Pacquiao begins US training for 4th fight vs Marquez

MANILA -- How to beat Juan Manuel Marquez convincingly will be the main focus of Manny Pacquiao’s Los Angeles camp, which opens Monday (Tuesday in Manila) at the Freddie Roach-owned Wild Card Boxing Gym in Hollywood, California.

There will be the usual roadwork, punching the mitts, heavy bag, double end and speed ball and sparring, but the highlights of the second leg of preparations spread for five weeks before the team proceeds to Las Vegas, site of Pacquiao’s fourth fight against Marquez, will be the mapping out of strategies on how to erase the doubts that marked the combatants' first three fights.

“Besides the nitty-gritty in preparations, Freddie and I will be studying carefully the tapes of our previous fights as well as other fights of Marquez to determine what kind of strategy we will be using to win convincingly, if possible via knockout (KO),” Pacquiao said in a brief phone interview upon his arrival in Los Angeles Saturday night (Sunday in Manila).

“As both of us, Freddie and I have promised, we have to win by KO, o kung hindi man mapatulog, kailangang bugbog-sarado ang kalaban para mahinto na ang mga sali-salita na hindi kumbinsido ang panalo ko or I robbed him of victories,” the eight-division world champion and ‘Fighter of the Decade’ honoree said.

The two finest pound-for-pound fighters meet in Chapter 4 of their historic rivalry on December 8 (December 9 in Manila) at the MGM Grand Arena.

Pacquiao and his team rested the whole day Sunday to remove the jet lag brought about by a 13-hour direct flight from Manila although he said that had it not been a Sunday, he could have opted to start training immediately.

“I am really very eager na mag-start. Busog na busog na ako sa ensayo bago pa lang lumipad dito kaya I feel na my body wouldn’t mind if we start early. Ang lakas na ng katawan ko as a result of our three-week stamina-building regimen while in General Santos City,” he said.

Assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez agreed, saying, “Since we started preparations in GenSan (General Santos), hataw talaga si Manny sa ensayo. That’s why it’s no surprise na madali niyang ma-recover ang stamina nya.”

“Actually, yung strategy, nasimulan na rin naming pag-aralan while still in GenSan,” Buboy, Pacquiao’s boyhood buddy said. “Nadiskubre kasi namin na si Marquez pala ay nagsimula sa boksing as left-handed. 'Yung pagiging right-handed niya, lately lang niya na-develop.”

“That’s probably the reason why Manny finds his style difficult. Bukod sa alam ni Marquez kung saan siya pupunta para mag-counter, malakas din talaga ang kaliwa niya,” Buboy said. “Kaya pagsabak ni Manny dito sa Wild Card with Freddie, madali na.”

The first Pacquiao-Marquez fight in 2004 ended in a draw despite the Filipino icon’s dropping the Mexican legend three times right in the first round. Had one of the judges though scored those three knockdowns, Pacquiao would have won via unanimous decision.

Pacquiao won the second outing four years later via split decision, sending Marquez at the seat of his pants once in the third round.

Pacquiao settled for a majority decision the third time around last year on the strength of an overwhelming advantage in power punches thrown and connected. (PNA/Sunnex)