Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao, recently named champion by the international boxing Web site BoxingTalk, continues to relax by playing basketball, attending cockfighting derbies and indulging in pool while World Boxing Association/International Boxing Federation champion Juan Manuel Marquez continues his hard, dedicated training grind at the Gilberto Roman Gym in Mexico City.
This in preparation for their Feb. 26 rematch, causing great concern among members of Team Pacquiao as well as staunch supporters.
James Blears of the widely read Web site BoxingScene told Viva Sports/Manila Standard that he had visited the Marquez training camp and watched the Mexican in a ?rigorous workout,? pointing out that the champion ?who has been training since November? had ?brushed aside the festive season holidays, working out even on Christmas day.?
Blears reported that Marquez was ?already fairly advanced in his training.?
He said this coming weekend that Marquez ?is going up to high altitude training which he normally does on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays of every week and then comes back to Mexico City, which is still quite high.?
Pacquiao, on the other hand, appears convinced that six weeks of intense training at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach would suffice, although the American trainer himself had wanted the Filipino champion to fly to Los Angeles as early as Dec. 26. Pacquiao?s wife Jinkee, who celebrates her birthday on Jan. 12, said his husband didn?t need to be around for her birthday and she had wanted him to leave on Dec. 28.
However, Pacquiao, who was originally booked to fly on Jan. 5, has postponed his departure for Jan. 8, claiming ?it is a lucky number,? although Viva Sports/Manila Standard learned it was because of another ?commitment.?
Pacquiao is scheduled to arrive in Manila on Sunday for the shooting of a commercial for Darlington socks amid growing concern within Team Pacquiao that the flamboyant Filipino southpaw was taking the fight with Marquez far too easy and may pay the price.
In his first fight with Marquez last May, Pacquiao decked the champion three times in the first round, but failed to put him away even as Marquez came back strong and counterpunched his way to a controversial draw.
Pacquiao hurt his hand, suffered cramps in his leg and a huge blister on his foot, which hampered his movement.
However, World Boxing Council founding secretary general Rudy Salud said these physical problems were due to his ?cramming? for the fight in the last six weeks and warned that a similar attitude could be dangerous.
During his preparation for the ?Yanig sa Taguig? tune-up fight with Fahsan 3K Battery, Roach refused to allow Pacquiao to play in a basketball tournament, which Pacquiao himself sponsored in Davao City fearing he could get injured.
