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Thursday, January 27, 2005
Pacman needs to spar
Freddie Roach is now thinking of reposting the “Wanted: Sparring Partners” sign at his door before he runs out of practice opponents for Manny Pacqiao, who is preparing for his March 29 fight with Erik Morales in the “Bring It On” card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao’s first sparring session saw the Filipino whirlwind nick-and-nip Mexican super-featherweight campaigner Raymundo “Sugar” Beltran in three rounds last Tuesday at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angles.
Right after the opening round, Pacquiao’s heavy left straight left a nasty bruise on Beltran’s right eyelid, forcing the People’s Featherweight Champion to slowdown for the next two rounds.
Pacquiao thought he hit Beltran’s eye socket and had to stop the action to check if his spar mate
could continue the session.
Not a patsy
Beltran is no patsy, having won his last 11 fights. He carries a 16-2 win-loss record, but his skills and talent were no match against Pacquiao, as the Filipino ring hero overwhelmed Morales’ countryman with a variety of combinations.
Sparring sessions are made to establish momentum leading to fight night and with the way it’s going, Pacquiao is looking for a quick win against Morales in their super-featherweight championship bout.
Just like when he was preparing for Juan Manuel Morales last year, those who train at the Wild Card gym stopped to watch Pacquiao display his quickness and power against a spar mate.
Wanted sign
That was also the first time Roach posted the “Wanted” sign at his gym’s door after Pacquiao bruised the ribcage of Armenian Kahren Harutyunyan.
Pacquiao plunged himself in serious preparation for his dream fight while enjoying the visit of his wife Jinkee and son Emmanuel Jr.
To prepare himself mentally, Pacquiao takes his family to frolic on a Sunday at Disneyland, play billiards, chess and poker and strum the guitar sparingly – his brief moments of relaxation while preparing for the biggest fight of his career.
“I want to be in the best shape of my life when I get the chance to fight Morales and I am very excited about it,” said Pacquiao.
(January 27, 2005 issue)
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