Pacquiao starts Wild Card stage of his training
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 11 Oct 2011
Starting Monday in the U.S., the Wild Card gym in downtown Hollywood in Los Angeles will breathe life anew as Manny Pacquiao starts the second leg of preparations for his defense of the World Boxing Organization welterweight crown against Juan Manual Marquez November 12 in Las Vegas.
Like in the previous times that he pitched camp in L.A., expect hundreds of Pacquiao fans to troop daily to the Wild Card parking lot to have a glimpse of their eight-division champion idol, pose for picture and have chance for autograph signing until a week before the team drove to Las Vegas a week before Act III of the two fighters? trilogy.
Pacquiao and party, including trainer and Wild Card owner Freddie Roach set their foot at the Los Angeles International Airport early evening of Saturday (Sunday in Manila) from the first stop of training that lasted three weeks under the cold and often rainy Baguio City. As usual, fans were at the airport to greet the pound-for-pound king when he and his team touched down.
The Pacman, according to Roach, was jumpy and looked very happy as when he left Manila Saturday night and was quoted as saying he was ready to resume preparing for the fight.
?I like it when he?s happy because that means he?s focused and will do whatever I want him to do in the course of his training,? he 51 year-old boxing guru said in an interview.
?And that?s exactly what I want, for him to remain focused on what?s he?s doing because after having attained our purpose in Baguio where he stayed within his comfort zone, the time has come to really crack him down,? Roach said.
?I want him to always remember that Marquez has, for the past three years, been telling the whole world that he was robbed of victory in their previous two fights,? he stressed. ?I want him to bear in mind that we consented in fighting Marquez to end all doubts of the results of that fights.?
To do that, Roach said, the fighting Congressman representing the lone district of Sarangani, must win by knockout no less.
?Yes, we?ll go for a knockout. If not in the early rounds, midway through, say the sixth or seventh,? he projected.
?That is why besides continuing with what we started in Baguio as far as training is concerned, we will be concentrating on our game plan here in L.A.,? Roach disclosed. ?The plan is to stop Marquez and that?s what we will be preparing for.?
The ?Pacman? and the ?Dinamita? fought for the first time in May of 2004 when the Filipino dropped the Mexican three times in the first round but could only settle for a draw, thanks to a mistake in the score of judge Burt Clemens, who saw the fight Pacquiao winning that round by 10-7 instead of 10-6 under the 10-point must system.
Pacquiao, again, sent Marquez kissing the canvas in the third round of their 2008 rematch but only managed a split decision leading Marquez to proclaim he won both fights, going to the extent of wearing a t-shirt proclaiming ?Marquez beat Pacquiao Twice? during one of his fights.
Marquez even had the temerity to come to Manila with a retinue of followers following that 2008 bout to personally hurl a challenge for Pacquiao to fight him, which Pacman ignored saying he had already settled the issue of who is the best fighter between them. The doubts lingers though throughout the years forcing Pacquiao?s promoter Bob Arum to set this third fight.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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