TSS As PI: Searching 24/7 For Clues To Cotto-Pacquiao

By Michael Woods

Examining HBO's 24/7 for clues which might affect the outcome of the upcoming fight is one of the most enjoyable aspects of watching the expertly crafted infomercial. In the second installment of the Pacquiao-Cotto docudrama miniseries, TSS played PI, and looked for anything in the fighters' actions, physiques or behaviors that might inform a fight fan what is likely to unfold on Nov. 14, when Manny Pacquiao tries to secure a seventh title in a seventh weight class from WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto in a 145 pound "catchweight" clash.

In the previous installment, we saw Cotto mixing business with pleasure; it looked like his training camp in Florida, away from distractions in his native Puerto Rico, took a load off the fighter with the frequently furrowed brow. In contrast, Pacquiao's camp was a picture less tranquil. He chose to stay in Baguiao, a region beset by severely foul weather, causing his trainer Freddie Roach to firmly request that the fighter switch up his plans, and decamp to a safer spot, free from typhoons, and perhaps, leeching politicians hoping to get a bump in the polls with a endorsement from Manny.


In the second episode, viewer saw a previously perturbed Roach in Manila, having made the eight-hour trek from Baguiao without Pacquiao. They hugged it out, it was made clear, and got back on track preparing for Cotto. Or, they got back on track as much as Manny's demigod status allows—fans clamor to touch the fighter whenever he exits Gerry Penalosa's gym. But Pacquiao seems to be able to clear his mind of distractions. And Roach makes sure of it, offering a $1,000 bounty to any sparring partner who dumps Manny on his can. So far, Shawn Porter and Jose Luis Castillo haven't been able to get that extra spiff in their envelope, but the added impetus gives Pacman more reason to stay on message in training, and tells viewers that at this juncture, at least, it certainly appears that all the money and adoration he enjoys hasn't swelled his head, and won't pave the way for a fall to Cotto.


Back to Cotto—the Puerto Rican hitter welcomed Miguel the 3rd to Tampa, for a week-long visit to see pop do his thing. That includes pre-dawn workouts at a local track. Perhaps the "stamina thing," Cotto's supposed tendency to fade in the last third of fights, will not be an issue come Nov. 14, if these track workouts have been installed, or modified, to speak to his gas-tank woes? Team Cotto did manage to get some chill-time in, going golfing, and viewers with old-school values might wonder if Miguel is splitting his focus too much, taking too much time with his son, instead of eating, breathing and sleeping Pacquiao 24-7.


Then again, Manny does manage to have a varied life during training camp. Witness Pacman's duet with a female vocalist on the 1977 Dan Hill classic "Sometimes When We Touch," which he filmed for a Filipino TV network as part of a farewell concert. That went swimmingly, but there was still the matter of the conflict within his crew. Fitness coach Alex Ariza and advisor Michael Koncz haven't been getting along, and snipe at each other in front of Manny, who stays above the fray, seemingly untouched by the chaos. Can Manny truly be as unruffled by the beefing as he appears?


A viewer watching this installment might wonder whether Cotto's sparring partners are of a lesser breed than Pacquaio's and be left to think that Pacman's camp is that much more effective than Miguel's. Cotto gets work in with 9-3-1 southpaw Kenny Abril, from Rochester, NY, and 7-1 Georgian lefty Fred Tukes. Contrasted with Pacman's crew, which included 26-1 Mexican Urbano Antillon, 10-0 Shawn Porter from Ohio and former lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo (60-9-1), it does seem like Cotto's getting gypped in this department. Perhaps the time spent studying films of Pacquiao on the part of Miguel's dad Miguel Sr. and 32-year-old trainer Joe Santiago will compensate.


At Roach's Wild Card Gym, Pacquiao looks trim and on message. He doesn't seem put off by the absence of Michael Moorer, who helped Roach while Manny got ready for Ricky Hatton, and rubbed Manny the wrong way with his brusque manner. The Wild Card looks cramped but homey, while Cotto's training zone in Tampa looks roomier, but more complicated. Viewers see his wife Melissa, who he'd been estranged from, is back in the picture. She comes to the gym, with two more kids, and Miguel's mom, who wears an expression none too joyous. Perhaps those relationships don't siphon an ounce of Cotto's mental energy, perhaps he is relieved to be unburdened from the presence of his uncle Evangelista, who he split from in the spring. But we saw Miguel's dad admit he and his bro have severed ties totally, one wonders if having all these sticky family issues in his face benefits Cotto two weeks before his big bout.

