Filtered By: Sports
Sports

Roach says Pacquiao currently at 40% condition


BAGUIO City – Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach admitted Manny Pacquiao has yet to get his rhythm back for his 12-round title fight against Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto next month. But the famed guru is not about to press the panic button, expecting the Filipino ring icon to get better and better as training camp at the Shape-Up gym here builds up leading to the Nov. 14 fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Where he is now? I’d say 40 percent," Roach said in reply to one of several concerns members of the press raised during the jampacked open workout Pacquiao held for both the media and boxing fans Thursday.

Manny Pacquiao does the mitts with trainer Freddie Roach at his training camp in Baguio City Thursday for his upcoming fight with Miguel Cotto. Dave Leprozo
“Yeah, it’s been a great start. His energy, mental attitude had been great, but his performance today (Thursday) wasn’t what gonna beat Cotto. We have to get a lot better obviously," added Roach. Thursday’s workout marked the second day of sparring session in the two-week-old training camp, with Pacquiao going two rounds each against 2007 Golden Gloves champion Shawn Porter and lightweight Urbano Antillon. The same way during the opening day of sparring Tuesday, the 21-year-old Porter, an unbeaten junior middleweight contender (10-0), again gave the “Pacman" a hell of a time, often snapping back Pacquiao’s head with his constant jabbing and solid rights. But Pacquiao also had his moments against the unbeaten boxing prospect, dazzling those at ringside with his blinding speed and quick combinations. “Is he (Pacquiao) strong? Yeah, definitely," said Porter after the sparring. “He boxed better today than the first time we sparred (three rounds), and I expect him to get even better." Cotto-like sparmate coming As training camp enters its third week, one more sparmate will be coming over in this mountain hideaway to help Pacquiao get in shape for his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship fight with Cotto. Alex Ariza, the conditioning coach of the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, bared that undefeated welterweight Omar Henry has already been offered as possible Pacquiao sparmate, with the camp of the Filipino ring superstar only awaiting confirmation from the manager of the young boxer from Austin, Texas. “He (Henry) looks exactly like Cotto, moves like Cotto, fights like Cotto and wants to be like Cotto," said Ariza of Henry, who sports a 14-0 ring record.

Where he is now? I’d say 40 percent. Yeah, it’s been a great start. His energy, mental attitude had been great, but his performance today (Thursday) wasn’t what gonna beat Cotto. We have to get a lot better obviously.
– Trainer Freddie Roach
After sparring with Porter and Antillon, Pacquiao did the mitts with Roach, worked with the speedball and shadowboxed before capping the day by doing some stretching with the help of assistants Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri. No road work was held in the morning as Roach let Pacquiao take a rest after playing basketball the night before, causing him to show up at the afternoon workout wearing a protective gear on his right leg. Roach said training camp in this City of Pines will last for three more weeks before Team Pacquiao leaves for the U.S. and shifts camp at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles for the final two weeks. And just how confident he is at Pacquiao readily regaining back the form that sent the great Oscar De La Hoya into retirement and knocked out cold former junior welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, Roach again reiterated a possible knockout win for his prized ward. “I think we’re gonna knock him out in the early rounds," he said. - GMANews.TV
LOADING CONTENT