Who says Manny Pacquiao gets all what he wants?
Members of Team Pacquiao put their foot down and insisted that the Filipino ring idol train at least for a month in the U.S. for his July 2 non-title bout with former world champion Oscar Larios at the Araneta Coliseum.
Lawyer Nic Khan, who co-manages the General Santos City native with American Shelly Finkel, bared in yesterday’s formal press launching of the Pacquiao-Larios fight at the ELJ Communications Center of broadcast giant ABS-CBN, that they prevailed upon the Filipino to set aside his earlier plan to set up his whole training camp here.
Instead, the original timetable stays, with Pacquiao proceeding at the famed Wild Card gym of American trainer Freddie Roach in Los Angeles by early May before returning to the country in June and resuming training in the mountains of Baguio.
“We have a heart to heart talk with Manny last night and told him that he needs to train in Los Angeles for about a month,” said Khan, who attended the two-hour delayed media conference together with Pacquiao, Larios, Roach and Team Larios members Rafael Mendoza (agent) and Edison Reynoso (trainer).
“We told him that if he loses, everything goes away. His success outside of the ring comes from his success inside the ring. Is he spreading himself too thinly? Exactly,” added Khan.
For reason only known to him and his local handlers, Pacquiao announced last week that he’ll ask Roach that he be allowed to train here instead of going to the U.S.
But both Roach and Khan would have none of it, saying Manny will have to be in Los Angeles not later than May 13 and then returns to the country at least by June 12 shortly after the fight of his brother Bobby Pacquiao against American Kevin Kelly in New York City.
“Manny then winds up his training in Baguio until the fight,” said Khan.
“OK lang,” was the curt reply of Pacquiao when asked about the fight plan.
Roach admitted Larios, a former World Boxing Council (WBC) super-bantamweight king, is indeed a very dangerous opponent, a Mexican warrior who holds an impressive record of 56 wins, four losses and 36 knockouts.
The man whom Mendoza describes as a fighter ‘better than (Eric) Morales and (Marco Antonio) Barrera,’ also holds the record of the most punches thrown in a fight at 1,625.
Morales and Barrera, two of the best Mexican warriors of all-time, were both beaten by Pacquiao, the last of which came three months ago with a 10th round technical knockout of Morales in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Larios believes he will win. Manny believes he will win. Let’s see what happens two months from now,” said Mendoza, the one also responsible for the stellar careers of such great Mexican fighters in the past such as Pipino Cuevas and Chiquita Gonzales.
“No one has confidence in me, but I have confidence in myself,” said the 29-year old Larios in Spanish. “I will leave my life out there in the ring, but I will never quit.”
Pacquiao has not set foot into the ring since his sensational victory over Morales and that obviously showed as he looked overweight and his face a bit plump.
But while he refused to predict of winning by knockout, Pacquiao warned Larios to be ready.
“Tingnan natin kung talagang may ibubuga ito,” said Pacquiao that drew laughter from the audience.
