NO LESS than the master himself has told his ace student to toe the line. The message came from topnotch American boxing trainer Freddie Roach, who is in the country to supervise what?s left of Manny Pacquiao?s training.
Roach flew in from Los Angeles yesterday on board a Philippine Airlines jet that touched down at a little past 4 a.m. Pacquiao personally went to the airport to welcome Roach before they boarded another flight to Davao at 10 a.m.
At 2 p.m. sharp, Roach was already at the oven-hot training facility with Pacquiao, who squares off with Fahsan 3K Battery of Thailand on Dec. 11 at The Fort in Taguig, Metro Manila.
“I told him ?no more bullshit?” said Roach, showing no signs of exhaustion despite the 15-hour flight.
“He has to focus on this fight because we cannot afford to take anyone for granted,”
Roach said Pacquiao will be put to the test in the next two weeks since “he got tired easily” during the six-round sparring with Fernando Montilla, Arnel Porras and Cristopher Saluday.
Except for the intense heat, Roach said the Almendras Gym was “just okay,” indicating that he is content with the sweat shop has got to offer in the next couple of weeks.
“We should be going back to Manila five or six days before the fight,” said Roach.
Roach said he is not at all concerned about how many sparring sessions Pacquiao would log in the weeks leading to the fight dubbed “Yanig sa Taguig.”
“If Manny can?t get more sparring, we can make up for it by doing the mitts,”said Roach, who assumed the role of chief trainer in mid-2001.
Counting the six rounds he logged yesterday, Pacquiao has now chalked up 25 rounds of sparring since he began going to the gym two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao said Roach, who operates the Wild Card Boxing Club on Vine St. in Hollywood, California, will stay in his house.
Roach left the reins to assistants Macka Foley and Justin Fortune, who are going to work the corner of one of their boss?s favorite fighters of Filipino descent, Honolulu-born flyweight Brian Viloria, who sees action on Dec. 4.
“Doon siya sa isang kuwarto ko na air-conditioned,” said Pacquiao, who has been penciled to engage Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico in a rematch on Feb.26 in Las Vegas.
“Ako ang bahala sa kanya dito. Hindo ko siya pababayaan dahil medyo delikado rin naman dito,” added Pacquiao before they left the Almendras together on board his red Ford Expedition.
