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Philippines, 12 Mar 2026 |
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AUTUMN IS HERE, CAN THE YEAR'S BEST FIGHT BE FAR BEHIND? By Ed de la Vega, DDS PhilBoxing.com Tue, 06 Oct 2009  CANOGA PARK, CA -- As I opened the front door to get my newspaper very early this morning, I felt the first burst of the cold winds that usually ushers the fall season. The cold winds mean only one thing. Summer is gone and the early days of the autumn is upon us. And soon we will all be heading to Vegas for that fateful day in November when the biggest and the ?baddest? fight of them all for 2009 finally rolls around. Unfortunately, autumn also ushers the oftentimes deadly and destructive wildfires in California. So far, three big ones had occurred already damaging million dollars worth of property and forest areas and killing two firefighters. The other fire, the Pacquiao-Cotto ?fire power? will explode more or less 40 days from now. Forty long or short days, depending on how it is perceived. To the boxing fans, it?s 40 longs days of waiting to see their idols again. Meanwhile, to Team Pacquiao and Team Cotto, it is just 40 more days of hard work before fight night. Speaking of the training camps, it is very interesting to note the vast differences on how they are conducted. Cotto?s training in Florida hardly gets that much ink. Perhaps it?s designed that way to keep Team Pacquiao guessing as to what they are doing. Could be a good ploy, indeed. Could it also be because many have practically written off Cotto as a fodder meant to lose to Pacquiao? Or could it also be that his training camp so ?clean? and non-contentious that nothing spectacular could be written about it? Whatever! On the contrary what is happening at the Pacquiao training camp is all over the news, on the internet particularly. From bits and pieces like Pacman, the dog escaping from the room where he is kept, to the alleged bickering (again?) between Freddie Roach and Michael Koncz. The wrangling amongst people within Team Pacquiao should no longer be news. They are as common as the nasty typhoons that come around on a yearly basis in the Philippines wrecking havoc to the country or the many unneeded hangers-on that usually populate places where Pacquiao pitches his abode for the duration of the training camp. Thankfully, such alleged squabbling has not done anything to distract the man himself, Manny Pacquiao. What seems apparent is such incidents become the driving forces that generate the energy allowing him to be who he is today:- a mean fighting machine. Pacquiao thrives on all these controversies. They rev him up so high that he becomes who he is when inside the ring. Pacquiao is not unaware of what happens within his team on a daily basis simply because he makes it his business to know what is going on. Besides he gets his almost daily dose of info from everyone, particularly from those looking to score a point and look good in the eyes of the champ. Therefore, as I mentioned, such news as Koncz and Roach being after each other?s throats should not even merit any ink, much less cause any concerns at all. It is a common knowledge that many within the team dislike Koncz, the Canadian ?go-fer? for his unusual style of dealing with people. Some people aptly describe it as ?obnoxious?. Personally, I have no opinion about the guy but one thing that amazes me about the man is no matter what is said or written, he simply ignores it and carries on with his job regardless who gets run over. But who could blame the guy for not being such when it is generally known that his only source of income is Pacquiao. For as long as he gets his work done he stays as part of the team and he makes a living. If people are concerned about the alleged distractions particularly involving Roach and Koncz, I say:- stay cool people! Pacquiao may have lots of stuff in his mind but he is still the boss and he calls the shots. If he knows that Koncz is causing irreparable damage, he will surely let him go. I have heard people say that there must be some really good reason(s) why Koncz is still around. No one but Pacquiao knows for sure. At any rate that is no longer our business. Roach and Koncz may or may not have such squabbling but regardless, such frictions are not about to do any damage much less negatively impact the training. Winning the fight with Cotto is still the primary focus discords not-with-standing. As Roach often said, nobody trains like Pacquiao. Even Buboy Fernandez echoes that. Therefore even with the alleged distractions, things will always turn out for the best. We have seen it happen too often not to believe it. What is more important is that the Pacman is now hunkered down in Baguio and doing what needs to be done. And, he will continue to do so when he gets back to the Wildcard Gym in Hollywood towards the end of October to continue just that. Whew?.just like many of fans out there, I can hardly wait for November. The cold winds are here, the Pacquiao-Cotto blockbuster can?t be too far behind. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.  |
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