Pacquiao, Roach upbeat upon arrival in Vegas
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 04 May 2011
"We've got a great game plan for this guy."
Manny Pacquiao?s chief trainer Freddie Roach uttered this as his way of warning American challenger ?Sugar? Shane Mosley four days before he seeks to dethrone the Filipino World Boxing Organization welterweight champion on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
?Shane might be as tough as before. He must be as hard-puncher as he was a few years back and fast, but he will be in for a big surprise,? Roach assured in a telephone interview with this writer upon his and Pacquiao?s arrival in the boxing capital of the world.
And it looks like Las Vegas odds makers agree with the four-time ?trainer of the year? honoree as four days before the 12-round title fight, they installed the Filipino icon still an eye-popping 9-1 favorite to dispose of Mosley.
?Manny?s in as great shape as I?ve seen him,? the 51-year-old Roach said by way of explaining the 10 words he just spoken in the interview.
Mosley is aging at 39, and fresh off a one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather and a lackluster draw with Sergio Mora could be few of the trainer?s reason And even more worrisome for the challenger, Roach is confident.
Pacquiao is just one of 10 fighters Roach is training at the Wild Card, a roster that includes WBA super lightweight champion Amir Khan, junior middleweight prospect Vanes Martirosyan and Bernabe Concepcion, the featherweight contender who's fighting Juan Carlos Martinez on ESPN's Friday Night Fights in Vegas one night before Pacquiao-Mosley, could be another.
Pacman, definitely, is the most important boxer in Roach's stable. The 32-year-old is so much more than just the first man on earth to win eight world championships in eight weight classes. He is a global phenomenon who sings, acts sand writers before being elected as congressman.
He is the most important boxer, socially, since Muhammad Ali and perhaps the greatest boxer of the modern era. It's been more than six years since he lost a fight.
Pacquiao normally divides training schedule between Baguio City -- where the high altitude promotes rich stamina -- at the Wild Card in Los Angeles where he also spent just three weeks in Hollywood before his decisive but painful victory against Antonio Margarito in November, as political responsibilities compromised his attention.
?Roach though is quick to insist that Pacquiao is wrapping up his best camp in the 10 years of their partnership that started in 2001.
"He hit the ground running and looked great out of the gate," Roach says. "He was doing eight rounds [on the mitts] immediately and to 16 rounds last week. I'm starting to hold him back a little bit. The hardest part is how to slow him down."
If opportunity opens, we?ll opt for a knockout win,? he vowed.
Pacquiao and his team set foot in Las Vegas shortly after noon Tuesday and it took him 30 minutes to fight his way from the entrance of the MGM Grand to a throng of fans, including media men waiting in a room at the other end of the lobby in a degree of adoration each time he goes public.
?Malapit na ang laban at excited na ako,? Pacquiao told this writer when handed the phone by Roach. ?Medyo magaan-gaan na ang ensayo pagdating dito at ilang araw na lang. Pananatilihin lang natin ang kondisyon at itutuloy i-polish ang game plan at strategy na gagasa laban.?
?Mananalo? Siyempre gagawin natin ang lahat para itayo ang bansa at ating bandila. Yung sinasabing knockout, dadating yun kung may pagkakataon,? he said when asked of his chances.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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