ShareThisBAGUIO CITY/LOS ANGELES – World pound-for-pound king and congressman Manny Pacquiao has completed his high-altitude training in the Philippine summer capital and shifted his preparations for his November 12 showdown with Mexican boxing champion Juan Manuel Marquez to Los Angeles, California.
The Filipino boxing icon (53-3-2, 38 by knockouts) left Saturday night for Los Angeles for his final preparations there for the Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy in Las Vegas, Nevada and at press time was starting his workout at the Wild Card Gym of coach Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao and Marquez will face each other for the third time to finally settle the question as to who beat who after some quarters had different opinions after their two championship matches. Their fight could also be their biggest in terms of prize with Pacquiao getting a guarranted $20 million which could jack up to $30 million. Marquez, on the other hand, will take a minimum of $5 million which could increase to $8 million to $10 million.
In their first clash in 2004, Pacquiao knocked Marquez down thrice in the first round but Marquez rallied in the later rounds to salvage a draw.
Their second fight in 2008 was close but the judges gave it Pacquiao via a split decision.
Buboy Fernandez, an official of the “Team Pacquiao”, described the three-week activities of the Filipino champion in Baguio as successful.
The boxing champion had some sparring sessions with a Venezuelan boxer while in Baguio City. In between, he was allowed by American boxing coach Freddie Roach to play basketball so he could further improve his stamina.
Pacquiao pronounced himself ready to rumble after his training in Baguio.
“I can fight next week,” the 32-year-old Pacquiao declared last week as he wrapped up his preparation at the Shape Up boxing gym at Baguio home Cooyeesan Hotel, according to a report of Eddie Alinea.
“Kulang pa sa sparring at takbo, pero mapupunuan na ‘yun pagdating namin sa L.A.,” Pacquiao said. “One more week of training and I feel I am ready to face him (Marquez) and beat him again, this time convincingly.”
“I really feel good following our three-week stay here. Maganda ang naging resulta ng training despite missing some of the scheduled road workout because of typhoons,” he said.
Listening intently as he made his prediction were chief trainer Freddie Roach and strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza as they unanimously nodded in approval, Eddie Alinea reported.
“Maybe not in a week’s time. There’s plenty of time left in or build up program, but yes, I believe him if he says he’ll ready to mix it up soon,” Roach said. “Certainly, we’ve lineup a tough sparring sessions for him in L.A.”
Roach said Mexican 140-pound challenger Roger “Speedy” Gonzales and Miguel Diaz plus two others are waiting at his Wild Card Gym to help the pound-for-pound king in his needs to completely feel his way atop the ring.
The four-time ‘trainer of the year’ honoree ruled out David Rodela, a long time Pacquiao sparring mate, who suffered a knockout loss in his last fight two weeks ago.
“Rodela’s out. I feel bad about it because he’s such a good sparring partner as he had shown in our previous preparations. But it”s different now that he wasds knocked out,” he said. “It’s really very hard for a fighter to suffer a stoppage.”
“We are targeting from 120 to 150 rounds of sparring to make Manny completely ready for the fight,” he bared. “After Baguio, he only has logged some 40 to 50 rounds although think, too, we don’t need that much.”
“Much as I would want him to recover immediately from that traumatic experience, fighting, even in sparring, won’t do it,” he reasoned out. “He’ll be a big loss, really.”
Ariza, for his part, said everything has been set in place in the Baguio leg of preparations, agreeing with the eight-division champion that several more rounds of sparring and miles of running should make Pacquiao really fit to fight.
Both Roach and Ariza agreed that basketball, which their ward used as substitute for missing roadwork several times due to rains that struck the city almost daily, wasn’t sufficient to make up for the loss.
Ariza, in fact, has suggested swimming is the better substitute, but Pacquiao refused. He played his second love nightly right after his grueling training schedule helping his Pambansang Kamao team win the Pacquiao Cup tournament.
Pacquiao and his team, including Roach and Ariza and assistant trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri, flew to Los Angeles where he is to resume preparation at the Roach-owned Wild Card Gym in downtown Hollywood.
Pacquiao actually ended up his four-week Philippine side of preparation last Saturday at the MP Tower gym (formerly L&M Gym, which he bought and transformed into a four-storey structure in front of Central Market) in Sampaloc.