Source: http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/7366/tss-searching-clues-cotto-pacquiao/

Manny Pacquiao is like Bruce Lee

Many readers have commented on the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto fight on November 14.

Among the more memorable messages is this one, from a Chinese fan: “NICE PACMAN YOUR GREAT…FROM CHINA PEOPLE..YOU LIKE BRUCE LEE HERE IN OUR PLACE….”

The comparison is interesting, because Pacquiao and Lee have at least one thing in common – both were born in the house of Sagittarius (Lee’s birthday was November 27 1940, and Pacquiao’s is December 17 1978).

At a stretch it’s worth noting that two of Pacquiao’s greatest wins have occurred within a fortnight of what would have been Lee’s birthday – his TKO win over Marco Antonio Barrera (November 15, 2003) and his third-round KO of Erik Morales (November 18, 2006). Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Pacquiao agreed to fight Cotto on November 14!

Lee was famous for his abilities as a martial arts fighter, as well as being a movie star, but it seems he tried his hand at boxing too – with great success of course.

According to Wikipedia, Lee won the 1958 Hong Kong Inter-School Boxing Championship by incorporating tactics from the martial art, Wing Chun.

Lee died at the age of 32 on May 10, 1973, more than five years before Pacquiao was born.

Source: http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/longdrop/2009/10/19/manny-pacquiao-is-like-bruce-lee/

PACQUIAO WATCH: Asia’s best guns for immortality

FILIPINO boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao is set to leave for the United States Saturday where he will resume training for his November 14 title fight against Puerto Rican Miguel Angel Cotto. Pacquiao will try to wrest Cotto’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown and annex his seventh title in as many weight divisions.

Although the emergence of a cacophony of alphabet soup titles has watered down the prestige of boxing titles, Manny’s quest for immortality takes no precedence.

No fighter has ever done it before.

In fact, no fighter who started his professional career at 106 pounds has ever invaded the featherweight ranks and took away titles along the way.

Manny is gate-crashing into a weight class that has been dominated for decades by pugilists from the Americas. For all the boxing greats that trotted the welterweight division before, none of them has ever come from Asia.

A look to the Hall of Fame of boxing, Pacquiao had already eclipsed all Asian fighters in the history of the sport.

He captured his first boxing title two weeks before his 20th birthday by stunning undefeated Thai hero Chatchai Saisakul via an eight-round knockout.

He lost his World Boxing Council flyweight title when he failed to tip the scales, eventually dropping a third round knockout loss in an ensuing non-bearing bout.

He however bounced back and shocked South African Lehlohonolo Ledwaba to capture the International Boxing Federation super bantamweight crown in the undercard of the De la Hoya-Castillo light middleweight title fight in June 2001.

Little did Pacquiao know he would fight Oscar de la Hoya as a welterweight seven years after appearing on the same boxing card.

Pacquiao however broke into international fame when he pummeled Mexican great Marco Antonio Barrera, then reigning featherweight king, into throwing the towel in eleven rounds - six fights and two years later as a small featherweight.

The rest has been history as Manny would wrest titles in the super featherweight, lightweight and super lightweight by defeating Juan Manuel Marquez, Juan Diaz and Ricky Hatton in the same order.

In his fifteen years of professional boxing, Manny fought, both figuratively and literally, bigger opponents – the most memorable of them Oscar de la Hoya whom he forced to quit on the stool after eight rounds of welterweight boxing in December last year.

Against Cotto, Manny will be fighting in just his third fight north of the 140 pound limit.

Cotto has never fought below the 135-pound limit and is a natural welterweight where he was undefeated until Antonio Margarito knocked him out in July 2008.

Not only is Cotto naturally bigger than Pacquiao, the Puerto Rican is also stronger and younger. Some are saying Cotto is already a shot after his brutal defeat from Margarito.

Whatever it is, a victory over Cotto will place Manny in the solo and enviable spot as the only fighter in the history of boxing to capture seven world titles in seven different weight categories.

