I’ll be in 100% condition vs Cotto, Pacquiao assures

While acknowledging the concern from people who want him at the gym now instead of the TV studios or movie set, Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao dismissed fears he’s not taking his upcoming showdown with Miguel Cotto seriously. Pacquiao said he’s just wrapping up his other commitments, including his movie Wapakman and sitcom Show Me Da Manny, but when he opens camp for his eight-week training for the Nov. 14 fight with Cotto, expect him to go business-as-usual at the gym. “Kahit na matindi ang schedule namin sa shooting, hindi ko naman po inaabuso ang aking katawan at sa haba ng walong linggo ng training, tinitiyak kong sapat lang ang panahon upang maghanda kasama si coach Freddie (Roach)," Pacquiao wrote Sunday in his Kumbinasyon column for Abante and PhilBoxing.com. “Kapag naumpisahan ko nang mag-ensayo, wala nang makakapigil sa akin. At sa walong linggo, ipinapangako kong makukuha kong abutin ang 100 percent condition upang maiwagayway muli natin ang ating bandila at sabay-sabay tayong magsasaya bilang isang bansa sa ilalim ng iisang Diyos," he assured. Roach himself was among those who voiced concern for Pacquiao’s supposedly delayed training.

In a recent interview with The Ring writer Michael Rosenthal, Roach said Cotto presents “the toughest fight of Pacquiao’s career." "This is the real deal. Cotto is better than Oscar De La Hoya, better than Ricky Hatton. He’s the biggest, strongest guy we’ve ever fought," Roach told Rosenthal. What's alarming, according to Roach, is that Cotto is seriously training for the "Firepower" bout. “Cotto is getting ready for this fight. He’s in camp already. He knows a win over Manny Pacquiao erases everything else in the past. That’s why he’s in camp early, getting into shape. This guy beat Shane Mosley, a speed guy. He knows how to nullify speed. Someone told me Cotto’s not fast enough. I said, ‘What do you mean he’s not fast enough? He beat Shane Mosley.’ It was a good, close fight but he won. He knows how to deal with speed," he said. “He’s (Cotto) taking this very serious. We have to respect that. If I could just get a hold of Manny and tell him Cotto’s in camp already, he’d be there today. Manny won’t let anyone out train him. That’s how he is," he added. But Pacquiao countered that the reason Cotto hit the gym early was the fact that the Puerto Rican would find it hard to meet the 145-lb catch weight in the usual length of six to eight weeks' training. “Dahil malaking di-hamak si Cotto, mahalaga para sa kanya na mag-umpisang magbawas na ng timbang upang maeksakto ang 145 pounds na limit kung saan kami magtutuos. Dahil sa ako ay hindi likas na welterweight, hindi na ako lumalayo sa timbang na 145 at halos 10 pounds na lang ang layo ko sa catch-weight na iyan," he said. Pacquiao also announced that he would have his initial phase of training in high-altitude Baguio. “Sa aking palagay po, ang Baguio City ang pinaka-safe na lugar upang mag-train sa ngayon at tatapusin namin ang lahat sa Wild Card gym sa Los Angeles," said Pacquiao, who could not spend the entire camp in LA due to US immigration laws limiting his stay in the said country. But Pacquiao’s decision to hold camp in the Philippines would likely elicit a protest from Roach, who had previously voiced his dislike of training in the Philippines due to “distractions." The pound-for-pound king, though, is convinced he could pull it off yet again. “Sa tinagal-tagal ko na sa pagboboksing, alam ko po ang aking sariling kakayahan at ang aking limitasyon," he said. "Sa totoo lang po, hindi lumilipas ang isang araw na hindi ko iniisip si Cotto at kung ano ang aking gagawin upang labanan at talunin ang isang boxer na likas na mas malaki at malakas sa akin. Kung kayo po ay lubos na nag-aalala, alam kong natural lang iyan sa mga nagmamalasakit at nagmamahal sa akin. Huwag po kayong mabahala, everything is under control," he added. - GMANews.TV