LAS VEGAS–I’ll make the weight.
Manny Pacquiao made this promise on Thursday night hours before the official weigh-in for his historic battle with World Boxing Council lightweight champion David Diaz at the Mandalay Bay Events Center here.
The Filipino champion said he has actually reached the weight limit (135 pounds) after a strength-sapping final day workout at the IBA Gym.
He donned a sweat suit merely because he wanted to perspire faster and more profusely, thus giving him the liberty to have dinner.
“Para makakain pa ako (So that I can still eat),” said Pacquiao, who’ll skip breakfast and lunch prior to Friday’s weigh-in.
In his rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBC super featherweight title on March 15, Pacquiao virtually starved himself in the last week to make the 130-lb limit.
Now, he feels more comfortable in the lightweight division.
“Malaking bagay din ang five pounds (Five pounds is a big deal),” said Pacquiao, “Nahirarapan na talaga ako noon (I was really having a hard time then).”
“Now I can eat what I want and still make the weight,” said Pacquiao.
Trainer Eric Brown said Pacquiao won’t have a problem fighting in the 135-pound division.
“Extra-weight, extra-strength,” said Brown, who’s been assisting Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym since last year.
Brown also sees Pacquiao wresting the lightweight plum.
“He (Pacquiao) had a lot of hard work,” said Brown. “He’s ready to go.”
According to Brown, who took over from Justine Fortune last year, Pacquiao will simply overwhelm Diaz with his speed and power.
“Knockout power, it can’t be trained. Either you have it or you don’t,” said Brown. “And Pacquiao certainly has it.”
Having worked with Pacquiao in his preparations for Pacquiao-Marquez II, Brown said he’s in awe of the Filipino superstar’s work ethic in the gym, training relentlessly and going beyond what the training staff asked him to do.
“You can teach technique, strategy, whatever, but never punching power,” said Brown. “It’s a gift.”
Pacquiao, of course, intends to use that gift and make Diaz his 36th knockout victim on Saturday.
Earlier, Pacquiao apologized for his crankiness during training, saying the heat got to him after his one-hour final workout.
“Para akong sinunog. Super-init, masakit sa balat (It was too hot, my skin hurt),” said Pacquiao, who spent the afternoon shadow boxing, doing the mitts, hitting the speedball, skipping rope at the oven-like IBA Gym.
“Ngayon lang ako nakaranas nito (I’ve never experienced this before),” said Pacquiao, noting that the temperature reached as high as 42 degrees Celsius in this entertainment city carved out of the Mojave Desert.
It was so hot that conditioning trainer Alex Ariza and friend Edward Lura alternately swiped him with cold water to lessen the effect of the searing heat on Pacquiao, who still donned a sweat suit.
Without chief trainer Freddie Roach, who was in the corner of another Filipino boxer in a bout held at The Orleans, it was Buboy Fernandez who again supervised the workout with the assistance of Brown.
At first, Pacquiao, with around 60 acquaintances and the media, gamely did his routine, but was clearly impatient near the end. He was pacing the floor back and forth before eventually deciding to climb on the air-conditioned trailer bus, where he obliged interview requests.
Team Pacquiao then sped off back to Mandalay Bay’s The Hotel, where he and Diaz are staying for their HBO pay-per-view bout.
Normally very accommodating to well-wishers, Pacquiao headed directly to his room .
Pacquiao also ordered his chief security Rob Peters to block off visitors.
Among those who have visited Pacquiao were longtime friends Energy Sec. Lito Atienza and former Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson.
