THE muffled answers at the end of the phone could do nothing to burst my bubble: My questions were being put through to Manny Pacquiao and head of Top Rank promotions, Bob Arum on a conference call to General Santos City, along with a whole host of writers from the world media, all vying to get the inside scoop on Pacman?s latest fight against Brandon Rios.
There are many questions surrounding the once invincible Filipino, who was flattened by Juan Manuel Marquez last December. Is he the same force he once was? Has the Marquez KO left any physical or mental scars? How will the 10-time world champion fare in his latest test? What does he have left in the tank? I pressed option one to ask Manny a question, cleared my throat and put on the most manly voice possible?
For the next 45 minutes Pacquiao answered questions from those gathered (albeit on the end of their telephones), in his usual, courteous manner, often with the help of promoter, advisor and interpreter, Bob Arum. Manny claimed to feel like he is 22 again and said training has been intense, with the fighter choosing to complete camp behind relatively closed doors ahead of his November 23 clash with Rios.
It was felt by many that perhaps Pacquiao was not fully focused for his last two fights; with political distractions outside of the ring causing Pacman to take his eye off the ball, or in the case of the Marquez defeat, the short right hand that handed him his first knockout loss since his 1999. That being said, the Pacquiao camp has seen a mass influx of Chinese reporters as well as members of the Chinese army who have trained with the star, but both Arum and Pacquiao are adamant that fight-camp in General Santos has been the most fruitful of the boxer?s career thus far. Other visitors included VADA representatives who showed up unannounced in General Santos City to randomly test the Filipino star on two occasions.
Just as I began to think that my questions had been laughed at, scrunched up and slam-dunked into the waste paper basket, I was put through.
?Next question from Joseph Teal, Boxing News?, announced the operator ceremoniously.
?Hi Manny, I wanted to know how you feel that your last competitive punch was the K.O. at the hands of Marquez?, I asked with feigned coolness. After Arum regurgitated the question to his charge, Pacquiao explained that he felt no after-effects of the knockout, had already forgotten about it and was looking forward to his latest challenge.
My next question involved comments made by the controversial figure, Alex Ariza, Manny?s former strength and conditioning coach who jumped ship and is now working with Team Rios in Oxnard. Would the acquisition of Ariza give the Rios camp an advantage and was Pacman worried that a man once so heavily involved in his day-to-day training was now working for the enemy?
?He has the right to say what he wants, but I know more than him,” asserted the fighter as Arum chuckled in the background. That was that, my questions had been answered. I thanked both men for their time and bid my farewells and refrained from calling the eight-weight world champion ?mate? as I departed the call.
Toward the end of the conference, Arum spoke on the importance of not painting America as the immovable Mecca of world boxing, with the Pacquiao-Rios match up in Macau serving as an experiment for future mega-fights overseas. The Top Rank founder and CEO also whet appetites by talking on the possibilities of a Pacquiao-Bradley rematch, or more interestingly, the mouth-watering prospect of a Pacquiao-Provodnikov showdown in the near future, provided Manny can get past Rios in Macau.
