MANILA(PNA)- First, Team Pacquiao did away with pitching camp in Baguio City, a venue that provided the eight-division belt-owner Manny Pacquiao with high altitude training in his previous fights until last May when he lost to undefeated American junior-welterweight Timothy Bradley.
Then to further assure that no distractions will punctuate the Filipino ring idol?s preparations for his next fight against old-rival Juan Manuel Marquez, chief trainer Freddie Roach has ordered the closure of his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles to anybody except members of the training staff.
Meaning no one, who has no business in the new training scheme to be promulgated starting October 15, including the Team Pacquiao pretenders, will allowed entry to the Vine Street sweat shop in the heart of Hollywood starting October 15 when the ?Pacman? starts serious training for the December 8 battle.
The date is supposed to be the day Pacquiao is to plunge himself into intense preparations in an effort to bounce back from that defeat, albeit controversial, to Bradley that cost him his welterweight crown. Not even media men, according to Roach?s Filipino assistant Marvin Somodio.
?Yun na ang ibig sabihin noong notice na ipinaskel sa loob at labas ng gym,? Somodio told People?s Journal in a telephone conversation Thursday night. ?No exception. Pati siguro kamag-anak.?
Somodio said the gag order will be effective from 1 pm. To 5 p.m. daily even it there is no sparring session scheduled for a day.
?Both coach Freddie kasi and Manny want to win impressively and bring to a close the many questions that surrounded his previous three fights with Marquez, kailangan naka-focus lahat sa preparasyon at walang kahit anong distraction,? Somodio quipped.
?Lahat as in lahat ng nag-o-oversee sa training. Not only Manny, not only Roach, but everybody,? the former amateur standout in the Shape Up Boxing Stable of Cooyeesan Hotel owner Anson Tiu Co explained.
?As I understood it, these precautions, including getting rid of Baguio camp, are parts of new tactics and strategies to be implemented in this fight,? Somodio added.
The closed door training scheme is not new to the team though although this particular rule has been often disregarded than observed as many people, including friends of those close to Pacquiao almost always managed to watch and kibitz in his training regimen, posing for photographs and signing autographs.
?Kasi no matter how strict the rule is implemented, kapag nakita ng security na kaibigan ang gustong pumasok, pinapayagan. Pag hindi pinapasok, galit pa. At hila-hila pa ang mga kasama kaya bago mo malaman, puno na ang gym,? Somodio observed.
?If Roach will have his way, this should be a thing of the past now. Medyo kasi masama ang mga pangyayari nitong mga nakaraang araw,? Somodio said. ?Napagtatalo ang mga boxer ng Wild Card at kailangang makabangon.?
Several more strict measures, according to Somodio, are bound to be implemented when Pacquiao finally arrived in Los Angeles next week.
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