MANILA, Philippines ? Manny Pacquiao needs to be in the ?best shape of his life? for the kind of strategy that trainer Freddie Roach will use in his Nov. 13 showdown against Antonio Margarito.
Conditioning expert Alex Ariza said on Sunday that the pound-for-pound king should ?be in better shape than he was for [Miguel] Cotto because his body has to be bigger and stronger, more explosive.?
Ariza said Pacquiao must bulk up against the taller, bigger Margarito for their tangle for the vacant WBC super welterweight crown next month in Arlington, Texas.
At the same time, Ariza said Pacquiao should work to keep his speed to avoid getting caught on the ropes by the Mexican.
Doubts on the Filipino ring superstar’s fitness, less than five weeks before the fight, was raised over the weekend after chief trainer Freddie Roach was said to have resented Pacquiao’s failure to do road work in Baguio City the morning after playing basketball with friends.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, promised Ariza that he