Manny is a once-in-a-generation, perhaps in a lifetime, specimen of a boxer gifted with physical attributes that defy physics and demolish conventional wisdom that a good bigger fighter will defeat a smaller good fighter.

A win over Cotto will not only solidify his place in the pantheon of all-time boxing greats, it will also be a triumph of Asians in a sport that was once a fixture of American arenas and may have dated back in the early days of the gladiators.

No Asian sports lover will not celebrate his victory.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-28421.html

Pacquiao Focuses on Life Inside and Outside Ring

In the Philipines, the expectations of Manny Pacquiao have reached lofty levels: his countrymen are starting to believe that there is nothing their champion can't do.

In preparation for Nov. 14, when he'll challenge WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 knockouts) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at a catch-weight of 145 pounds, Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) appears to be in sensational shape thanks to a grueling training regimen.

Reportedly a four-hour ordeal, Pacquiao's workouts are simply "inhumane," said his promoter, Bob Arum, "something very few people in the world" can endure.

Pacquiao is also a political force in his country, where he is running for Congress. There have been typhoons in the Philippines, and Pacquiao is helping to save lives by personally delivering food into devastated areas.

And if you ask Arum, "Pacquiao's people" are close to believing that he is more powerful than a locomotive, is able to out-run a speeding bullet, and is capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

Ironically, the fighter whose nickname is "The Pac Man" even spent time last month filming a movie in the Philippines in which he plays a super hero -- Wambat Man -- whose powers are a combination of those of Superman and Spiderman.

"Wait until you see what the HBO cameras caught on film," said Arum, referring to the cable network's 24/7 series documenting the fighters' camps leading up to their matchup. "They got Manny swimming in an outdoor pool in the middle of a typhoon. It's amazing. But then, this kid is truly amazing."

Arum believes that Pacquiao, who lost his last bid for Congress in the local district, should have a better shot this time "and perhaps get the biggest vote in history if he chooses to run on the party list in the national election."

"Manny's becoming like a god-like figure to these people, but part of it is that he's so unassuming," Arum said of Pacquiao, who is often trailed by admirers during his early morning runs. "He just acts like he's one of them, and they just love him."

Pacquiao's popularity has crossed over into America, where last month, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at San Diego's PETCO Park before the Padres' baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Most recently, Pacquiao was shown flexing his upper torso in ESPN the Magazine's Body Issue, which featured other celebrities -- some of them nude -- such as tennis star Serena Williams and the Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson.

Arum has witnessed Pacquaio's present workouts, which have taken place approximately a mile above sea level at Baguio City's Shape-Up Gym in the Philippines since Sept. 21.

"Before he does anything, he goes down into a corner of the room, kneels down, crosses himself, and says a prayer. Then, Manny does the usual warming up exercises to get limbered up and so forth," Arum said of Pacquiao.

"And then, Manny spars with real life sparring partners, at least 10 rounds," said Arum. "In between rounds, he doesn't sit down."

Pacquaio, who is required to complete 160 rounds of sparring, has employed among his foils former world champion Jose Luis Castillo and Shawn Porter, and could also use either Urbano Antillon or Danny Escobar.

Porter, 21, of Akron, Ohio, is 10-0 with eight knockouts. Antillon, 27, of Maywood, Calif., is 26-1 with 19 KOs. Escobar, 20, of Riverside, Calif., is 3-0 with as many KOs.

"After the sparring, Manny goes right into hitting the mitts," held by trainer, Freddie Roach, "for 10-or-12 rounds -- never stopping between rounds," said Arum. "Then he hits the heavy bag -- not so much the speed bag -- for 45 minutes. Then he jumps rope."

And then, "Manny does these amazing friggin excercises -- the crunches, contortions of his body in different directions," said Arum. "It looks like it's excruciatingly difficult, and it's stuff that I've never seen before."

Arum said the completion of Pacquiao's workout involves "an assistant trainer, with a stick, hitting him like a mad man right in the stomach for like 20 minutes," he said. "It's like, Boom! Boom!. It's directly onto his bare stomach. You're just cringing."

But Pacquiao is nothing if not brave, having broken training earlier this month to provide aid during typhoons that have caused the country's worst flooding in four decades and, reportedly, some 500 deaths.

