Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol ? Early last week, Top Rank chief honcho expressed dismay upon seeing the status of Pacquiao?s speed and conditioning. “Manny’s success is based largely on hard work… focus, hard work. So many say he’s skillful and a lot of the attributes, but without the hard work, he’s not gonna be there. So he has plenty of time back in LA to work on his skills… and to get ready to fight. But he has plenty of time to get into shape to be the old Manny Pacquiao. And if it’s the old Manny Pacquiao, he’s too fast and too talented to get beaten by Margarito. But this Manny Pacquiao is not gonna be enough… that’s all,” a visibly disappointed Arum said in an interview. Some later reports out of the Pacquiao training camp have indicated a vast improvement in the pound for pound king?s readiness in his preparation for the November showdown with Antonio ?Loaded Hands? Margarito. The Mexican banger is arguably Pacquiao?s toughest challenge to date, noting the very significant size difference. Ironically, the considerably bigger guy has the odds stacked against him. Arum has branded these betting odds as crazy and outrageous. Well, he has, for two basic reasons: one, to hype things up? and two, to make the fight look less of a mismatch in most people?s eyes.
IS PACQUIAO REALLY WAY BEHIND OR JUST RIGHT ON SCHEDULE?
Less than twenty days left before the titanic showdown, a few boxing scribes as well as avid Pacquiao followers have expressed concern regarding his rather abbreviated training for the Margarito bout. Much of it was caused by the various commitments that the Pinoy idol has, notwithstanding the day-to-day distractions brought about by being a very popular figure in his native land. Veteran boxing analyst Ronnie Nathanielz of the Philippine Daily Inquirer said it best when he said Team Pacquiao is ?cramming?. This is to be expected when Pacquiao opted to train in hostile territory (Philippines) than at the Wild Card gym in LA, which is a much more conducive place for training. Team Pacquiao, for their part, have maintained that they are just right on schedule, citing that the Filipino firebomb should not peak too soon. In favorable scenarios, this is a very comforting thought. But
