Manny Pacquiao doesn’t seem to be too concerned that he’ll be playing the role of Davy Crockett when he faces ‘the king of the featherweights’ Marco Antonio Barrera in front of a highly partisan crowd at the Alamodome this Saturday night in San Antonio, Texas.
The arena which once hosted over 60,000 rabid fans when Julio Cesar Chavez faced Pernell Whitaker in 1993, is being configured to hold around 20,000 fans this time around. And you can bet the overwhelming majority will be there for Barrera. “I don’t care,” said Pacquiao, the reigning IBF junior featherweight champion who is moving up in weight for this bout, “because I’ll be fighting Barrera, not the audience.”
Which is true, but most are betting that the whirlwind southpaw from the Philippines will have a much harder time holding off one Mexican than Crockett did in holding off thousands of them back in 1836.
But his trainer says that his man relishes the role.
“There’s not going to be too many Filipinos in the crowd that night but the thing is Manny loves that,” said the highly respected Freddie Roach. “He loves being the underdog. The Mexican fans are great though because y’know what? If Manny goes out there and does what he’s supposed to do and fights a good fight and wins, they’ll respect that.”
But some feel that Pacquiao?s odds against Barrera are as insurmountable as the ones faced by Crockett and his crew. Yes, the Pac-Man is highly athletic, fast, quick and armed with good power, but the reality is that he is moving up in weight to face one of the sport?s most respected performers in the game, a guy who is his biggest challenge ever and a future Hall-of-Famer.
“Without a doubt,” Roach admitted to MaxBoxing.com. “I mean, the guy?s a legend. He’s maybe the best fighter in the world today, pound-for-pound. So the thing is, Manny’s in tough but Manny’s a great fighter also. It’s going to be a helluva show.”
Pacquiao, a soft-spoken yet friendly sort, says of his foe “Barrera has got a lot of experience, he’s got good power and also an excellent defense.”
In the past few years Barrera has gone through an unusual and unexpected metamorphosis that has seen him go from brawler to boxer, almost seamlessly.
And while it isn’t as aesthetically pleasing on the eyes, it’s a much more difficult style to decipher.
“Yeah, I think it is,” agreed Roach, “because he’s using his head a lil’ more. He’s clever and he’s a good counter-puncher. He’s seen it all, not too many fighters can change in their careers, their styles.
“But [Barrera?s] adapted his style so we’ve got to make him fight every minute of every round. Manny’s a younger, stronger guy in there and that’s our game plan. We’re going to make him fight the way he used to.”
Yup, it sounds a bit strange but it looks like Pacquiao’s tact will be to bring back the Barrera that had the epic battles against Kennedy McKinney and Erik Morales (in the first fight), which means that Pacquiao had better be in the best physical condition of his life.
For his previous fight against the over-matched Emanuel Lucero in July, Pacquiao showed up to Southern California less than a month before the fight. For this fight, he showed well over two months early to prepare for battle.
“He’s worked very hard. He’s been running up the mountains in Griffith Park and he’s in great shape,” said Roach.
The fighter himself has admitted that this has been his most grueling camp.
“He’s just maintaining, he?s counting the days. He told me ’10 days today’, so he’s anxious for this one,” Roach said last Wednesday afternoon outside his gym in Hollywood. “He’s fighting the best guy in the world, and he’s ready for it.”
And while the odds are against them, Roach is playing those odds.
“I’m actually going to bet Manny in this one,” he said. “I don’t bet my own guys too often, my own money, but it’s 4-1, so it’s good odds. So I’m going to put something down.”
