Freddie talks about Manny Pacquaio, Rey Bautista, his growing stable of Filipino fighters, and James Toney!
FF: Freddie I’m sure you’re sick to death of talking about those gloves with Manny and Morales, but did they make a difference in this last fight? I’ve heard you say that it’s Manny that made the difference. Can you elaborate?
FR: It was Manny that made the difference, but it was nice to go out there with the gloves we were comfortable with.
FF: I seemed to notice Manny was much more effective in this last fight with his right had, whether it was a jab or a hook, and a little step to his side that really seemed to throw off Morales’ rhythm. Was that a big part in opening things up?
FR: Yea, it was definitely part of our game plan. We made if very tough for ourselves in the first fight, and we really needed to use both hands in the second one. It was the rhythm and the fact we used the right hand to make the left hand land easier.
FF: I was the most impressed with the adjustments he showed and thought it was really a sign that he’s grown as a fighter. That’s scary.
FR: He has you know, and he’s only going to get better and better.
FF: What’s Manny Pacquiao up to now?
FR: He’s back in the Philippines now. It looks like we’re going to fight Oscar Larios the first week in May, and then we’ve decided to take the rubber match with Morales in September.
FF: I’ve heard a lot about this two-pounds the Morales camp has been requesting, wanting the fight to take place at 132. Where’s that at right now?
FR: We’re still negotiating that right now, and if he wants those two pounds, it’s going to cost him.
FF: Both the first two fights were at 130, I really don’t see why the 3rd should be at a weight that doesn’t exists as a weight class…
FR: Yea.
FF: Does 2 pounds really make a difference for either of them?
FR: I don’t really think so I don’t think one or two pounds will make any difference. If Manny focuses it will look just like the last fight. We just need to not take him lightly like we did the first time.
FF: Speaking of taking someone lightly, does Oscar Larios scare you as a tune up fight? Could he pull off an upset here and catch Manny off guard? The guy is a busy busy fighter and has been know to throw a hundred punches a round…
FR: The thing is he’s very hittable, so I don’t think so. We can’t take him lightly and have to train really hard for this fight. I’m going to go over to the Philippines for six weeks and get to work. We’ve got to be at our best because all though Larios is smaller, he’s very game and he’s a tough guy.
…
[At this point James Toney comes barging in interrupting the interview carrying a big box.]
James Toney: Hey Freddie, hey Freddie, check this out.
[He open the box and pulls out a James Toney caricature Bobble Head and starts showing it off to us.]
FR: That’s nice.
JT: Only $35 dollars each. (To me) You wanna buy one?
FF: Sure, I’ll take one.
JT: One? Naw naw naw, you gonna buy a whole case!
FF: A whole case? I think I’d be lucky if I had $35 on me.
JT: Bull shit! Freddie get out the Credit Card machine…
[Freddie laughs, and James turns his attention to hawking his new toys to the rest of the people in the gym.]
FR: (Laughs) Sorry about that.
FF: No problem.
…
FF: Freddie, I hear you’re a pretty popular fellow over in the Philippines, are you looking forward to going over there to meet all your fans?
FR: I haven’t been over there since this last fight. Should be a lot of fun. The people over there are great and they treated be very well last time.
FF: Brian Viloria is a very exciting prospect and another one of your pinoy fighters although he was born in Hawaii wasn’t he?
FR: Yea his father was born in the Philippines so he has a lot of family that’s from over there. He was born in Hawaii and they call him the Hawaiian Punch.
FF: That makes for a lot of Filipino fighters you’re training. I have to ask you, is it you making them look good or are they making you look good?
FR: (Laughs) Aww it’s them making me look good. I mean when the bell rings I sit down and they fight.
FF: Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista is another Filipino fighter I saw working out a little earlier. Is he with you now training at the Wild Card?
FR: Yea Rey’s a good kid. He’s young you know, 19 years old and he’s really coming along. He’s going to be maybe the next Pacquiao.
FF: I’ve seen seven or eight of his fights now from back in the Philippines and he’s sent a few guys out on stretchers. He seems to carry a very big punch for his weight…
FR: He does. He’s a little bit tight right now, we’ve just got to loosen him up a little bit get him a bit more seasoned, but he’s defiantly a very good prospect.
FF: He’s 118 right now, is he going to have trouble staying at that weight class with his body still growing?
FR: He’s 19 years old, and I’d say he’ll end up at 126 but he’s a big eighteen pounder. He’s making the weight well right now and he’s got age on his side.
FF: Could you tell us about how James Toney’s training camp is going for the Hasim Rahman fight on March 18th?
FR: He’s doing okay, you know he’s letting his hands go a little bit more. He’s a little stiff today, but it’s all part of the process with James. He works hard every day and we’re sparring 3 days a week right now. Today’s a sparring day and he went ten rounds. I’d like to see him a little lighter…
FF: What weight would you hope to see him come in at?
FR: 225.
FF: What kind of challenges does Rahman present? He’s got the big right hand…
FR: He’s got a good jab also, he’s a strong guy. But James doesn’t get hit with the right hand very often so we’re not worried about that too much.
I think James is going to take him to School to be honest with you.
FF: In regards to the Rahman’s right hand, I hear from a lot of guys James has worked with, “Ice Man” John Scully, “Cowboy” Dale Brown, that James is very difficult to hit with the right. Why is James so good at avoiding right hands?
FR: It’s his bread and butter actually. If you try and hit James with the right hand you’re going to get countered with the right. It’s something he does naturally and it seems very instinctive with James.
FF: Rahman can be a handful when he decides to use his jab, sometimes being known to throw 40 or 50 a round… How does James take away the jab?
FR: James is a very slick fighter, and just by establishing distance and using his own jab to get a little bit closer it will be no problem at all. If that’s all Rahman’s got, he’s in trouble. I mean who has he fought lately? He struggles with guys like Al Cole and I’m just not really impressed with Rahman. He’s a strong guy yes, but there are a lot of strong guys out there. James is just too slick for him in my opinion.
FF: I don’t want to ask you to look past the Rahman fight, but how many times can we hope to see James fight this year?
FR: Well you know we’re getting an early start this year but we’d really like to fight three times. The problem is there’s only so many dates out there.
FF: Thanks for doing this Freddie and good luck on March 18th.
FR: Alright.
