LOS ANGELES — The original plan was to do it step by step, slowly but surely.
There was no rush, whatsoever.
Vice Gov. Manny Pi?ol of North Cotabato had never hoped to have any of his young, talented fighters immediately featured in a big Las Vegas card.
Of course, he wanted two or three boxers in his growing stable to follow the footsteps of Manny Pacquiao, who hit it big in the United States after gambling with his career when the chips were down.
But the plan was for these young prospects to first enroll in a tested American training camp, not necessarily at Wild Card Gym here, where they could train and toughen up, before shooting for the stars in glittering Las Vegas.
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The long, winding road to Las Vegas has been drastically cut.
All Pi?ol had to do was travel to Cebu City, where Pacquiao is deep in training for his Oct. 6 rematch with Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera.
When Pi?ol emerged from a huddle with Pacquiao, trainer Freddie Roach and international matchmaker Rex “Wakee” Salud on Monday, he was in a joyful, screaming mood.
Pacquiao has seen to it that two top boxers from the Braveheart Stable in Kidapawan City, managed by Pi?ol in a team-up with Chicago-based Filipino sportsman Rolando Hiso, will fight in the undercard of his rematch with Barrera.
It’s his turn to give more promising Filipino boxers a chance to shine in the lucrative American boxing market, Pacquiao was quoted as saying.
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On Tuesday, a humbled Pi?ol was on the phone to confirm that WBO Asia-Pacific interim featherweight champion Glenn Gonzales, 22, and the talented bantamweight Jundy Maraon, 22, will soon leave for the United States.
But before they could pack their bags, these top pugs from Mindanao will have to travel to Cebu, check in at the RWS gym and train with Pacquiao.
“I want to show them how hard I train,” Pacquiao said.
As could be expected, Gonzales and Maraon, trained by Noli Pi?ol, will be under the supervision of Roach, two-time Trainer of the Year.
Who knows? Maybe all Pi?ol had wanted was for a few of his boxers to be able to train at the Cebu gym under the guidance of Roach while Pacquiao is still working out in the country.
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You see, part of the original plan was for at least three Braveheart fighters to train in a noted Chicago gym because, as Pi?ol maintained, Wild Card was already too crowded and Roach had enough boxers than he could effectively handle.
Hiso, who has been helping in the upkeep of the Braveheart fighters from his Chicago end — sending vitamins, fighting uniforms and equipment, while helping Pi?ol promote fights — was to provide board and lodging for the fighters in their US training.
However, that Chicago part of the initial plan had to be shelved following the knockout defeat of Rodel Mayol in his world junior flyweight title bid on Aug. 4.
Reason: Mayol, who looked malnourished and over-trained, was handled by the same trainer who was supposed to teach and shape up the first wave of Braveheart fighters from Mindanao.
Anyway, it’s very likely Pacquiao was repaying Pi?ol a debt of gratitude in instantly accommodating Gonzales (6 wins, 1 draw, 4 KOs) and bantamweight Maraon (11 wins, 1 draw, 9 KOs) in the October Vegas blockbuster.
Pi?ol had to gamble with the shirt on his back in order to promote Pacquiao, at least twice in Kidapawan and once in Davao, when the boxing superstar was trying to pick up the pieces of his career following his tragic 1999 dethronement as WBC flyweight king in Thailand.
