LOS ANGELES?Respected trainer Freddie Roach twitted Manny Pacquiao?s promoter Murad Muhammad for signing an agreement with Erik Morales?s promoter Bob Arum to let both fighters use a glove of choice of the Mexican without even consulting his boxer.
?Murad sold us out by signing that agreement,? said Roach, who will be forced to let Pacquiao wear the Winning brand of gloves instead of his usual Cleto Reyes puncher?s gloves.
This comes after the Nevada Athletic State Commission ruled in favor of letting both fighters use the same brand on March 19 at the MGM Grand. The new management team of Pacquiao did not want to file a lawsuit at this time so that Pacquiao can set his mind straight by using Winning should a verdict come later.
?Manny has been using those gloves (Reyes) ever since he fought here in the States because they suit well to his punching style, power and speed. What can we do?? said Roach, showing disgust over Muhammad?s lack of negotiating powers or his unfamiliarity of the finer points of boxing.
Pacquiao?s cutman Lenny de Jesus also insisted that the Filipino should have worn the Mexican-made eight-ounce gloves rather than the Winning brand which has more padding, saying they inflict greater damage.
But Pacquiao, always the pacifist and a cool head, said that gloves or no gloves he will fight Morales. “Okay na rin yan kasi kung titingnan mo wala na rin sa gloves yan. Sa pagpapatama na magkakatalo iyan,” said Pacquiao on Saturday night inside his two-bedroom apartment at Sunset+Vine.
“Huwag lang lalagyan ng blade yung glove ni Morales ay payag na rin ako sa Winning,” added Pacquiao, who even said that he will fight even with bare hands.
Pacquiao looked good and moved will in his penultimate sparring day witnessed by a Saturday crowd of more than 200 Filipinos, Mexicans and Caucasians, receiving thunderous applause after each round of sparring.
Wearing a custom-made mouthpiece which had the colors of the Philippine flag in it (given as a gift by a local dentist), Pacquiao dazzled his two sparring opponents and even played to the crowd led by its chief cheerleader big man James ?Lights Out? Toney.
Pacquiao did the Muhammad Ali shuffle, moved with ease and made Israel Vasquez look like an amateur, even hitting him with two fists fired at the same time, ala the late Fernando Poe Jr. in his movies.
Pacquiao and Toney even stole moments, clowning with each other while Vasquez was trying to look for an opening. Pacquiao once again gave Vasquez free shots to the body.
Vasquez, who used to be the chief sparring partner of Pacquiao when he prepared for Marco Antonio Barrera, appeared flustered, frustrated and confused as the ?Pacman? shifted from being the hunted and changing into the hunter?s role in one fell swoop.
The huge crowd which gathered had hearty laughs when Pacquiao moved side to side, even hitting Toney with an inadvertent-looking body shot.
Pacquiao, who sparred for two rounds with Jose Santa Cruz previously, said he felt good despite the minor distractions caused by some greedy members of his team, who were trying to enrich themselves without his full knowledge and him not getting a fair share of their vested interests.
Instead, he wallowed in the happiness that he brought to the fans, who started to chant his name, Manny!, Manny!, like a rehearsal for March 19.
?They love you. They are your fans,? said Toney, who climbed on top of the ring and posed for photos with Pacquiao.
Toney has volunteered to lead Pacquiao on top of the ring come fight night as a token of thanks as the Filipino idol did the same when Toney fought last last year.
In another development, former featherweight world champion Luisito Espinosa might also be with Pacquiao at ringside after the two had a brief talk later in the evening.
Pacquiao, who has been trying to locate ?Lindol? since last week, promised the San Francisco-based Espinosa five tickets.
Pacquiao and another former Filipino world champion, Morris East, have been talking to each other and have been discussing ways of helping the embattled 37-year-old Espinosa, who lost miserably recently.
