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Thursday, March 18, 2004
Pacman ‘gets lazy’ ahead of megafight
By GLENN c. MICHELENA
Sun.Star Correspondent
IT’S now official.
MGM Grand will be hosting the titanic battle between Filipino featherweight terror Manny Pacquiao and Mexican IBF/WBA featherweight kingpin Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez on May 8.
Murad Muhhamad and Bob Arum of Top Rank Boxing, the promoters of the megafight, have just forged a deal with MGM Grand to stage the fight, which will be aired on HBO via live broadcast.
With the date and venue already officially set, the country is once again set to witness another blockbuster performance by its beloved “Pacman” – or it may not.
Bad news
A distressing number of negative news reports have it that Pacquiao (38-2-1 30), Ring Magazine’s World Featherweight Champion, is currently embracing the fast-lane lifestyle of gambling sprees and late-night activities.
Worse, Pacquiao is yet to start training for the fight, giving him only eight weeks of practice before fighting Marquez (42-2-0 33).
Pacquiao recently drew a hail of flak from the local media for his undisciplined lifestyle and is rumored to be at odds with his wife for losing millions in pool wagers and cockfights.
Marquez, on the other hand, is reportedly already in full training for Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, now considered the top featherweight in the world after his 11-round demolition job on Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera last year, is set to leave for the US, along with his kids, to train under Freddie Roach next week.
That Pacquiao is not training as hard as he did for the Barrera fight is highly alarming, considering that Marquez is one lethal adversary.
In an interview with Boxingtalk’s Rey Danseco, veteran boxing promoter/trainer Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde opined that he thinks Pacquiao has a 50-50 chance against Marquez, rationalizing that “Dinamita” possesses a blockbuster right hand and is a battle-scarred veteran of big fights.
Dinamita’s power
Elorde witnessed Marquez’s prowess firsthand while attending Philippine featherweight cham-pion Baby Lorona Jr.’s corner against Marquez at the Peppermill Hotel Casino in Reno, Nevada in April 2001.
In that fight, Lorona was badly bludgeoned and could not make it out of the second round against Marquez.
(March 18, 2004 issue)
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