Hollywood, California–
At 130-pounds he’s a weapon.
The sound is unmistakable. It is reminiscent of recoilless rifle fire. And when you first walk inside Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California it’s easy to determine the source of the staccato explosions, Manny Pacquiao is working out.
Arguably boxing’s best trainer is in the ring with the sport’s best knockout puncher and they are perfecting the craft, timing, and bone jarring shots that both Roach and Pacquiao believe will end the night early for Erik “El Terrible” Morales. With the biggest fight in the sport still three weeks away, Pacquiao is already at weight. In fact, Roach intends to ease off just a little before bringing Pacquiao back to razor sharp condition, right before he climbs through the ropes at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on March 19. The stage is set for the biggest pay-per-view title fight of the Spring, as the suits at HBO and the promoters prepare for what they believe will be a very lucrative endeavor.
Pacquiao and Morales bring out both the purists and boxing’s less knowledgeable fans, simply because everyone expects fireworks. That’s a given when the former IBF super bantamweight king Pacquiao faces the ex-super featherweight champion Morales.
–Bloodlines–
There is a compelling connection that is taking place in the Wild Card Gym, as Roach watches Pacquiao prepare for his showdown with Morales.
Former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier’s first trainer Yank Durham, once said, “I discovered a diamond, but it took Eddie Futch to polish it.”
Much of the same can be said about the 45-year-old Roach, who is a disciple of the legendary Hall of Famer Futch. Roach boxed for the late trainer in the 1970’s and 80’s. Along the way, Futch imparted his wisdom and skill and that insider’s knowledge was passed on to the unassuming but talented Roach.
While Roach didn’t discover the 26-year-old Pacquiao, he has certainly polished the native of General Santos City, in the Philippines to perfection. Pacquiao is undefeated in his last 15 bouts, going 13-0-2, with all of his wins coming by knockouts. Somewhere Mr. Futch must be smiling.
So Roach works his magic and Pacquiao trains at a blistering pace. All the shadow boxing, speed bag work, heavy bag detonation, sparring, and physical conditioning have resulted in a fighter who is lightening quick and more than prepared to step up in weight.
“I feel [in] 100 percent condition and I’m ready to fight,” Pacquiao confided after a two-and-a-half hour session.
Unless you are a hardcore boxing fan, most people first discovered the hard-hitting southpaw Pacquiao, when he scored a scorching 11th round TKO over the renowned Mexican champion Marcos Antonio Barrera, back in November 2003.
On that night in San Antonio, at the Alamodome, Pacquiao simply took Barrera apart. One of the most feared featherweights of his generation, Barrera spent most of the evening eating leather before his cornerman and brother Jorge Barrera climbed into the ring and mercifully ended the beating, in the non-title fight. The IBF junior featherweight king Pacquiao kept Barrera on the business end of his shots from the second round on and repeatedly scored with wicked combinations. Just as stunning as Barrera’s defeat was Pacquiao’s commanding and impressive performance. The prize athlete of the Philippines was remorseless and continuously beat Barrera to the punch with exceptional hand speed and accuracy.
Fighting in front of 10,127 fans in the Alamodome, Pacquiao dropped Barrera in the third round with a straight left cross to the chin. The all out assault continued until Pacquiao floored Barrera again in the 11th, with a searing three-shot combination that ricocheted off the featherweight star’s skull. Two more riveting blasts to the body drove Barrera to the canvas for the second time.
Barrera was able to beat the count but within seconds Pacquiao pinned the Mexican legend on the ropes and landed a volley of scorching blasts. Barrera’s older brother could no longer endure watching the punishment and climbed atop the ring apron. Referee Laurence Cole immediately called a halt to the fight at 2:56 of the eleventh round.
Morales, of course, made his reputation because of his three classic battles with the man nicknamed the “Baby Face Assassin.” Morales won the first showdown with Barrera, when he scored a controversial 12-round split decision victory, back in 2000. However, he subsequently lost his two rematches against Barrera, first in 2002 and then again last November.
In the most recent fight against Barrera, Morales finally completed the trilogy but he ended up loosing an electrifying twelve-round majority decision and his WBC super featherweight title. When it was over, Barrera looked exhausted and Morales was bleeding from a broken nose and a badly swollen right eye that was nearly closed.
–Coming With Everything–
Now Pacquiao is preparing to fight the other half of the famed Mexican duo, and the one that many boxing insiders believe has more steam on his shots.
“Barrera and Morales have a different style and Morales has a long reach and long arms. He can use his use his speed and his uppercut, while he moves around the ring,” Pacquiao explained. “He is a little bit different than Barrera but I’m excited to face him and to see his style.”
The bout is also a step up weight for Pacquiao, who has fought most of his career at 122 and 126. While Morales has a slight height advantage over the knockout artist, Pacquiao isn’t too concerned with the size difference.
“One-hundred-thirty-pounds is my regular weight and I feel confident about fighting at that weight,” Pacquiao explained. “He’s a little taller but I studied his style and we have a new technique for him. But that’s our secret.”
Pacquiao’s biggest advantage may well be his fan base. Each time he enters the ring, Pacquiao carries with him the hopes and dreams of 80 million of his countrymen back in the Philippines. And a number of those fans make the trip stateside to cheer for their greatest export.
It might also be strange to hear but it is very possible that Pacquiao is also the most popular fighter in Southern California. For decades Latino boxers captured almost all of the headlines and the media. Going back to the days of Art Aragon, Mando Ramos and most recently Oscar De La Hoya; Mexican-American and Mexican fighters south of the border such as Barrera and Morales have always been the top attractions.
However, with a very large Filipino fan base to draw from in LA, Pacquiao is often the center of attention at the Wild Card Boxing Club. It got to the point where Roach was forced to restrict Pacquiao’s public workouts to Saturdays, just to insure that the lionized boxer could get his work done.
The Filipinos turn out in force to see their hero and Pacquiao does his best to sign his autograph to everything imaginable. He is a constant source of pride for virtually everyone from the Philippines and a touchstone to their homeland.
“All my countrymen have always supported me and especially the Filipino boxers,” Pacquiao confided. “Filipino people love boxing. So, they are rooting for this fight. I’m very proud to fight a very popular boxer like Erik Morales. For me this is a big fight, just like the Barrera fight.”
After a brief break, Pacquiao returns to rocketing combinations off Roach’s gloves. The explosions come in three, four and five-shot blasts. They are stunning in their force and accuracy.
You would expect nothing less from a guy who is fighting with 80 million people in his corner.
