WITH MANNY Pacquiao itching to get back at Erik Morales, American trainer Freddie Roach is coming over to the Philippines on Nov. 13 to start sharpening the GenSan fighter for his grudge rematch with the Mexican boxer on Jan . 21 next year.
Wakee Salud, who co-manages Bobby Pacquiao alongside brother Manny, said that “Pacman” will be trained by Roach for two or three weeks before they head back together to the US for training camp proper in Phoenix, Arizona or San Bernardino, California.
Pacquiao and Morales have been booked to face each other in Las Vegas in a megabuck match to be shown on pay-per-view. Morales topped Pacquiao the first time they match last March at the MGM Grand.
“It’s either Davao or Cebu (where Roach will train Pacquiao),” Salud told the Bulletin yesterday from the city of Commerce.
“If they both decide to train in Cebu, I will arrange that they spar at the world-class gym of Tony Aldeguer while at the same time do some of their workouts at my own gym.”
“It would be much better to spar at Aldeguer’s gym because it’s truly the best in the country and the crowd will be controlled unlike in my gym where everyone can just get in like those who sell fishballs, ice cream and other snacks,” added Salud.
The Pacquiao brothers, Manny and Bobby, and Salud are arriving in Manila tomorrow morning via Philippine Airlines.
“Our plan right now is to train Manny over in the Philippines for the first few weeks of his training camp,” Roach told a boxing website the other day.
“Manny has a real nice gym there, so we will train there to start out, then I am pretty sure we will be six weeks in Phoenix for the rest of the training camp. There is a possibility we may take a look at a camp in San Bernardino, but right now it looks like Phoenix,” said Roach, who has been on a winning streak lately what with Pacquiao and his brother Bobby, Brian Viloria and Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista winning their assignments in impressive fashion with him calling the shots.
Roach said he doesn’t expect Morales to come out flat just like what he did against Zahir Raheem.
“We are looking for the good Morales, not the one that fought Raheem,” said Roach, who has been Pacquiao’s trainer since mid-2001.
Bobby, who narrowly beat El Salvador’s Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez in their 10-rounder in Las Vegas over the weekend, might engage Hernandez in a rematch this December or January next year, Salud revealed.
