The man who has watched boxers prepare for fights since the 1960s approached the trainer of the sport’s current king and expressed some cautionary words.
“Slow him down, Freddie,” veteran fight promoter Bob Arum said near the sweat-soaked ring in Hollywood.
It’s there where Manny Pacquiao has returned to train under Freddie Roach for the final four weeks before his third fight against bitter rival Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.
“Slow him down,” Arum repeated.
Almost from the moment the fight was announced, there have been concerns about properly pacing Pacquiao, who didn’t even wait for the introductory news conference in the Philippines to start running.
Pacquiao, 32, is telling those close to him he doesn’t want this fight in the hands of the judges after his prior battles with Marquez resulted in a 2004 draw and a 2008 Pacquiao victory by split-decision. The decisive score was a one-point margin.
He wants the knockout, and Roach says, “That’s what we’re training him for.”
But there’s danger in peaking too early, of working so hard in the first month-plus of training that the body inevitably fatigues in the final weeks before a fight.
“We’re way ahead of where we usually are, like 75-80% of where we should be by fight night,” Roach said. “We’re usually around 50% right now. I have to make sure we don’t overdo it.”
Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 knockouts) grinned his way through being questioned about his fervent effort to get ready for the 38-year-old Marquez.
