TEAM PACQUIAO TO START WILD CARD TRAINING SESSIONS
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 28 Oct 2012
MANILA(PNA)? Eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao will be embarking on what could his toughest preparation for his fourth fight with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez starting Monday (Tuesday in Manila) at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Pacquiao and his team, including assistant trainers Buboy Fernandez and Roger Hernandez, business manager Michael Koncz and chief security Calos Homo, flew to LA Saturday night via Philippine Air Lines flight PR 102, with the aim of giving boxing fans, including the 98 or so million countrymen, the victory they want in his mind.
They will probably start with roadwork followed by a light workout at the Vine Street sweat shop in the heart of Hollywood in the afternoon to gauge the gains of the first stop of preparations in GenSan. Sparring starts promptly on Tuesday (Wednesday here) as agreed upon by the fighter and chief trainer Freddie Roach in their telephone conversation a week ago when Pacquiao will be assessing his guru of the progress if his three-week build up program.
Roach has lined up a bevy of sparring mates for the purpose of toughening up his pupil's ring savvy -- welterweight prospect Frank Gomez and old hands Rey Beltran and Ruslan Provotnikov, who, the trainer said, have all been eager since three weeks ago to begin the regimen prepared by Roach himself.
Both the Pacman and his Hall of Fame trainer vowed to win by convincingly, possibly by knockout this time following a not so convincing 2-1 win-draw result of their tree previous encounters.
To accomplish that, Team Pacquiao has instituted several changes in his training schemes, first by doing away with pitching camp in Baguio City, a tradition practiced in his last four fights, and instead held it in GenSan in far away Mindanao.
"Our purpose in this fight is to win with no doubts left after the fight," we will do that," Pacquiao told this writer before leaving."We succeeded in holding camp in GenSan without any distraction and I believe we can do that also in LA."
"Boxing fans, our kababayans included, must understand our goal. Kaya sana they understand na gagawin namin itong ilang restrictions na ito para na rin mabigyan ko sila ng magandang laban at magandang resulta," Pacquiao said by way of appealing for understanding.
"Everybody knows naman that every time I fight, I do it for the fans. In my last few fights, I failed to make the fans happy. They, in fact, doubted my victories although I believe I beat Marquez handily, not only twice but all of those fights," he recalled.
"Gusto kasi ng fans mapatulog ko lahat ng kalaban ko. Kung hindi man dapat bugbog sarado," he said. "I understand them. Gagawin natin yan at magagawa lamang yan kapag busog sa ensayo. Nala-focus ako sa preparasyon simula pa lang."
"My only appeal to our kababayan ay ipinalangin nila ako na huwag magkaroon ng grabeng injury sa training at lalo na sa laban. Sana ipagdasal din nila na manalo tayong muli alangalang sa bayan sa lahing Pilipino," he told this writer by way of trying to send his message to his countrymen.
Several more alteration in preparations await the former welterweight kingpin in LA, where the team will stay for five weeks before driving to Las Vegas for the final week prior to the all-important fight that is hoped to erase all the doubts that marked their previous meetings.
For one, Roach has ordered the closure of the Wild Card Gym to everyone, including relatives, close friends, members of his new congregation and plain kibitzers, who, in the past proved the remaining distractions in Pacquiao's training.
Pacquio asserted to the People's Journal that he approves of the decision to close the gym in the duration of his five-week LA camp.
"Handa-ng handa na tayo sa lahat ng gagawin sa training na inihanda ni Freddie based on our conversation last week," Pacquiao told this reporter.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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