Nigel Collins has a special message for the featherweight champion of the world: Be careful.
The editor in chief of Ring, considered the most respected boxing magazine in the world, said recently that Manny Pacquiao should come to the fight prepared against Fahsan 3K Battery of Thailand on their December 11 fight.
When Ted Lerner, Ring?s Philippines-based correspondent, spoke to Collins, the chief of ?the Bible of Boxing? said that ?Manny should be careful. Not that his opponent is dangerous but Manny?s got a lot of huge paydays ahead of him.?
Lerner also said that Collins, who flew into the country in March, felt ?[the Fahsan bout] isn?t the best fight out there for him. And if Manny doesn?t take care of business, he could be jeopardizing his future.?
Lerner added that Freddie Roach?s presence during Pacquiao?s preparation for the Saturday bout?only the second fight this year of the General Santos southpaw?ensures that no such peril occurs like the one Pacquiao faced in Serikzhan Yeshmangbetov in March last year.
?I think when Manny fought the Kazakh, there was a certain amount of confidence that put Manny in a dangerous spot,? said Lerner, referring to an early knockdown Pacquiao suffered against Yeshmangbetov. ?But people around Manny, they?ve learned their lesson and that?s why they brought in Freddie.
?The key here is Freddie.?
The arrival of Collins and recently of Roach signals North America?s gaining interest in Philippine boxing.
In his visit here earlier this year, Collins, also a boxing historian, paid tribute to boxing legends Pancho Villa and Flash Elorde by visiting their graves.
Villa, like Pacquiao, is a recipient of the Ring championship belt. Elorde will be awarded his own belt when Collins returns to Manila in March 2005.
While Collins?s visit here dealt mostly about the country?s boxing history, Roach?s visit paid more attention to its future.
For two days, Roach, named Ring Trainer of the Year in 2003, held a boxing clinic at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium that allowed young fighters to learn new techniques from the renowned trainer of world champions James Toney and Mike Tyson.
?What makes Filipino fighters want to win is their hunger. And we understand that because a lot of people who want to box for a living here, they know it?s a way out of poverty,? Roach said in an interview yesterday at the prefight press conference in downtown Pasig City.
Ironically, Lerner is set to write an article about the future of Philippine boxing.
?Along the lines of ?who?s the next Manny Pacquiao,?? said Lerner, who arrived yesterday morning from the US where he met with Collins in an Atlanta boxing card. ?People in America are so caught up with Manny that they?re asking, ?are there any more boxers out there like Manny???
Among those named by Lerner to make it to the article are bantamweight Rey Bautista and light-flyweight Rodel Mayol, the only Filipino besides Pacquiao to make it to the top 10 rankings of the Ring.
Asked why he thought that prominent American boxing figures?like Collins and Roach?are making an effort to come to the Philippines, Lerner had a simple answer.
?It?s Manny?s doing,? he replied. ?He?s one of the big names in boxing. He?s been the man. The fans like his fighting style, that all-action style. A lot of the fighters, they hesitate to go all out but Manny? He?s always ready to go.
?And he?s got a great attitude. When they hear that you?re from the Philippines, they want to know when Manny is going to return [to the US].?
Pacquiao and Fahsan, whose bout is sponsored by Smart Communications, are scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. weigh-in today at The Global City in Taguig.
