LAS VEGAS ? If and when newly crowned WBC superfeatherweight champion Manny Pacquiao invades the lightweight division, he?ll be mandated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to wear 10-ounce gloves with the extra weight meant to lessen the impact of punches as a safety measure.
In the superfeatherweight class, gloves are eight-ouncers.
Anywhere in the US outside Nevada and anywhere else in the world, 10-ounce gloves are used only from the welterweight division (147 pounds) up.
But Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach said the other day the extra cushion isn?t a cause for concern.
?I don?t think it?ll make a difference in Manny?s case,? said Roach. ?He?ll keep his power despite the padding.?
Pacquiao?s adviser Michael Koncz said he recalled Nevada official Sig Rogich proposed the use of 10-ounce gloves from lightweight up as a knee-jerk reaction to an incidence of ring-related injuries a few years back.
?But I think the rule is being restudied and may be removed or moved back from welterweight up,? said Koncz. ?I?m not sure when the rule will be changed or if it will be changed at all. It might not happen if Manny goes on to fight David Diaz for the WBC lightweight title in June.?
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum proposed to stage Pacquiao?s challenge on June 28 here but that was before last Saturday?s brawl with Juan Manuel Marquez. The indication is Pacquiao will need a few months to recover from his cuts and bruises and may not be ready for Diaz until July or August. It is Pacquiao?s plan to fight thrice this year.
An earlier proposal to hold the bout in Macau was scuttled.
?It didn?t make sense to do it in Macau because Top Rank wouldn?t be in control of the event,? said Koncz. ?Besides, there isn?t a boxing commission in Macau so it will be difficult to get the necessary clearances for the fight card.?
Koncz said at this stage of Pacquiao?s career, his goal is to build a legacy.
?It?s not money,? he went on. ?Manny wants to be remembered for his achievements as a fighter.? He?s now the first Asian to win three world titles in different divisions. If he beats Diaz, he?ll become the first Asian to win four world titles in different divisions.
Koncz said the fight against Marquez was likely Pacquiao?s last as a superfeatherweight.
Pacquiao weighed in at 129 pounds the day before the bout but showed up in the ring at least 15 pounds more the next day.
* * * *
Nutritionist Dr. Sanirose Orbeta has cautioned Pacquiao on the pitfalls of gaining so much weight in just a day. She estimated a spurt of only up to 141 pounds from 129 as manageable and anything more could make the muscles tight and adversely affect mobility, speed and alertness.
Orbeta expressed her apprehensions to lawyer Rudy Salud, the former WBC secretary-general who celebrated his 70th birthday at the Loyola Grand Villas last Thursday.
Lito Mondejar, who used to work in Pacquiao?s corner and was invited to fly here for the Marquez rematch, said it?s not time to invade the lightweight ranks.
?Manny can still make 130,? he said. ?If he goes up to 135, he?ll be fighting bigger opponents who hit harder and wouldn?t respect his power too much.?
Mondejar?s buddies Rod Nazario, Moy Lainez, Gerry Garcia and Peter Baumann also witnessed the fight.
* * * *
Erik Morales, the last fighter to beat Pacquiao, flew in from San Diego with wife Andrea to watch the bout. Morales and his wife were treated by Filipino sportsman Hermie Esguerra to the Cirque de Soleil?s Beatles musical ?Love? at the Mirage Hotel the other night.
In a poll by Todo Menos Futbol sports magazine, Morales was the only Mexican who picked Pacquiao to beat Marquez. Others who chose Pacquiao were Larry Holmes, David Diaz and writers Greg Beacham, Keiran Mulvaney, Lance Pugmire and Dan Rafael.
Those who chose Marquez to win were Julio Cesar Chavez, Tommy Hearns, Chad Dawson, Marco Antonio Barrera, Humberto Gonzalez, Daniel Zaragoza, Bert Sugar and Sugar Shane Mosley.
Morales looked like he?s enjoying his rest from boxing with his weight ballooning to about 170 pounds.