Typhoon Parma began on Sept. 26, near Baguio City.

After a Saturday workout in Baguio, Arum said Pacquiao drove some 125 miles "through a rainstorm down to Manila to give away food to the people who were made homeless by the floods on the Sunday following training in addition to contributing money."

Pacquiao is unassuming about his volunteering.

"We do as much as we can do when it comes to helping each other," Pacquiao said. "My efforts with the relief efforts are no more important than any other volunteers. It was my honor to be allowed to lend a hand."

The fighter will leave for Los Angeles this Saturday. The ensuing Monday begins Pacquiao's regimen at 2008 Trainer Of The Year Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym. On Nov. 9, Pacquiao will leave The Wild Card for Las Vegas.

Since his career began at 106 pounds in January 1995, Pacquiao has won titles at flyweight (115 pounds), super bantamweight (122), super featherweight (130), lightweight (135) and junior welterweight (140), with notable wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales.

The 2008 Fighter Of The Year shares an alternate nickname, "The Greatest," with another former champion -- a comparison Arum said is not that far off.

"The closest I've seen to this kid's adoration is when Muhammad Ali came back from the three years when he was deprived of fighting. There were segments of the population that just couldn't get enough of Ali," said Arum.

"This kid has that type of relationship with the people, except that Ali had some people who resented him because of the stand he took in the Viet Nam war," said Arum. "Unlike Ali, there doesn't seem to be a segment of the people who don't like Pacquiao."

Source: http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/10/18/pacquiao-focuses-on-life-inside-and-outside-ring/

All work, no play for Freddie Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach has fallen in love with Baguio City but while admitting the summer capital is a romantic place, he said yesterday there’s no time for romance as it’s all business in Manny Pacquiao’s training camp.

A certified bachelor, Roach said he’s currently unattached. “No Filipina girlfriend,” he added. “Not yet.”

Roach, who arrived in Manila from Los Angeles early morning last Sept. 22 and immediately went to Baguio City to work out with Pacquiao that afternoon, said he was never against training in the high-altitude location, about 5,000 feet above sea level.

“I was never against it,” he said from his Manor House suite. “I was concerned about the time zone, the jet lag Manny will have to overcome when he flies to the US. But I think adjusting is no problem. We’ll arrive in Los Angeles three weeks before the fight.”

Pacquiao set up camp in Baguio City last Sept. 20. He will break camp and leave for Manila next Thursday. Then, Pacquiao will train for two days at Gerry Peñalosa’s gym in the Marketplace Mall on Kalentong Street, Mandaluyong. On Saturday night, Oct. 24, Pacquiao and his team will depart for Los Angeles via Philippine Airlines.

Roach said the plan to train at Rod Nazario’s Wild Card Gym in Parañaque after coming down from Baguio was scrapped because the ring in Peñalosa’s facility is more suited for sparring.

“Manny’s hitting harder and he’s stronger than ever before,” said Roach. “I can feel his power when we do the mitts.”

As for Baguio, Roach said there’s no difference training in the city or the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

“The Shape-Up Gym (in Cooyeesan Hotel Plaza) is a beautiful facility, no different from our Wild Card,” said Roach. “We’re doing everything we would be doing at Wild Card. When we’re training, we don’t let the fans in just like at Wild Card so it’s the same situation. We follow the same schedule, run in the morning and do work in the gym in the afternoon. We do the same thing wherever we are. We train just as hard in Los Angeles or anywhere else. Right now, we’re enjoying our best training camp ever. Manny’s comfortable and he’s happy. We’ve got the best quality sparring partners and that’s vital.”

Roach said when it’s not storming, Baguio City is the perfect place to be.

“It’s a wonderful city,” he said. “It’s sunny in the morning then it gets cloudy but pleasant in the afternoon. You can’t do anything about the typhoons. That’s Mother Nature at work. But there’s no upside to the storms. We prefer no typhoons. I heard there’s another storm coming this weekend.”

Roach said he doesn’t mind the fans crowding him for photographs and autographs. “I think Filipino fans are great,” he said. “I love the Filipino people. It’s a good feeling that they recognize me for what I’ve done in boxing and with Manny.”

Roach said when Pacquiao reports for training in Los Angeles, he will go hard in the first week and spar 12 rounds.

