MANILA, Philippines?Manny Pacquiao can no longer eat as he pleases on the eve of his showdown with David Diaz.
Noting that Pacquiao put on too much weight after meeting the 130-pound limit against Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15, celebrated trainer Freddie Roach said he?s going to closely monitor the Filipino ring icon?s food intake even after the weigh-in of their World Boxing Council lightweight title duel on June 28 in Las Vegas.
In an interview with Ace Freeman of FightFan.com on Sunday, Roach bared that Pacquiao tipped the scales at 146 pounds when he wrested the WBC super featherweight title from Marquez on March 15.
Roach believes that gaining 16 pounds in 24 hours was simply too much, even for Pacquiao.
?I like when guys put on weight between the weigh-in and fight night, but there?s a fine line between gaining enough weight and gaining too much,? said Roach. ?I?m a firm believer you should never put on more than ten pounds. For Manny to gain sixteen pounds in a 24-hour period is a lot of weight.?
?I?m not saying I want to starve Manny, but I?m going to monitor that a lot more closely for this fight with Diaz,? said Roach, adding that he?d prefer Pacquiao to use his improved style of boxing rather than mix it up with the 135-pound champion.
?He (Diaz) is durable and has a good chin. The thing is we can outbox this guy and be smart about it, and we can exchange with the guy which is giving him a chance,? said Roach. ?I don?t want to take away Manny?s explosiveness but we?ll be a little more technical in this fight.?
After having difficulty clearing 130 pounds, Roach believes that Pacquiao will be much stronger at 135.
?I think he?ll bring his punching power up with him and that his speed will still remain the same.?
According to Roach, he?ll be bringing in bigger guys like junior welterweight Victor Ortiz and Freddie Norwood to spar with Pacquiao at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
