LOS ANGELES ? Manny Pacquiao wants to make the super featherweight limit of 130 pounds by training hard instead of starving himself to death.
So far, the plan is working fine.
“I don?t have a problem with the weight. I always eat and I do not even reduce,” said Pacquiao on Thursday afternoon after his Wild Card workout. “I am doing good. Even now, I am trying to get down.”
Informed about a weight check that will be conducted by the World Boxing Council (WBC) on Saturday, Pacquiao dismissed fears that he?s having a hard time trimming down.
“I am making up for it by training hard. I maintain the amount of food intake but I train like hell that?s why my weight started to go down,” he said.
Pacquiao and Marquez are scheduled to face off on March 15 and under WBC rules, both fighters should not go beyond 136.5 pounds during Saturday?s weight check.
“Even if they (WBC) say that we should not weigh more than 135 lbs, I am sure I can easily weigh less than that,” said Pacquiao.
The Filipino ring idol reportedly struggled to make 130 pounds in his last fight against Marco Antonio Barrera.
But based on his mood Thursday, Pacquiao appeared to be not bothered at all with his weight.
At one point, Pacquiao, smiling from ear-to-ear, even told trainer Freddie Roach that he might weigh around 128 to 129 lbs during the official weigh-in that will take place on Friday (March 14).
Pacquiao has been training for the past seven weeks with Roach and his decision to be away from his family and friends is proof that he is dead-serious in rebounding from two unimpressive victories last year.
He could have easily set up camp in the Philippines and fly here two weeks before the fight.
Instead, Pacquiao opted to train almost in seclusion.
He has been spotted from time to time dining in Filipino restaurants near his two-bedroom apartment in the La Brea area, but has not gone to the casino.
“I do not gamble anymore,” said Pacquiao when asked if he would bet in his fight.
Pacquiao and Marquez battled to a 12-round split draw the first time they locked horns in May, 2004 at the MGM Grand wherein the rugged Filipino sent his crafty Mexican rival down three times in the first round but could not put him away for good.
Marquez said he has learned a lot from that fight and assured his fans and followers that on March 15, the outcome will be different and decisive.
Like Pacquiao, Marquez has been working out like a madman at the Romanza Gym in Mexico City since the Christmas season.
Pacquiao, the heavy favorite in the rematch dubbed “Unfinished Business,” holds a 45-3-2 win-loss-draw card with 35 knockouts, while Marquez has a 48-31 slate also with 35 wins inside the distance.
