MANILA, Philippines — Manny Pacquiao is slowly but surely whipping himself into shape for his March 15 rematch with World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
The Filipino ring icon bared in his column in www.philboxing.com Thursday that he is still into the lighter part of the training regimen charted for him by trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
“We have yet to begin the difficult part of our training,” Pacquiao said in Filipino. “My conditioning is still light and this is just right because an athlete should not over-train. That’s the last thing I want to happen going to March 15.”
Aware of Marquez’s intense training in Mexico, Pacquiao said he’s doing everything to ensure victory with the help of Team Pacquiao and Filipino friends in Los Angeles.
Come fight time at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Pacquiao pledged that he would be 100-percent fit.
The only thing bothering him, according to Pacquiao, is faulty officiating that could again affect the outcome of Pacquiao-Marquez II as it did when they first fought in May 2004.
Pacquiao then zeroed in on the scoring discrepancies of the three judges, one of whom later admitted a scoring mistake in the first round that could have netted him a victory, instead of a draw.
This time, Pacquiao said he is hoping that the chosen judges would be fair, with enough experience and training. He also said that the judges should have “clear vision” to ensure that the rightful victor would be proclaimed.
To spend his time more productively during training breaks, Pacquiao bought an expensive camera and a laptop, which he uses at his Palazzo residence before going to bed at about 9:30 p.m.
