DON?T EVEN think about going to the concessionaire stand to get a cup of soda and a plateful of snacks once the bell rings signaling the start of Manny Pacquiao?s showdown with Fahsan 3K Battery of Thailand.
Freddie Roach, the American cornerman of Pacquiao, warned the fight could be over in less than a round.
“If the fight goes in one, it goes in one,” said Roach after supervising Pacquiao?s workout at the Wild Card Gym in Para?aque yesterday.
“There?s talk of Manny carrying the fight into the fifth or sixth rounds and I told Manny not to screw around. If he can get it done in one round, or two rounds, then he should do it.”
“There?s just too much at stake down the road for Manny. What if he suffers a cut or injures his hand? Manny is going to do the job he?s supposed to do,” said Roach.
Up next for Pacquiao is a Feb. 26 rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico either at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno or MGM Grand in Las Vegas, according to promoter Murad Muhammad.
In the event Pacquiao gets by Marquez, who drew with him in May at the MGM Grand, he will face either Marco Antonio Barerra or Erik Morales.
Pacquiao is expected to taper down his training starting today after racking up three rounds of sparring with Joebar Damosmog yesterday. After toying with Damosmog, who suffered a one-punch knockout loss to Fahsan last year, Pacquiao regaled the crowd during the punch-mitt routine with Roach.
“All the hard work is over. All we have to do is maintain his condition,” said Roach after personally seeing Pacquiao, still wearing his boxing shoes and trunks, tip the scales at 129 lbs, three lbs over the weight limit.
