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

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Source: etceterra.blogspot.com

Don’t be surprised if three-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach is grinning from ear to ear right on his first day in training camp with boxing star Manny Pacquiao.

Roach expressed surprise at how the boxing icon appears to be in shape with their eight-week training camp still to go the full grind.

The American trainer found this out after going nine rounds with Pacquiao working on the mitts.

“He was very sharp. If I didn’t know better, I would think he was in the gym for a month now," said the American trainer following the afternoon workout at the Shape-Up gym inside the Cooyesan Hotel along Naguillan Road in Baguio City.

“His combinations are fast and his power is already there. He wanted to make an impression on me and he certainly did."


Roach immediately went to work after arriving Tuesday in the summer hideaway shortly before noon, along with conditioning coach Alex Ariza and Wild Card Gym security head Rob Peters from a 14-hour flight from Los Angeles, California.

Initially hesitant to conduct training camp here because of the expected many distraction on Pacquiao, Roach appeared to be satisfied with the way things unraveled in his reunion with his prized boxer.

“It has nothing to do with the Philippines. The only problem I have is the jetlag and going back. So I want to make sure we’re going to have enough time to come back and adjust and be 100 percent," he said.

For the next four weeks, the country’s Summer Capital will be Team Pacquiao’s home as it primes up for a November 14 title fight with current World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight king Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

The 30-year old pound-for-pound best fighter in the world won’t start sparring until Tuesday next week, although Roach said training would be made closed-door in the coming days.

Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon, handpicked by Roach to be Pacquiao’s sparmates, are coming by Sunday from the U.S.

Thursday next week, a media day is scheduled to be held at the gym in time for the arrival of Top Rank big boss Bob Arum.

Middle of October, Pacquiao, Roach and the rest of the team will fly to the U.S. and resume the final phase of training camp at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

And Roach couldn’t help but look forward to the coming days as he expects Pacquiao to get even better. “Without a doubt, this is our best start. He’s now in great shape and I’m fine with that."



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Source: gmanews.tv

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MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach wants Manny Pacquiao to set the pace against Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand on Nov. 14.

“We will try to set the pace and not allow Cotto to do it,” said the American trainer, who arrived in Manila from Los Angeles yesterday morning, and presided over the boxing icon’s 90-minute workout in Baguio City early in the afternoon.

Roach, who flew in with conditioning expert Alex Ariza, told scribes that they will focus on “how to parry” Cotto’s famous left hook, which the Puerto Rican welterweight champion loves to throw both to the head and body.

Roach said he expects a tough fight against the bigger, heavier and younger Cotto, and in fact had predicted the coming fight to last the distance of 12 rounds, when in their last few fights he had called for a knockout.

“Believe me when I say this is going to be his (Pacquiao) toughest fight ever,” he said.

Pacquiao worked out at the Shape Up boxing gym of the Cooyeesan Hotel of the country’ summer capital a little past 1 p.m., and Roach had the good impression that his prized ward isn’t leaving anything to chance.

It made Roach feel better, too, knowing that Pacquiao had worked out two days at the Wild Card Gym in Parañaque last week, and had gone out running in the morning even before he motored his way to Baguio last Sunday.

“He looks he can fight on Saturday,” said Roach.

He also said he liked the condition of the gym, which is located on the second floor of the hotel where Pacquiao is staying at, describing the place as “beautiful and clean” and fit for champions.

“I love it. The ring is nice,” Roach said.

Security, as the three-time Trainer of the Year wants, is tight. To get near Pacquiao, one needs to get past four checkpoints — at the main entrance of the hotel, in the second floor, the door to the gym, and another one closer to the ring.

The gym will be closed even to mediamen starting today. A media day, however, is being scheduled for Oct. 1, the day Top Rank president Bob Arum arrives to check on his boxer.

Roach said sparring should begin next week. The sparring partners, maybe three or four of them, will start coming in on Sunday, and will be given a couple of days to adjust before getting it on with Pacquiao.

For the second straight day, Pacquiao created a stir when he did his morning run at the famous Burnham Park where he checked out some grapes being sold, and joined some residents doing their Tae Bo aerobic workout in the park.

Pacquiao pulled off a stunt when he jumped into the motorcycle of his police escort on the way to a golf course being constructed near his hotel, where he now plans to do his morning runs.

Pacquiao will train in Baguio for four weeks, but plans may change, and he might even stay longer than that, and go straight to Las Vegas two weeks before what could be the biggest fight of the year.

Roach had no complaints whatsoever, none yet for the meantime, except mentioning that training in Baguio City, which is 5,000 feet above sea level, is much different than in Los Angeles or Las Vegas which is at sea level.

“There is the altitude to play with,” he said. “Maybe, he wanted to impress me.”

Source: www.philstar.com

BAGUIO CITY — Manny Pacquiao’s training moved a notch on Tuesday with the arrival of Freddie Roach, who could not help but heap praises on his prized pupil after doing nine hard rounds with the mitts.

“Manny looked today as if he is ready to fight on Saturday,” said an amused Roach.

“Manny’s already sharp and he did what I wanted him to do. He moved as if he’s already been training the past two months.

“The power and the speed is right there today. I am very impressed,” added Roach, whose next concern is how to slow his hardworking fighter after a fiery start.

“He wanted to make an impression on me and he certainly did.”

Roach and conditioning coach Alex Ariza and Wild Card enforcer Rob Peters arrived in Manila from a 15-hour direct flight at 3:45 a.m. from Los Angeles and after clearing customs and immigration an hour later, they were driven to the Philippines’ summer capital on board a van driven by Enrico Tan of Avis. Also on board the van for the six-hour journey was this reporter.

“I am looking forward to working with Manny again,” said Roach, who will be here to spend four, five or even six weeks and help Pacquiao prepare for his November 14 showdown with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

“It didn’t take long for Pacquiao and Roach to reconnect as they went through the motions of the punch mitt session just like the olden days when all the master needed was make eye contact and his pupil would respond with a blazing combination.

Pacquiao adviser Mike Koncz said that in the succeeding days, Pacquiao’s training will be closed for viewing and it will only be on Thursday next week that members of the media will be allowed to watch the proceedings with the arrival of Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum.

Koncz said former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson will fetch Arum at the airport in Manila then will fly him on board his private plane for the media day scheduled that day, the only time that Pacquiao will let writers, photographer and broadcasters to see him train.

Pacquiao intends to train here until mid-October then move to the Wild Card in Hollywood for the final push but Roach said he won’t be surprised if his fighter opts to spend five or even six weeks here before heading to the US.

Roach, meanwhile, revealed that two sparring partners – Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon – are flying in from the US this Sunday.

“If we spend more than four weeks here, I will ask one more guy to come over,” said Roach.

Roach said Pacquiao will kick off his sparring session on Tuesday or Thursday next week – depending on Manny’s condition – and not on the physical shape of the sparmates.

“They (sparring partners) get paid,” said Roach.

Source: mb.com.ph

Among the Top 20 Fighters in the World of Boxing Vs Mixed Martial Arts, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao holds the number 1 position in Boxing while Anderson Silva as the number 1 Pound for Pound Fighter in Mixed Martial Arts


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