“We’ll fly in Saturday,” said Roach. “Manny will rest on Sunday then we start heavy training on Monday. We’ve got two weeks in Los Angeles before we drive to Las Vegas on the Monday of fight week. We’ll be ready for Cotto on Nov. 14.”

Pacquiao and Cotto agreed to face off at a catchweight limit of 145 pounds with the Puerto Rican’s WBO welterweight crown at stake.

The other day, Pacquiao weighed in at 146 pounds after sparring with Porter, Antillon and Castillo.

Roach said Pacquiao should make the 145-pound limit easily and he expects the ring icon to climb the ring at 149, no more than 150, even if Cotto will likely enter close to 160.

Antillon, 27, is scheduled to fly out to Los Angeles today after staying three weeks in Baguio. He is preparing for a comeback after suffering his first loss to Miguel Acosta last July. Antillon once knocked out Pacquiao’s brother Bobby in a single round and has a 26-1 record, with 19 KOs. His departure leaves Pacquiao with Shawn Porter, Danny Escobar and former two-time WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo as sparmates.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=514917&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Pacman floors sparmate twice

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao flooring Shawn Porter twice in sparring last Thursday doesn’t mean much for his chief trainer, Freddie Roach.

“Nothing,” said the three-time Trainer of the Year over the phone yesterday from Baguio City, right after another heavy, non-sparring day at the Shape Up Gym.

“It only means that he’s ready for the fight and that he’s doing very well,” Roach told The STAR, saying that Porter, the undefeated 21-year-old junior middleweight was floored twice by Pacquiao.

Roach said Pacquiao sparred four rounds with Porter, and caught the big and burly native of Ohio, a 2007 National Golden Gloves champion, with two powerful lefts in the third round of their skirmish.

“Yes, Shawn went down twice but he came back very well and caught Manny with a good hook. He came back very well,” said Roach, adding that Pacquiao also sparred four rounds with Jose Luis Castillo.

An Internet report said Castillo, the former WBC lightweight champion who came very close to beating Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2002, had blood on his nose after sparring with the hard-hitting Filipino.

As of Thursday, Pacquiao has logged a total of 46 rounds of sparring, and as the rounds increase to 10 and 12 over the next few days, he should have close to 150 rounds on the book before training ends.

Roach said Pacquiao has decided to cut short his stay in Baguio by a day. He said they should be in Manila on the evening of Thursday, instead of Friday, and train two days in a local gym before flying to Los Angeles on Saturday evening.

“It’s a little hectic coming down so we pushed the date a day ahead,” said Roach, referring to the terrible road conditions from Baguio all the way down to Manila due to the recent spate of typhoons to hit the country.

Pacquiao will hold sparring today against Porter and Castillo, who seemed to have impressed Roach with his style.

“I like his style because he likes to come in and tends to lean forward,” said Roach, close to saying that Castillo, who had two memorable fights with the late Diego Corrales, fights like Cotto.

A few days ago, there was a thread at Pacand, the highly popular Pacquiao website, saying that the Filipino pound-for-pound champion got knocked down in sparring.

But Nonoy Neri of Team Pacquiao was quick to brush it aside.

“Nothing like that. No knockdowns,” he said.

Not until Thursday, when Porter, not Pacquiao, hit the floor. Not once but twice.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=514910&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Pacquiao vs. Cotto: Miguel Will Burst the Manny Mystique

Manny Pacquiao has been largely lionized in the past year by the boxing public since beating Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. It’s sad that boxing fans have been so gullible as to be influenced by two pretty much empty wins as these when crowing Pacquiao as the top fighter in the sport. It’s actually sad when you think about it because it shows that fans don’t really have a great knowledge about the sport and can’t put wins in perspective.

Miguel Cotto is a great fighter, certainly better than De La Hoya and Hatton at this stage in my view. Maybe Hatton and De La Hoya were equally as good fighters at one point in their careers, but not by the time that they got to Pacquiao. Few boxing experts would agree that Hatton and De La Hoya had seen better days by the time that they fought Pacquiao.

