Should Pacquiao Slow Down?
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 20 Oct 2011
Manny Pacquiao getting burnt out?
?No way,? was how both the pound-for-pound king?s chief trainer Freddie Roach and strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza echoed to allay fears that Pacquiao, who will be defending his World Boxing Organization welterweight title against Juan Manuel Marquez, might be peaking too soon succumb to fatigue comes fight night on November 12.
?We had foreseen that as early as when we pitched camp in Baguio City in the opening phase of our build up program,? Roach said by way of reacting to insinuation that the Filipino icon might be pushing himself too hard even starting his training program two weeks ahead of schedule.
No less than Top Rank boss man Bob Arum, Pacquiao?s promoter, has reportedly called the attention of Roach about pacing the defending belt-owner properly.
?Slow him down,? Arum was overheard telling Roach in one of the training sessions at Wild Card Gym in downtown Hollywood, where Pacquiao has transferred his camp from Baguio almost two weeks ago.
?He (Pacquiao) wants to knock him (Marquez) out. That?s what we?re training him for. And that?s why he opted to start training ahead of schedule,? Roach told this writer even before Team Pacquiao packed up for Los Angeles.
?But that doesn?t mean we?re not avoiding any unnecessary load in his training regimen. We?ve been watching everything we do as close as we can precisely to keep him at safe distance in terms of tiring him out,? Roach assured.
?We know we?re ahead of schedule so that what we?ve gained in the Baguio leg of the program we just maintain and improve a bit here in L.A.,? he told Malaya Business Insight in an overseas telephone conversation the other day.
The future Hall of Famer said that, normally, Pacquiao would be 75-80 percent of what he should be by fight night. ?We?re usually around 50 percent right now. We always make sure we don?t overdo things out.?
The 32-year-old Pacman himself assured that he won?t be over fatigue by fight time, saying that while it looks like he?s been overdoing things, he has just been doing what he?s told to do by his coaching staff.
They?re (Roach and Ariza) watching my body, so I don?t become too big. I myself am controlling my training. Take it step-by-step until fight time. I also want to be gradual in my training,? Pacquiao said in separate interview.
Ariza echoed the same sentiment, saying every possible problem in the build-up program has been already been addressed on the onset
Although admitting that sometimes, he and the boxer had arguments in the way conditioning regimen are done, both of them agreed in the necessity of building up strength in the feet and legs than the upper body.
Manny wants to be as big as he was against Miguel Cotto,? Ariza said in reference to Pacquiao?s last knockout victory prior to fashioning out three consecutive decision wins against bigger and heftier opponents.
?I think he wants to kill Marquez,? he said.
Pacquiao has been very vocal having peeved by Marquez?s repeated pronouncement that he won both of their first two fights which ended in a draw in 2004 and a split decision in favor of the Filipino four years later and announced he would win convincingly in this Act III of the trilogy.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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