MANILA, Philippines?There will still be his usual “bull rush,” but Manny Pacquiao’s footwork will be different ? and hard to anticipate ? when he takes a crack at David Diaz’s World Boxing Council lightweight crown on June 28 in Las Vegas.
The Filipino WBC super featherweight titlist, bulkier by at least five pounds for the Diaz clash, has also been getting a special diet, according to celebrated trainer Freddie Roach.
Roach said his prized ward’s training time and volume of work would remain the same, however.
Pacquiao indeed looked heavier when he did a promotional tour for the fight, slated at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, with Diaz on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in San Francisco.
“The diet is a bit different, but work-wise, no,” Roach told Mario Ortega Jr. of 15Rounds.com on Sunday. “We changed one thing for this fight since we are fighting a left-handed fighter. So the footwork is a bit different.”
The celebrated American trainer declined to say anything about the new “Pacquiao shuffle,” but said the GenSan lefty’s footwork would surprise Diaz.
Roach also dispelled worries that Pacquiao’s late arrival for training at his Wild Card Gym in Hollywood will affect the Filipino ring icon’s performance against the 31-year-old Diaz.
“We are about 142 (pounds) now, so we have a bit to go,” said Roach. “I don’t want to have him (Pacquiao) to close this far out from the fight. He’s right where he needs to be.”
To squeeze the best out of Pacquiao’s training ? a week shorter than when he fought and beat Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15 ? Roach has lined up an array of big, strong and aggressive left-handed sparmates for Pacquiao.
The cast includes upstarts such as light welterweight Christopher Rizo (3-0, 2 KOs) of East Los Angeles, California, and welterweight Gary McMillan (4-1-1, 1 KO) of Edinburgh, Scotland and veterans like Noel Rodriguez (13-2, 5 KOs) of McKinney, Texas.
Also in the stable are Steve Quino-nez (31-12-1, 10 KOs) of Palm Springs, California, and Roger Gonzalez (27-1, 18 KOs) of Chino, California.
Roach believes that the varying skills and levels of aggression of these fighters will serve Pacquiao in good stead in the pay-per-view bout dubbed “Lethal Combination” by chief promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank.
“He’s getting good work with those guys, a good run of southpaws, and he’s doing well with them,” said Roach.
Fight observers believe Lethal Combination fits the bout to a tee as both Pacquiao and Diaz love to slug it out and go toe-to-toe.
Pacquiao is bidding to become the first Asian fighter to hold four world titles in four separate weight classes.