So the fighters that Pacquiao faced were played out and vulnerable to getting beaten. And to a certain extent the same thing applies to Cotto, although he still has a lot despite his horrible 11th round stoppage loss to Antonio Margarito last year. Okay, so once we recognize that boxing fans have made the miscalculation of seeing Pacquiao as the top dog in the sport based on his empty wins over De La Hoya and Hatton, we must look at how good Pacquiao really is as a fighter.

The answer to that question, perhaps, can be answered by looking at Pacquiao’s “win” last year over Juan Manuel Marquez. In that fight, Pacquiao was out-boxed in eight of the twelve rounds by Marquez, yet the judges scored the fight for Pacquiao by a 12 round split decision.

I saw the fight five times in a row, okay, and I’m telling you that Marquez should have won that fight, period. I can take the fact that the judges saw it differently, while a massive amount of boxing experts like myself saw it as a Marquez win, but it tells you how good Pacquiao really is.

It doesn’t really matter who won the fight. What matters is that Pacquiao struggled badly against Marquez and won a controversial 12 round split decision. That much we can agree on. Marquez was Pacquiao’s last good opponent. I’m not taking anything away from Hatton or De La Hoya because they were great fighters in their day, but clearly not the same fighters by the time they fought Pacquiao.

But, really, Marquez is the last good fighter that Pacquiao fought and he looked horrible against Marquez. Since Pacquiao had a tough fight against Marquez, that you have to assume is about how good Pacquiao is a as a fighter. You can’t use De La Hoya or Hatton as a measuring sticking because they both looked like condemned fighters as they entered the ring against Pacquiao and didn’t look at all good.

Who besides Marquez can you use in recent history to judge how good Pacquiao is? David Diaz? How about a faded Marco Antonio Barrera? Other than Marquez, you really have to go back years to where Pacquiao fought Erik Morales in their first fight before you see Pacquiao fighting a live body who wasn’t faded, weight drained or just plain not that good.

Okay, so now we bring in Miguel Cotto, who I admit is still probably a little shaken from his beat down from Margarito last year, and put him in with Pacquiao. Say what you want about Cotto’s defensive skills, he’s a great offensive fighter and can punch like few others in the welterweight division. So you put Pacquiao in with Cotto and what do you expect will happen? The answer is in how Pacquiao fought against Marquez. Pacquiao is going to struggle and struggle big time against Cotto and end up taking a beating on November 14th. That’s just the way it is.


Source: http://www.boxingnews24.com/2009/10/pacquiao-vs-cotto-miguel-will-burst-the-manny-mystique/

Pacquiao safe at 150 for bout

MANILA, Philippines - Steady at 150.

With still 34 days before the big fight, Manny Pacquiao hovered around 150 lb and should have no problem making the catchweight of 145 lb when he faces Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight crown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Nonoy Neri of Team Pacquiao yesterday said Pacquiao tipped the scales at 150 the other day after working at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City. He said the reigning pound-for-pound champ is now training as hard and eating as much.

“He’s very comfortable right now because he gets to eat anything he likes. And by training so hard, he stays at 150. He can lose the five pounds in the last two weeks of training and he’ll be safe,” said Neri, a long-time Pacquiao assistant.

Cotto, who agreed to stake his 147 lb title at a catchweight two pounds lower, said during last month’s press tour in the United States he was at 160 lb, and Pacquiao’s conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, said this should favor the FIlipino icon.

“Cotto has to work harder than us making weight,” said Ariza.

Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, said Pacquiao is where he should be right now as they entered their third week of training in the country’s summer capital. They will move to Los Angeles on Oct. 24, and to Las Vegas a week before the Nov. 14 fight.

There were reports, however, that Pacquiao might fly to the US earlier because of the spate of typhoons that have hit the country and may have had an effect on his training in Baguio City, which has been terribly affected by typhoon “Pepeng” this week.

Jose Luis Castillo, the former WBC lightweight champion, arrived in Manila yesterday along with super-lightweight Danny Escobar but couldn’t proceed to Baguio to spar with Pacquiao because the major roads leading to the city are impassable due to flooding or landslides.

It’s the first time Pacquiao will fight at 145 lb, even if he took on Oscar dela Hoya at 147 last December. For the fight against the Golden Boy, Pacquiao tipped the scales on the eve of the fight at 142 lb and climbed the ring at 148 1/2.

For this fight, Roach has set the numbers.

