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Friday, September 22, 2006
Sayson: MP-EP 3 equals fistic blockbuster
By Homer Sayson
Secondovertime
CHICAGO — Manny Pacquiao, with the usual hype swirling around him, arrived in Los Angeles this week. The Filipino warrior promised to devote the next eight weeks at the Wild Card gym and “kill himself” training for the biggest and most lucrative fight of his life.
Set this Nov. 18 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, the last leg of the Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales trilogy is an eagerly anticipated rubber-match, another bloody mess that will violently break a 1-1 tie the sluggers forged after two previous duels.
And while Nov. 18 is still a few leaps from the tiny squares of a calendar, the mere anticipation of MP-EM 3 signals Pacquiao season for boxing-crazy Pinoys around the world, including some of Sun.Star Cebu readers, who have PacMan on their minds.
“I just want to know if you have some updates about Manny’s training, his conditioning and the fighting strategy he will use in his third fight against Morales,” asked Gerald Manigos (gerald.manigos@gmail.com).
In a press conference at Beverly Hills Hotel on Tuesday, Manny admits to weighing 137 pounds, which means that serious work awaits as he endeavors to go down to 130. And since his last fight was July 2, Manny’s conditioning is presumably not A-1 just yet.
But under the watchful eyes of trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning guru Justine Fortune, PacMan (42-3, 33 KOs) will definitely be in tip-top shape for fight night.
Trying to box with Morales, a technically skilled and opportunistic counter-puncher didn’t work out for Manny, who lost a 12-round decision in MP-EM 1. But crowding the 5-foot-8 Mexican did the trick for PacMan, who devoured his nemesis with a brutal 10th round TKO in MP-EM 2.
In so far as strategy is concerned, I think Manny, 27, will use his speed, quickness and stamina against the 30-year old Morales. And to achieve that, Manny will constantly advance, using his quickness and hand speed to offset stiff jab and bread-and-butter right of Morales (48-4, 32 KOs).
PACMAN-BARRERA II. “I dreamed that Marco Antonio Barrera will lose to Rocky Juarez. The upset will close the doors to a possible Pacquiao-Barrera rematch. Will this dream come true?”
That was from Peter Tejero (dgt_radz@yahoo.com.ph) a UC student who e-mailed me his thoughts the day before the Barrera-Juarez rematch.
Kaboom! Sorry Peter, that was me smacking your head just to make sure you’re awake. Barrera did beat Rocky, albeit in a boring 12-round bout that was magical in the sense that it almost put some 10,000 people to sleep.
I think Pacquiao-Barrera II will materialize. It’s simply too lucrative for both camps. Sure, Pacquiao will be the star and top-drawer of that card, but Barrera’s loyal Mexican following will make their rematch an easy pay-per-view sell.
And here’s an interesting note from Max Francis Talle (maxfrancis_talle@yahoo.com): “PacMan should beat Erik by TKO or UD, then take out Barrera for the WBC superfeatherweight title. After both wins, a unification bout with WBA champ Edwin Valero will be great, possibly at the Araneta Coliseum in what may well be ‘Fight of the Year.’”
Well, if Manny does go 2-for-2 versus Erik and Marco, why not got for Valero?
P.S. Reacting bitterly to my Monday column (“Bitter taste of Nestle in my e-mail,” Sun.Star Cebu 9-18-06), someone sent me a nasty e-mail. And while I normally don’t entertain cowards who hide in unknown e-mail addresses, I’m going to share this funny stuff.
Here’s what Mr. Unknown (gilbeys8273@yahoo.com) wrote: “I thought you were a jerk before and now I believe...You should have your head check. It might blow away for too much air.”
I’m sure the sender meant for me to be mad, but I ended up almost dying with laughter instead. “Check my head?” Why don’t you check your miserable grammar for a quick lesson in tenses. “Blow away for too much air?” Jeez, did you sleep in class?
Anyway, Mr. Unknown, thanks for the comic relief. I needed it.
(homsay@hotmail.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (September 22, 2006 issue)
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