Manny Pacquiao’s conditioning coach says training camp lacks intensity of others
Manny Pacquiao has three weeks left to train for his November 13 title fight with Antonio Margarito.
The facts are these.
Margarito has nothing to lose in this fight and everything to gain. Forget titles. It’s about reputation. A win for Margarito would mean redemption in the sport that, for the last year, ostracized him as an outsider and a cheater (following a hand wrap
controversy in January 2009).
Margarito will be in the best shape of his life, as all reports confirm, and with a win over Pacquiao, will be able to say: “I told you so.”
Pacquiao, on the other hand, doesn’t have as much to gain.
His handlers will tell you otherwise. Don't believe them. It's of course true that he stands to earn his eighth-division title, and that’s an extraordinary achievement in professional boxing, not least because it’s never been done before. But amidst the
feat, the looming sense is that, as far as boxing is concerned, Pacquiao has done it all.
Trainer Freddie Roach confirmed as much recently, saying: “You know, if he beats Antonio Margarito, it would be his eighth world title. And what more would he have to accomplish?"
As true as this sentiment is, its wreaked havoc in Manny’s training camp. As he pursues political duties and becomes more engrossed in the wide-sweeping ethos of state politics, it’s no secret that the flame of his boxing career has shrunk considerably.
The one thing people would like to see him do, beat Floyd Mayweather Jr., has sailed so far down current it’s not genuinely expected at this point. So what else?
Something the last few weeks have shown is that the boxing world, as much as they love to see Pacquiao succeed, also like to see him on the verge of failure. Reporter after reporter has seized on a ‘subpar’ training camp in Baguio City, with Pacquiao looking
sluggish and generally inadequate in training. And while some of these speculations can’t be confirmed, enough have indicated difficulties to take them as they are.
Pacquiao’s conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, summed it up by comparing the current context with that of the Miguel Cotto fight in November of last year. In that case, he implied, Manny was the underdog, and it made all the difference. This time around, being
on top comes with its own disadvantages.
“It has to do with the opposition,” Ariza suggested. “When Manny was fighting Cotto, you’re looking at a guy who was very, very good, and potentially a not-beatable opponent. A big puncher, a bigger guy, a stronger guy, (and Pacquiao) moving up to a new
weight class. Cotto had everything going for him against Manny and we had everything going against us. So Manny took that a lot more serious, his approach to that fight was different. ‘I’ll seclude myself away. I’m going to focus on getting myself up early.
I’m going to leave no rock unturned. I’m going to train every way to prepare for a guy like this.’”
Ariza confirmed this mentality has not been activated for the upcoming bout with Margarito. When asked if he has seen similar methods, Ariza said flat out “No, I haven’t,” and added: “You know Manny is a thinker now. Before in the past he was just reckless,
just go in there like a soldier. Now he’s a thinker, he’s watching tape, he’s studying Margarito and he’s thinking, ‘I can beat this guy. Maybe not only on my best day, but maybe even on my (worst) day I can still beat this guy.’”
As Ariza indicates, fans would be wrong to think Pacquiao has it all worked out for him with Margarito. Betting odds, currently at 5 to 1, are way off. Because the context and circumstances of this bout are so completely different than in others for Pacquiao.
He may still win, as expected, but chances are he’s going to have a heck of a time doing it.
Tags: