Freddie Roach isn?t pushing the panic button. He?s taking it calmly and serene as usual.
And the question here is not physical condition because Manny Pacquiao does not get out of shape between fights. He has not, at least as far as I have seen, not been in peak physical form when it?s time to answer the opening bell.
But, as one who firmly believes Pacman can beat Oscar de la Hoya, I?m starting to fret about mental distractions.
I?m seeing some telltale signs that Megamanny is wearing too many hats. I?m wondering if he has too much on his plate and whether all his non-Oscar concerns are weighing him down.
From now until Dec. 6, Pacquiao would do well to isolate himself from the day to day non-boxing concerns of being Emanuel D. Pacquiao, National Fist.
With that as the set-up, I remind all Pacfans that nothing Pacquiao has done in boxing before will compare to the multimedia demands on his time that he will experience in the run-up to this massive fight.
But let me be specific.
The six-city media tour begins Oct. 1 at the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
That?s a marvelous setting but a six-city media tour can be mentally and physically draining. Neither Oscar nor Manny will have enough hours in the day to train properly while that?s going on. But that kind of a traveling media circus is old hat to Oscar and really something new to Manny.
I can almost guarantee you that there will be a point when cool and calm Roach will blow a gasket, at least internally, and demand that Pacquiao cut back on the promotion time and stop giving short shrift to training time.
If he takes but a single training shortcut, Manny will lose this fight and he could lose it badly. Being younger and quicker is great but being smaller and not as strong are real disadvantages that must be overcome.
Let?s put aside the promotional concerns for a second. Here?s a short list of what Manny must either ignore or delegate responsibility for from now until D Day in December.
1. His Financial Portfolio. What sense did it make for Manny to fly back to Manila for a couple of days to check up on his banks? He lost a day or two of road and gym work and for what? What does he pay an army of attorneys, accountants and other financial advisers for if not to watch over his giant nest egg? Get a clue, Manny; the world economic roller-coaster will continue to ride up, down, up and down. Your investments will fluctuate. Let the folks you pay to worry about that worry about that particularly where you are on the verge of the biggest ?score? of your life. I assume you have a Richard Schaefer type money worrywart on board. If you don?t, hire one pronto.
2. His Newspaper Column. I am sure it is written by a ghost but, with time so precious, Manny should not even spend 10 minutes each week on this. Let the ghost just make it up because no one will know the difference.
3. Manny Pacquiao Promotions. You don?t have time to concern yourself with what Johnny does in the bantamweight four-rounder or who your other prelim kids are fighting next. If I were you, I would shut down MP Promotions until Dec. 7 unless you have a bottle washer who can run it.
4. Political concerns. I know you still have great political ambitions and you plan on running for office next year. How about leaving the planning, the scheming and all that aside until you fight Oscar? In case you didn?t notice, Oscar steers clear of politics
5. All other subsidiary interests. Oscar owns a piece of the Houston Dynamo soccer team but he won?t be bothering with that except for some plugs he gives them in the Houston presser with you.
Nobody?s hitting the Pacquiao Panic Button. Not yet. But, Manny, hear my cry and hear it well.
Aside from your family, you can only have one area of concentration from now on. I don?t say forget every other element of your business and personal life but you must remember all other topics are tied for second place in importance.
Your current schedule, your everyday agenda, is a prescription for failure. What I have laid out here is a prescription for v-i-c-t-o-r-y.
I hope you heed my words. I hope your prioritize properly and give up an untenable juggling act.
If you do, you can beat Oskie. If you don?t, I can now safely predict what your vaunted opponent?s breakfast for Sunday, Dec. 7.
It will be a breakfast that will live in boxing infamy.
De la Hoya will having Scrambled Pacquiao.
