Manny Pacquiao has finally realized that he has to revert to his old and unpredictable self when he locks horns with Juan Manuel Marquez for the fourth time on Dec. 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The past couple of weeks in Los Angeles, Pacquiao has been told and taught by trainer Freddie Roach to take a chapter from the days when his opponents were more concerned about dodging punches than throwing them.
?The important thing for me is to keep busy by throwing lots of punches,? said Pacquiao as he entered third week of his buildup within the confines of the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Pacquiao is under pressure to score a smashing victory and the 33-year-old Filipino believes that volume-punching plus perpetual motion will throw off Marquez?s counter-punching style.
Roach has instructed Pacquiao to do just that during sparring and whenever he is hitting the heavy bag.
?I told him to throw lots of power punches,? said Roach, who can be seen wearing a smile instead of a smirk the last two weeks owing to the vast improvement that Pacquiao has undergone since uprooting his training from the Philippines late last month.
?Best Manny has looked in a long time,? observed ace publicist Fred Sternburg after watching up close another torrid sparring session.
?Great speed and movement,? added Sternburg.
Obviously, Roach and Pacquiao are aware that aside from Pacquiao?s innate power, they also have to put a lot of extras to enhance their chances of finally putting a closure to the never-ending debate involving who among Pacquiao and Marquez is the superior puncher.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), Pacquiao said he is also eyeing to score a trouble-free win instead of going 12 hard rounds for the fourth straight time.
?If there?s a chance, I?m going to do my best to make the fight look easy,? Pacquiao told Lance Pugmire, the Times? man-on-the-beat.
While all is well on the Los Angeles front, the same thing can be said in Marquez?s lair in Mexico City under Nacho Beristain.
Updated regularly by his contacts in Mexico City, Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum said ?Marquez is looking like a beast.?
Marquez trains during weekdays in Mexico City and spends the weekends for stamina and old school training in Toluca.
