ROACH PLEASED WITH PACQUIAO?S CONDITION AFTER 13 ROUNDS ON THE PUNCHMITTS
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 25 Feb 2014
?Trainer of the Year? Freddie Roach buckled down to work with ?Fighter of the Decade? Manny Pacquiao at his training camp in General Santos City on Monday and was pleased about the condition of his prized possession.
Pacquiao?s adviser Michael Koncz told the Manila Standard that Roach was ?very happy? and that Pacquiao went 13 rounds on the punch-mitts with Roach and may begin sparring on Tuesday with undefeated former Floyd Mayweather Sr protege Lydell Rhodes (19-0, 9 KO?s).
Roach told the Manila Standard on his arrival from Macau on Sunday that Miguel Cotto would train at the Pacman Wild Card Gym should Pacquiao decide to hold his training camp in his hometown for four weeks which was the original plan. Otherwise if Pacquiao decides to leave for the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles earlier, Cotto would join him there.
The celebrated trainer dismissed reports that Cotto would spar with Pacquiao who scored a 12th round TKO over the Puerto Rican in November 2011 pointing out that the former three division champion Cotto has moved up in weight and is now fighting at 160 pounds and will challenge middleweight champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina ar New York?s Madison Square Garden on June 7.
Roach also confirmed a Standard story last week that former world light welterweight champion Kendall Holt who lost his title to Bradley by a unanimous decision despite dropping the undefeated Bradley once in round one and once more in round twelve, would be among Pacquiao?s sparring partners in Los Angeles.
Roach said he plans to train Pacquiao to be more aggressive in his April 12 rematch with Bradley at the MGM Grand Garden Hotel in Las Vegas and indicated while he won?t go looking for a knockout he will take it if he gets an opening.
Pacquiao?s adviser Michael Koncz who arrived with Roach from Macau told us that Pacquiao?s training had been going well and it will ?step up a notch now that Freddie is here.?
Koncz said in his mind ?nothing short of a knockout will do? to help Pacquiao regain his stature as an elite fighter.
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