thing. We were there for about one minute, I didn't let him off the ropes, he tried to move, maybe one time he tried to move, and I didn't let him go anywhere, and we just stayed there for about a minute banging, and that was at the end of the fourth round and my dad said, 'Come on over you got to recover, we got one more' and that's how it is with Manny Pacquiao. You got to give it your all."
The 23-year-old undefeated NABF welterweight champion Porter (18-0-0, 13 KOs) is Pacquiao's chief sparring partner who has brought out the best out of the Pacman.
Saturday followed the same pattern in capping the Wild Card portion of the camp against Porter and Beltran against whom he displayed the explosiveness, speed, power and sharp reflexes that has been his trademark en route to nabbing eight world championship belts.
"Hopefully I've made the fight easy for him," Porter commented after engaging Pacquiao in a slugging contest, giving the champ all his best shots, throwing hooks and body shots that Mosley is expected to dish out on fight night.
Porter, who arguably punches as hard as Mosley and considerably moves as fast, has, according to Roach definitely set up Pacquiao for success, giving him the best work out of all the other sparring partners used.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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