PACQUIAO TO START LIGHT TRAINING FOR BRADLEY REMATCH
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 12 Feb 2014
Filipino ring sensation Manny Pacquiao left for General Santos City yesterday and, on the same day, immediately pitched camp in his version of the Pacman Wild Card Gym in the heart of his hometown in preparation for his coming April 12 showdown with World Boxing Organization welterweight kingpin Timothy Bradley.
Light training schedule for the purpose merely of eliminating excess fats brought about by a three-month inaction since he overwhelmed former American world lightweight champion Brandon Rios November last year, awaits the 35-year-old eight-division champion until chief trainer Freddie Roach arrives not later than next week.
The five-time 'trainer of the year' Hall of Famer is scheduled to fly in after manning the corner of two-time Chinese Olympian Zhou Shimming, who will be fighting similarly up-and-coming Thai Yohthang Kokietgym in the undercard of the Miguel Vazquez-Denis Shafikov International Boxing Federation lightweight title tiff Feb. 22 at the Venetian Macau's Cotai Arena.
According to Roach's Filipino assistant Marvin Somodio, his boss will be flying to Manila direct from China's gambling city right after the fight.
If Roach will have his way, Somodio said, Team Pacquiao should be at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles not later than March 1, for the extensive, tough training grind with the end in view of avenging the four-division lineal belt-owner questionable split decision loss to the undefeated Bradley one-year and eight months ago.
It was on June 9, 2012 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas when Bradley took away the 147-pound crown from Pacquiao in an encounter the entire boxing world saw the Filipino the winner, except on the cards of two of three judges.
The planned two-day training schedule at the MP Tower along Paquita St. in Sampaloc, Manila Tuesday and yesterday had to be canceled due to his pressing schedule as a Congressman representing the lone district of Sarangani Province.
"Coach Freddie had just finished mapping out Manny's training regimen that points to his KO win no less, kaya gusto niya na mag-spend ang team ng at least six weeks sa Wild Card para mabantayan niya ng husto ang takbo ng programa," Somodio told People's Journal in a text message.
"We'll be covering all bases, so to speak, in preparing Manny," Somodio said. Lahat ng kayang gawin ni Bradley pagdating ng laban, nakahanda si coach. If he runs like he did in the first fight, Manny will be running after him more than he did the first time."
"Kung makikipagasabayan siya, lalong gusto ni coach yun at ihahanda niya si Manny," he added.
Roach himself sort of spelled out what he would do to Manny in the training camp during several conversation with media men in the course of the recent two-city, one-week media tour to hype up the grudge rematch.
"If Bradley's gonna fight like he did in his last fight, and he's gonna run and move a lot, we have to cut the ring off and attack him a little bit more," Roach said. "If Manny attacks him and fights three minutes of every round like he did against Rios and throws combinations, I think we have great success with that."
In spite of his pair of unanimous decision wins in his last two fights (against Ruslan Provodnikov and Pacquiao's arch-enemy Juan Manuel Marquez), Bradley, Roach assessed, hasn't improved as some experts projected.
'He's (Bradley) the same guy. He's a good boxer. But sometimes, he tends to get into a fight, and that's when he (commits) mistakes, because he likes to exchange sometimes," Roach observed.
"Manny is the better, faster puncher and the better puncher of the two. It's hard to win backing up," he said. "So, he'll have to exchange with us and we'll have the advantage."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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