Freddie Roach’s faith in Manny remains undaunted
Nothing's going to shake Freddie Roach’s opinion of Manny Pacquiao.
A couple of weeks ago at the dawn of training camp, the legendary trainer said his prizefighter would knockout Antonio Margarito in eight rounds when they meet 13 November. Now some weeks later, despite
Pacquiao suffering from a cold and grueling training conditions, Roach is sticking to his guns.
“With the way things are going right now, I'm sure we're going to knock him out in the eighth. Maybe less (rounds),” Roach reiterated. “Nothing has changed in his routine. He is still very strong.”
WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan recently arrived in Baguio City to aid Pacquiao in his training. Khan will be sparring with Pacquiao and preparing for his own upcoming bout against Marcos Maidana
11 December in Las Vegas. He joins an already all-star cast of sparring partners for “Pacman,” including undefeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., junior middleweight prospect Glen Tapia, and middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan.
Pacquiao complained about a sinus problem recently, and camp was suspended for a day so that he could recover. It is well-known that fighters risk frequent sickness when training intensely for bouts,
since so much of the body’s energy is put into working out it is left open to germs and ailment.
The Philippine congressman has likewise been on a highly taxing diet plan arranged by conditioning coach Alex Ariza, as well as an advanced isometric program for strength enhancement. Pacquiao is currently
consuming 7,000 calories a day and eating every few hours in order to gain the necessary body weight for the fight and more importantly to convert it into utilizable muscle.
As a joke but also a serious proposal, Roach recently put a bounty on Pacquiao’s head, suggesting that any sparring partner to floor Pacquiao will receive $1,000 dollars. Both Martirosyan and Chavez Jr.
said they would like to take Roach up on the offer.
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