San Francisco, CA- Manny Pacquiao’s decision to begin training camp in Cebu, Philippines is nothing out of the ordinary. In his fights with Erik Morales, Oscar Larios, and Jorge Solis, Pacquiao kicked off training camp in Cebu in preparation for sparring sessions at the Wild Card Gym. However, unlike past camps in Cebu, Pacquiao will do the brunt of his sparring there instead of Hollywood. Two sparring partners are being sent to the Philippines to work with Pacquiao before heading back to Los Angeles sometime in September.
PACQUIAO CAN’T GET PEACE ANYWHERE!
It is normal for many top fighters in seclude themselves in remote places to set up training camp. Erik Morales trained in the Otomi Mountains of Mexico while Lennox Lewis trained in Pocono’s and Mike Tyson got it together in Arizona. Oscar De Le Hoya, Shane Mosley, and Marco Antonio Barrera, they call Big Bear, CA home while prepping for a fight. For them, it was a chance to train at high altitudes but more importantly to avoid the distractions big cities presents. In the past, the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood was that remote location that Pacquiao could go to avoid the distractions that a huge celebrity like himself faces in his homeland.
EL LAY HAS IT BECOME TOO DISTRACTING?
It may now come to a point where Pacquiao’s popularity in Los Angeles has made it very difficult to run an effective training camp for a big fight. The Wild Card Gym has now been a tourist attraction for boxing fans, as Freddie Roach has become a well-known figure in mainstream boxing because of his work with De La Hoya and Pacquiao. Dozens of theories have been floated around the net as the actual reasons Pacquiao is training in Cebu from tabloid issues like a romantic relationship with a movie star to money issues with Top Rank. All theories could be true or completely false but what is true is that Pacquiao faces fewer distractions in Cebu than in Los Angeles. And hey, Pacquiao has been served summons to appear in court for lawsuits more times in California than in Cebu.
CAN’T GO HANG WITH HIS PEEPS
Pacquiao is not within driving distance from his home in General Santos City, as it is located on a different island, and will not have to share a gym with other fighters while in Cebu. It is rare to see a fighter train in one location and gym for a substantial period of time. Adjustments need to be made and if Pacquiao defeats Barrera again, all the current speculations and debate over his training habits will be for naught.
IT’S TIME FOR AN ALL FILIPINO BATTLE
With three world champions and a recent victory in Boxing World Cup, it is now time to match the nation’s top fighters again each other. It has been Philippine boxing’s best-kept secret for the past several years that no top ten contenders or champions should face each other. Luisito Espinosa, Gerry Penalosa, and Manny Pacquiao never defended their world titles against fellow countrymen.
KING DONAIRE VS. BRIAN V “PERFECT” MATCH
During Brian Viloria’s reign as WBC light flyweight (108 lbs.) champion, Juanito Rubillar was a mandatory challenger for fight for Viloria’s crown. However, at that time it was not “smart business” to match two Filipinos for a world title and Rubillar never got his shot at Viloria. The hot idea was Mexico vs. Philippines and it still is. However, some of the best fights in Mexican boxing history have been between two Mexicans like Israel Vasquez vs. Rafael Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Eric Morales. Two weeks ago, a question was posed to IBF flyweight (112) champion, Nonito Donaire, on whether he would fight fellow titleholder, Gerry Penalosa. Donaire was hesitant to accept that idea because Penalosa is an iconic figure to most Filipino fighters. However, what should have been asked is whether Donaire would fight Brian Vilori?
PARALLEL PATHS LEAD TO BEING RIVALS
Donaire and Viloria both share the same path to glory rivilry while being long time amateur rivals. It was Viloria who beat Donaire in the Olympic trials and therefore went on to represent the United States in the Olympic games. Reportedly, Donaire protested the decision loss to Viloria and did a sit-in in the ring. When Viloria won the title with one punch last September 2005, he instantly became a big hit in the Philippines until losing his title last year. Now, Donaire has literally replaced Viloria’s “spot” on the Philippine celebrity-athlete landscape. Donaire scored a one-punch victory over a perceived monter in Vic Darchinyan and now he is hugely popular in the Philippines. The similarities are even more bizarre as after Donaire won the title, he did the color commentary for the World Cup for ABS-CBN, who once hired Viloria to do the same job after he won the title.
