Lawson steps in as Pacquiao?s sparmate
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 30 Sep 2013
Manny Pacquiao won?t be losing time after all in his preparation for his upcoming fight with Brandon Rios with the arrival in Manila of Ghanaian welterweight Fredrick ?Sugar Ray? Lawson to fill up the slack in the sparring portion of the Filipino?s training.
The young, Lawson, who only last July 20 won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) International welterweight title belt, set foot at the Manila International Airport last Sunday to make up for non-arrival Korean Min Woon-Kim, who did not show up to join Pacquiao?s camp as scheduled Wednesday last week.
Lawson, a Beijing Olympian as member of his country?s ?Black Bombers? boxing team and Pacquiao start dancing atop the ring tomorrow at the MP Tower Gym in Sampaloc in Manila.
With an impressive unbeaten record in 21 fights, Lawson is believed to be what the doctor prescribed for the job at least momentarily before chief trainer Freddie Roach flies late this week of early next week.
Lawson is actually being recruited by the Pacman?s business manager Michael Koncz to join the MP stable and his coming could be a positive sign that he, eventually, be signing up to fight under Pacquiao?s promotional company.
?I?m honoured and happy to be chosen as Pacquiao?s sparring partner,? Lawson said upon his arrival. ?I believe I can help him in his preparations and, at the same time, learn a lot from him in pursuing my boxing career.?
Koncz himself, in an interview last week at the Pacman Wild Card Gym in General Santos City, expressed high hopes that Lawson?s youth and impressive records, can do a lot in Pacquiao?s preparation.
Pacquiao, who is in Manila to honour a social commitment, actually began sparring last Thursday against local welterweight Marlo Alta in a three-round skirmish at Wild Card before flying to Manila where he has been staying since Saturday.
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