“I see him (Pacquiao) coming into the fight at 149 lb, the heaviest he’ll be in,” said Roach.”He was 148 1/2 for Oscar and 147 for Ricky Hatton last May.”

“But I don’t want him going over 150 because going past 150 will make him sluggish. I don’t care if Cotto climbs the ring at 165. We’ll stay at 150 or less,” said Roach, adding that for the official weigh-in the Pinoy champ should be at arounf 143 lb.

Again, weight is no weighty issue for Pacquiao.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=513167&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Pacquiao’s speed awes sparmate

Manny Pacquiao is joined by his regular retinue plus his dog, Pacman, a Jack Russell, during his training in Baguio City’s Burnham Park on Wednesday. (Photo by RIZALDY COMMANDA)

Undefeated super-welterweight Shawn Porter, the main sparring partner of Manny Pacquiao, asserted on Wednesday that he wasn’t bothered by the Filipino’s vaunted power but admitted he was awed by the pound-for-pound king’s other inimitable trait.

“Its’ not much about his power, it’s his speed,” Porter told the Bulletin.

The Ohio-bred Porter is said to be a clone of Miguel Cotto, who Pacquiao faces on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Porter, 21, the 2007 US Golden Gloves middleweight champion and alternate on the 2008 Olympic team, battled Pacquiao for three intense rounds at the Shape Up Gym inside the Cooyeesan Hotel in Baguio City.

In Thursday’s media day, Porter is going to be sent up again to bang with Pacquiao although their session will last for only two rounds since Pacquiao has also to contend with another sparmate, lightweight Urbano Antillon, for two rounds.

“I am looking forward to my second sparring with Manny, who is a great person outside the ring,” said Porter, who flew in last Sunday but only got to Baguio the following day owing to the inclement weather.

Taking center stage as well during Thursday’s open workout for the media is Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, who is arriving this morning from the US. Arum, who heads Top Rank Inc. will be in Baguio until Sunday morning.

In the coming weeks, Pacquiao will have to deal with Porter and Antillon and possibly another one to be flown over if ever Pacquiao decides to extend his training camp in the City of Pines.

Meanwhile, Cotto’s own training camp is doing very well, Bryan Perez, the Puerto Rican’s aide-de-camp revealed on Thursday.

Cotto has been working out at the Fight Factory in Tampa, Florida, the past two weeks.

“Everything is running up pretty well right now,” said Perez, who is also joined there by chief trainer Joe Santiago and conditioning coach Phil Landman.

Pacquiao ahead of training schedule

Manny Pacquiao is surprisingly ahead of his training schedule, which is four days old, that he is now ready for sparring, the boxer’s American trainer said on Friday.

“This is our best start ever,” trainer Freddie Roach told The Bulletin on Friday after presiding over Pacquiao’s training at the Shape Up Boxing Gym at the Cooyeesan Hotel in Baguio City.

Roach is convinced that the Filipino is fit enough that he can start sparring sessions on Tuesday.

“Manny is going to be ready (to spar),” said Roach, who, in the past had to wait until 10 days or two weeks after the start of training camp before letting Pacquiao do some sparring.

Two sparmates -- unbeaten welterweight prospect Shawn Porter and lightweight star Urbano Antillon -- are arriving in the country tomorrow morning from Los Angeles and motor direct to Baguio from the airport.

While there is still seven-and-a-half weeks to go before Pacquiao faces Miguel Cotto on November 14 in Las Vegas, Roach believes they are not only right on track but a little bit ahead of schedule.

For the third straight day, Roach let Pacquiao hit the mitts for ten rounds after doing nine rounds on Tuesday, just hours after Roach landed in Manila from a 15-hour flight from Los Angeles and less than an hour after arriving in Baguio.

Pacquiao and Roach are camping out in the City of Pines possibly until the third week of October.

Meanwhile, over in Tampa, Florida, site of Cotto’s training camp, top trainer Joe Santiago expressed the belief that on fight night at the MGM Grand, the sheer size advantage of Cotto as well as his natural strength will prove to be very tough for Pacquiao to overcome.

“We have great respect for his speed and we take our hats off to what he’s done for boxing, but on the day of the fight, Miguel is going to be the stronger man in the ring,” Cotto taskmaster Joe Santiago told the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia.

Source: mb.com.ph