AMERICAN trainer Freddie Roach is adamant that Marco Antonio Barrera never sparred against tough boxers during the Mexican?s entire training in preparation for his battle against Manny Pacquiao.
Several consistent reports emanating from the Barrera camp stated that the Mexican has tapped some quality sparring partners, headed by World Boxing Association (WBA) super-featherweight champion Edwin Valero of Venezuela.
In a recent interview with the BusinessMirror, Roach asserted that Barrera is not a believer of rigid sparring sessions for the whole of his legendary career.
?Barrera boxes with amateurs and young fighters. He?s never had a war in the gym in many years,? revealed Roach. ?I know two fighters who have worked with him, and they told me that?s how it works.?
Reacting on a recent report that Barrera got floored by Valero during a sparring session, Roach just shrugged off the issue.
?I will bet my life they never boxed each other once. The Valero [knockdown issue], it?s just a press thing,? said Roach. ?He knows he doesn?t need wars in the gym. He just boxes to get sharp and his timing.?
A southpaw like Pacquiao, the 25-year-old Valero is an undefeated knockout artist from Venezuela who is now based in Japan. Promoted by influential Japanese promoter Akihiko Honda, Valero has compiled a fearsome record of 22-0 with 22 knockouts.
Barrera also tapped Takahiro Aoh, a 23-year-old southpaw featherweight with a record of 15-0, eight by knockout.
Aoh possesses good lateral movement apart from having good timing in shifting his head and body from side to side. But unlike Pacquiao, Aoh is not the type of slugger who will slug it out with his opponent.
Aoh is said to be a good counterpuncher and has good timing with his combinations.
Roach added that Barrera might be trying to make them feel overconfident going into the fight by releasing to the press the knockdown issue.
?The knockout thing trying to get us to take them lightly, but it?s not going to work,? added Roach.
Barrera and Pacquiao yesterday held a press preview at the Mandalay Bay Arena in Las Vega, site of their 12-round encounter this coming Sunday (Manila time).
In yesterday?s event, Barrera declared to the press that Pacquiao?s countrymen are in for a big surprise this weekend.
In an interview with several boxing writers while in Mexico, Barrera said he is very much inspired for this fight that his whole training has been relaxed and that he has not encountered any problems.
?For this fight, the difference is going to be the inspiration within me. Everything has been going really smooth and great,? said Barrera.
Though the 33-year-old Barrera admitted that Pacquiao was the best fighter the first time they met in 2003, he can?t help but blame all the distractions that happened while preparing for the fight.
?Obviously, I had a bad night the first time around. I?m not going to make any excuses. The first fight was a total meltdown. It was Manny?s night that fight. He took it to me,? said Barrera.
Barrera and Pacquiao faced each other with the Filipino superstar scoring an emphatic 11th round technical-knockout victory in November 2003 at the Alamodome in in San Antonio, Texas.
The win catapulted Pacquiao to where he is right now, one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world second only to kingpin Floyd Mayweather Jr., the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion.
The 33-year-old Barrera (63-5-0, 42 knockouts) is coming off a close 12-round verdict loss to compatriot Juan Manuel Marquez in a WBC 130-lb championship in March at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas
Among Barrera?s victims in the post-Pacquiao-loss era were another compatriot Erik Morales in a WBC title fight and American Olympian Rocky Juarez, whom the Mexico City native decisioned twice in 2006.
Barrera?s motivation going into the Pacquiao fight is that he has been a huge underdog a few times in his career and was able to surpass all them in spectacular fashion.
One of Barrera?s memorable wins was against one-time featherweight British superstar Prince Naseem Hamed on April 7, 2001, at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
Going into the Hamed fight, Barrera was installed a huge underdog against the young but classy undefeated United Kingdom-based fighter.
Barrera, however, defied huge odds as he surprisingly dominated Hamed en route to scoring a scintillating 12-round win.
?Fighters with experience have beaten a fighter in his prime before,? said Barrera. ?I also have motivation to beat him because he?s been a thorn on the side of Latinos. He?s beaten so many Mexicans.?
Barrera is confident his loss to Pacquiao will actually help him devise ways on how to settle the score with the Filipino superstar.
?I know him. I see him in my sleep. I see him all the time. I know exactly what he does. I know how he fights,? he said.
On the other hand, Pacquiao has been cautious with his answers but was also consistent in saying that he expects a tough bout and he is ready to give his all and win the fight.
