Pacquiao?s form impresses Roach
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 22 Sep 2011
Chief trainer Freddie Roach, who had just arrived from the United States, expressed amazement on pupil Manny Pacquiao?s performance in only the first two days of training in Baguio City.
?He?s very strong and fast,? Roach who set foot in Manila Tuesday and proceeded directly to the country?s summer capital the same day said yesterday after presiding over the pound-for-pound king?s workout at the Cooyesan Hotel boxing gym.
?I didn?t expect him to be in this condition. I thought that like in our previous camp here, we will be starting again from the scratch,? he said, ?Well, I was told that he begun working out two weeks before our original plan. And I think that was good.?
?With that we will be going into the nitty-gritty side of things. We will be focusing on more serious matters rather than observe first like we had been doing previously,? he added.
And the four-time ?Trainer of the Year? honoree did just like that. Right when they first met Tuesday, Roach did the mitts with his ward for eight rounds unlike in Pacquiao?s against Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley when they started for four rounds before gradually increasing the pace.
?Nagulat talaga si Freddie nang Makita nya si Manny,? attested assistant trainer Nonoy Neri, who along with buddy Buboy Fernandez had presided over the first two weeks of training in Manila in the absence of Roach. ?Nagtataka nga siya kung ano daw ang ginawa naming kay Manny.?
Besides the eight rounds with the mitts, the eight-division champion, who will be staking his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against Juan Manuel Marquez this coming November 12, also did two rounds each with the heavy bag, the double end ball and speed bag, all last Tuesday.
That?s besides his usual road work of 21 minutes at the Burnham Park. The Pacman repeated the same routine yesterday although this time, he did his road work at the rolling mountains of Sta. Lucia Subdivision which is just a stone throw away from the Team Pacquiao?s official headquarters.
?Baka bukas mag-10 rounds na si Manny sa mitts, depende kay Freddie kung sa tantya niya kaya nang magdagdag,? Neri, who doubles up as Pacquiao?s dietician, said.
The training session in Pacquiao?s three-week stay at the City of Pines, will be closed even to media, which will only be allowed to cover on Saturdays or if there will be a media day.
?Ang takaw eh. Ang Lakas kumain. Pagkatapos ng takbo kain agad ng tinolang manok (his favorite dish), ?Neri said. ?Mamayang gabi nagpahanda sa akin ng nilagang baka at saka pritong isda.?
Roach arrived with Jorge Linares in tow, who will be serving as Pacquiao?s sparring partner until the team leaves for Los Angeles where the last four weeks of preparations will take place at Roach-owned Wild Card Gym in downtown Hollywood.
Linares is challenging Antonio de Marco of Mexico for the vacant World Boxing Council lightweight title later this month. Sparring though won?t be starting until the second week of the team?s stay in Baguio. Pacquiao also confirmed that up-and-coming start Maria Aragon is his choice to sing the National Anthem during the fight.
(File photo ? Pacquiao and Roach in Baguio last year)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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