BT – Freddie how’s Manny’s camp going this early on ? “We had our second day of sparring today, Manny went 4 hard rounds, and I was happy with how Manny looked. Many looked explosive when he wanted to. So far so good, I am really happy with him so far. Manny started his road work in the mornings, and he’s doing well. I didn’t expect his timing to be as good as it is this early on. We start the hills tomorrow, and we’ll pick it up then, and push him. On Friday we move from 4 rounds to 6 rounds of sparring.”
BT – Do you think Oscar Larios takes Manny deep into this fight ?
FR – You know, I think it’s possible. I think Oscar at 130lbs will be a little bit stronger. I hear he’s on a weight program, so we will not take this guy lightly. Oscar was a world champion, and he know’s what it takes to be a world champion. We will not take this guy lightly, we have bigger fights and better things in the future, so we will make no mistakes.
BT – Freddie, it seemed you had to go the The Philippines and right the ship, for lack of better words. It seemed Manny almost got caught up in too much hype over there. Do you fear that as Manny progresses in his career that you will have to fight these distractions more and more ?
FR – You know, with fame you always have some distractions. Maybe there is a little ego, and that’s going to happen a little bit. With that said, when it comes down to training for a fight, NOBODY does it better than Manny Pacquiao. I was a little bit worried on the first day, but once Manny got back into the gym, he was the old Manny Pacquiao immediately. Manny is 100 percent with everything he does, Manny stops the whole gym when he works the heavy-bag. Every one of Manny’s punches has bad, bad intentions. On all of the bags, and on the mitts this kid has bad intentions. I am really happy where Manny is right now, and I will tell you this much, Oscar better be ready for this one.
BT – Freddie, before it’s all said and done, do you think Manny will be considered as one of the all time greats in boxing ?
FR – Definitely, what he has already accomplished already will put him into the Boxing Hall of Fame. Manny might go down as the greatest Philippine fighter of all time. Manny with what he has accomplished may go past Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, and a couple more wins against guys like Morales, Barrera, and Larios, will put him right up there.
BT – What’s the latest with an Erik Morales date ?
FR – I hear that Morales will fight the fight at 130lbs, and they are just working out the finer details. Erik has accepted, and we have to fight that fight. Right now it looks like October or November. It won’t be decided until after our fight in The Philippines though. Erik has the rematch, so that’s a mandatory fight for us, and we are looking forward to it.
BT- A lot of fans in The Philippines want to see Pacquiao rematch Barrera, do you still see this fight as a possibility ?
FR – That was a great fight the other night, hopefully Barrera will give Rocky Juarez a rematch. Barrera might not win the rematch (laughs), I had Barrera winning the fight by a little bit, but I am not a boxing judge (laughs). We are looking forward to fighting Barrera, but we have Larios first, we have to get past him first, then we have Morales, and he’s always a tough fight, he’s a game guy. I read an interview that Erik Morales did with the Philippine press, where he says that the only reason Manny is famous is because of him, and that he is going to take Manny’s fame away from him. Erik went on to say that he’s going to kick Manny ass ? Well I look forward to that fight, and it looks like Erik is the cry baby, and we look forward to kicking his ass! I think Barrera deserves a rematch because
he’s a gentleman, and a class act. Since Barrera fought Manny he has done nothing but good things. I think I have the better fighter, and I think we win that fight, but the people definitely want to see Barrera and Manny do it again.
BT- Freddie, did Manny read about what Erik said about him ?
FR – Yes, he read it, and he laughed. Manny then said “We will see about that, we will see”.
BT – What are your thoughts on Ray Bautista’s performance ?
FR – Boom Boom has that killer instinct, and he’s young, we don’t need to rush that kid. Ray just needs to calm down a little bit, he’s a little anxious, but he’s so young, and that comes with the territory when you’re just 19. Ray is growing every fight, and he has a great future ahead of him. Ray is on the under-card of Manny’s fight in Manila.
BT – Freddie, can Ray Bautista be the next Manny Pacquiao ?
FR – Ray has that smile, and he wants to hurt you with every punch, he’s a killer. Outside of the ring, he’s a sweet kid. When he’s in my gym here in America he always tells me that he misses his home, and he misses his mother. He’s such a nice kid, a real sweetheart to be around.
BT- What’s the latest with Peter Manfredo Jr ?
FR – He just went back home for a little while. Peter is a little frustrated because he doesn’t have a fight date as of yet. There have been talks about Jeff Lacy, and Omar Sheika, but nothing solid. There were talks about Calzaghe, but the money wasn’t right for that fight, the numbers didn’t add up. As soon as Peter gets a date, he’ll be back out here. Peter is my best student, he’s hungry for knowledge, and when I show him something he catches on quickly.
BT – Have you had any James Toney sightings lately ?
FR – I hear there are negotiations with Klitschko, and hopefully the third time is a charm for James. I am not sure how close they are to a date, so we will see.
BT – Freddie James Toney is James Toney, but will you do your best to try to get James to come into the fight in better condition, if it happens ?
FR – You know what ? I saw James at fight night here at the Wild Card the other night, and he looked good. He was much lighter than he was in his last fight already. I think he’s working out (laughs). I think he realizes what’s out there, but just looking at him he looks in much better shape. I didn’t say anything to him, I let him be (laughs).
BT – Freddie don’t fix something if it isn’t broken (laughs).
FR -(Laughs) that’s right.
BT – Brian Viloria and Israel Vasquez, what’s the latest ?
FR – Brian has a fight in August, he’s coming off of the fracture of his right hand. Israel will fight June 10th in Atlantic City against Ivan Hernandez. Israel boxed 10 rounds today, and he looked really good. I am having trouble with my scheduling with all of this going on. I can’t be in two places at the same time, but I will work it out.
BT – Bobby Pacquiao fights Kevin Kelly, how’s Bobby looking so far ?
FR – Bobby is looking really good, he’s getting better and better. Bobby is taking this game a lot more serious than he used to, and he’s tired of living in his brothers shadow. Bobby is working harder than I have ever seen him. Kevin Kelly is a slick boxer, but I think Bobby is more powerful, and has a little more strength, it’s not an easy fight, but it’s a winnable fight.
BT – Back on Manny for a second, update us on your game-plan when you return to The Philippines with Manny.
FR – Originally I was going to bring him up into the mountains, but I changed that. There are too many adjustments when we do that, so we are going to train here until June 19th, and we will be back in Manila June 20th. I have decided not to train Manny in the mountains, and spend the whole 11 days in Manila at the Wild Card in Manila. We are going to put on a great show.
BT – Freddie do you have anything that you would like to say to The Philippine fans who are excited about Manny’s arrival, and your arrival there.
FR – Yes, to the fans in The Philippines, don’t miss this one! It’s going to be the Thrilla in Manila! We are going to put on a great show, Manny will be in great shape, the best shape of his life, and we will NOT disappoint you. We look forward to bigger and better things in the future!
