LOS ANGELES ? Manny Pacquiao has such a wide arsenal that each time a big fight comes up a new weapon comes along.
This time, according to his chief trainer Freddie Roach, the Filipino southpaw will count on the jab to help get the job done.
?There are weapons that he has and hasn?t used so much,? said Roach as Pacquiao neared his Oct. 6 rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera.
Roach said Pacquiao, always deadly with his left, is coming out with new combinations using the jab more often than before.
?I?m still trying to develop the right hand to make it better than his left. The hook is coming along but his jab, he hasn?t used it much in a fight ever,? he said.
?Manny has to use that quick, hard jab. He can knock this guy out with these jabs. We?re working on that. We?re working on the speed of his right hand.?
During Friday?s workout at the Wild Card Gym, Pacquiao and Roach worked hard on the jab-uppercut-hook combination with occasional digs to the body.
?He?s got to use that right hand more and make it more useful. The more he uses that the more he becomes comfortable,? said Roach.
?Barrera has to look after two hands this time. Manny?s right hand has come a long way,? he added.
Pacquiao did 13 rounds of mitts, non-stop, during a two-hour session held before a very limited crowd. Saturday, exactly one week before the fight, he spars.
Roach also threw emphasis on defense, how to cut the ring and pin Barrera?s back on the ropes.
?But keep him guessing. Don?t make him know when you?re coming,? Roach told Pacquiao during a very short break.
They had a good exchange of ideas during the workout with the Filipino also putting in some thoughts on the type of punches he?d like to throw in any given situation.
At one point, Pacquiao faked missing with a right hook and slowly, his elbow touching his trainer?s face.
?Hey, that?s illegal,? said Roach, and they both laughed.
