THERE’S a new phenomenon in the Los Angeles area these days, and it has nothing to do with a new hip-hop single.
It’s everything about the preparation of Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao, who is getting in shape at the Wild Card Gym for his March 19 confrontation with Mexican star Erik “El Terrible” Morales.
“When you catch a glimpse of the speed Pacquiao possesses, you will wonder how Morales will ever be able to handle it,” said a member of the Boxingtalk pool of writers following a visit to the Filipino’s training venue on Vine Street.
In fact, with media gushing over the kind of physical fitness Pacquiao is in now, many feel the fight is now shaping up as a big mismatch.
This is also largely because Morales continues to train in high-altitude seclusion at the Otomi Mountains in Mexico City.
The Filipino ring hero is quick to point out, however, that he’s training for what he feels is the toughest fight of his life.
Pacquiao also remains focused despite the general feeling that he should be favored because he outclassed Marco Antonio Barrera, who in turn shamed Morales twice in their famous trilogy.
“I don’t want to let down my fans,” Pacquiao told Boxingtalk in its members-only article. “I expect an explosive battle. I will be coming out like a gun.”
Trainer Freddie Roach, the man credited for turning Pacquiao into a world-class banger, also indicated that Pacquiao is not even at his top shape, and will only get faster as March 19 nears.
“We are preparing for anything Morales will bring into the show,” Roach said. “We know how dangerous he is. We cannot afford to just stay in front of him. We need to use movements-a lot of them-and take the fight to him.”
The American trainer warns that Morales packs a dangerous right straight and left uppercut that Pacquiao should watch out for.
