Pacquiao: My time is not yet done
To those who envision closing the final chapter of the storied career of eight division world champion and Manny Pacquiao, it's time to re-think their plans.
That’s because Pacquiao, in an exclusive interview with this reporter prior to leaving for Los Angeles for the final grind leading to his rematch with WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, confidently predicted “my time is not yet done.”
The two-term congressional representative from the lone district of Sarangani told us he is focused on what he needs to accomplish in the ring which is, in his mind, “to bring back the aggressiveness and to perfect my timing, speed and movement.”
With a month to go before he enters the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, he explained “what I am trying to do this time around is to bring back the young Manny Pacquiao and to prove that I am still young and an elite fighter.”
Yahoo Philippines spent a couple of days in General Santos City, the hometown of Pacquiao, to watch him train and to assess his condition with obvious inputs from celebrated trainer Freddie Roach who spent two weeks in GenSan, assistant trainer and childhood friend, Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez and Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz.
The one thing that Manny has always done, despite the concerns of Roach at times that he could suffer a sprain or a similar injury as he did before, is to play basketball on an almost daily basis.
The difference is that Pacquiao’s passion for the game and his relentless drive sees him playing three full games in a row. This has always been the key to his cardio-vascular condition and his overall physical fitness.
This time around was no exception. When Roach arrived in GenSan and watched Pacquiao on the first day of training at the Pacman Wild Card Gym, Fernandez said his condition was “moderate” and that when they worked on the punch mitts “Freddie wasn’t surprised about his stamina which was maintained because our program includes basketball as part of training.”
It actually resulted in a reversal of the old regimen of roadwork and racing uphill because as Roach pointed out “we don’t fight on top of a hill but fight in a small square. We discussed this and agreed to work on his lateral movements on the basketball court.”
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Fernandez was confident that fight fans will see “a different Manny Pacquiao in this next fight. The fans are looking for the Manny Pacquiao of some ten years ago” and hopefully they’ll see him against Bradley.
Roach wants to take the decision out of the judges hands and so does Pacquiao who, according to Roach, “is very motivated and is working very hard.”
To Roach, “the way Manny is going its possible” to eliminate the judges from the equation.
Of course they need to consider the fact that Bradley has never been knocked out and although he’s been knocked down and hurt, Roach concedes “he’s a tough guy and if a knockout comes that will be a bonus.”
The thing that impressed Roach was that Pacquiao’s “speed and power is really good and he is way ahead of schedule.”
The trainer believes that when they arrive in Las Vegas for what may well be a career-defining fight, “it will be the best Manny we’ve seen.”
During his sparring with Lydell Rhodes, Pacquiao bloodied and shook the undefeated fighter out of Oklahoma via Las Vegas and showed some explosive moments during seven rounds of sparring.
He followed this up with nine furious rounds on the punch mitts with Roach during which they perfected the moves that Manny laid on Oscar De La Hoya when he pulverized “The Golden Boy” and forced him to quit at the end of round seven, seated on his stool.
The energy-sapping routine in the gym didn’t prevent the 35-year-old congressman from playing three games of basketball one after another which served as a testament to his physical condition.
But before that he engaged in another of his passions by playing a game of chess.
While Roach and Pacquiao were grateful for what Rhodes gave them in terms of duplicating the style of Bradley, Roach indicated he planned to “mix it up a little" when ex-light welterweight champ Kendall Holt, former lightweight champion Steve Forbes as well as Speedy Gonzales show up for sparring at the Wild Card Gym.
Holt will “give us power and will exchange at times, Gonzales will give us the speed and Forbes will provide the best look as a boxer, besides he’s a more intelligent fighter,” said Roach.
The “real business was to begin on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) at the Wild Card Gym and as Roach made it clear he’s got some great sparring waiting for Pacquiao, emphasizing that “he wants that title back and if Bradley thinks he’s going to see the same compassionate Manny he saw the first time they fought, he is in for a very big surprise.”
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
