LOS ANGELES, California, United States of America — A day after deceiving the Mexican media, trainer Freddie Roach yesterday decided to uncover the secret weapon which Manny Pacquiao hopes to unleash in his showdown against Mexico’s Erik Morales.
A right hook, “Manila Ice” is a right hook, Freddie Roach announced.
Mexican media men, who were stunned to witness Pacquiao in a sluggish sparring where he repeatedly got tagged with cheap shots to the head Wednesday, were not around to hear Roach.
The announcement was made exclusively to the Inquirer.
But whether or not Roach would be applying for a patent-whether the weapon would sell and stick like Rope-a-dope, Russian Tank, or Bolo Punch-is entirely left to Pacquiao.
If Pacquiao succeeds in clipping Morales cold in their monumental March 19 fight, then Manila Ice could gain fame and registry in prizefight annals.
Pacquiao, now 129 pounds, did not spar yesterday.
Instead, the Filipino boxing hero did routine gym work at the Wild Card Gym where, away from the prying eyes of reporters, he pounded the mitts to perfect the erstwhile secret killer punch.
The so-called secret weapon was kept under wraps when Pacquiao sparred and worked out before an eager horde of Mexican media men on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
Visibly gone in that forgettable session against two so-so sparmates was the sharpness which the Mexican reporters had come to witness.
Roach had offered an explanation for the colorless sparring. He said Pacquiao had decided to “play with those guys.”
Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao’s trusted Filipino handler, had a more candid excuse. He said that Pacquiao, although already at peak form, was not supposed to display his best before Mexican media.
In fact, Roach had to disallow cameras during a previous session to prevent reporters from getting a sneak view of Pacquiao’s Manila Ice.
The new weapon, a lethal complement to the ax-like left blow, was first tried in Pacquiao’s fifth-round stoppage of Thai Fahsan 3K Battery in Taguig, a bout that served as tune-up for the much-awaited duel in Las Vegas.
The Taguig launch was not a complete success because Fahsan, while frantically avoiding Pacquiao’s right hook, got tagged with a slicing left uppercut that sent him up then flat cold on the floor.
Roach said Pacquiao will complete 150 rounds of sparring for the Morales fight.
Pacquiao leaves for the Las Vegas fight night on Monday.
Meanwhile, support for Pacquiao here continued to swell, capped this week by a Sunday service at the Christ the King Church off Sunset Boulevard, near the fighter’s new quarters, where he got special blessings from the parish priest.
Winchell Campos reported that a noted dentist also offered to design a special mouthpiece for Pacquiao’s use on March 19.
