HOLLYWOOD?Freddie Roach has had enough of Manny Pacquiao.
He doesn?t even want to see his prized ward report for gym work Monday.
?One hundred percent (ready),? Roach told Filipino sportswriters Saturday after watching ADVERTISEMENT Pacquiao spar and do the mitts at his Wild Card Gym here.
?I?m very happy with where he is right now,? said Roach. ?I tried to cancel Monday?s workout, but he said he needed it to keep his sharpness.?
As a concession, Roach relented to allow Pacquiao spar for three rounds and do the mitts three rounds in the afternoon, before Team Pacquiao heads for Las Vegas in a convoy.
?And that?s it. We?re done,? said Roach, noting that he doesn?t want Pacquiao to over-train for his Nov. 5 (Nov. 6 in Manila) tussle with Jessie Vargas for the World Boxing Organization welterweight crown at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
?We gonna be careful about doing too much and probably getting burned out,? said Roach, noting that at this stage of his career Pacquiao doesn?t need to spar much as he already knows what he?s doing.
Just like Saturday, when he again dominated former world title contender Ray Beltran for six rounds done behind closed doors.
?He?s having a lot of fun. Foot speed, hand speed, he put it all together,? said Roach.
Counting the three rounds he?d do Monday afternoon, Roach said they would total around 90, the fewest ever for Pacquiao, for this training camp that started in Manila.
According to Roach, gone are the days when Pacquiao would spar between 120 to 150 rounds, which happened in one of his four fights against Juan Manuel Marquez.
For his part, Pacquiao said he?s pushing himself hard in training because he wants to prove that there is more boxing left in him.
?Kalabaw lang ang tumatanda (Only the carabao gets old),? said Pacquiao, who is turning 38 on Dec. 17. ?That?s why I?m so intense in training they (coaching staff) have to stop me.?
And the effects are showing with Pacquiao moving like a young upstart, like a 24-year-old, as described by sparring partner Ray Beltran.
Roach saw the spring in his legs and the snap in his punches, of course.
That?s why he wanted to reward Pacquiao with a well-deserved break.
TIDBITS: Two-time world champion Gerry Penalosa watched Pacquiao?s sparring with Beltran and predicted that Vargas would be likely to last eight rounds. ?He (Vargas) telegraphed his punches,? said Penalosa in Filipino. ?Pacquiao is on another level. This (knockout) is what we?ve been waiting for./rga
