Manny Pacquiao conditioning coach says top concern is physical shape
Heeding the directives of his training team, Manny Pacquiao has decided to commit his training primarily to physical conditioning and stamina-building for his upcoming bout with Antonio Margarito.
Pacquiao's conditioning expert Alex Ariza said to the
Inquirer that "Pacman" will need to be in tip-top shape to employ the right kind of strategy to beat Margarito. “I think he has to be in the best shape of his life for the kind of strategy Freddie Roach has. He has to be in better shape than he was
for (Miguel) Cotto because his body has to be bigger and stronger, more explosive.”
Ariza acknowledged that Pacquiao was “getting there little by little,” but emphasized future training cannot be overvalued. “We will not skip anything and we’ll focus on the conditioning because maybe
he’s starting to realize that his body is not going to be able to endure a 155 pound guy throwing hammers at him,” Ariza said.
Ariza has worked with Pacquiao in the past. In 2008 he joined in on camp to help Pacquiao prepare for a fight with David Diaz. In that case, however, the stakes were relatively different as both men
weighed roughly the same. In this case, due to Margarito’s natural weight advantage, Pacquiao will have to deter him from leaning on him and throwing his weight, which can “wear you down.”
Ariza attempted to abate growing doubts about Pacquiao by adding that they have a lot of time to train and prepare. Ariza said: “The program is there, he just has to do it. I know it’s hard, I know he
[Pacquiao] doesn’t like it. I know its taxing him with fatigue and everything but I’m not the one who is jumping up to 150 pounds. He is going to have to sacrifice.”
Trainer Freddie Roach recently decided to cut sparring back from the usual 150 round-rate for Pacquiao fights to 100, saying that he doesn’t want to leave too much in the ring during training.
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