Manny Pacquiao arrives this morning after a five-week training in Los Angeles, upbeat over how he would handle his Mexican opponent and relieved that everything’s A-OK now with his manager Shelly Finkel.
And this is bad news for Oscar Larios.
Larios, a former super-bantamweight champ, has never really gotten any positive feedbacks over his fate against Pacquiao, with his hopes of defeating the Filipino idol lying largely over the how Manny handles his lifestyle and, as of late, deals with another court case that involves the man who saved him from the grasp of Murad Mohammad.
However, Pacquiao steps out of his PAL 113 flight at 5 a.m. nearly 10 pounds lighter from the time he started training last May 18, and back to a normal relationship with Finkel, who had already dropped a lawsuit against two of his aides over a contract dispute.
“Everything is going smoothly according to plan,” said Pacquiao’s Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez. “Wala na kaming nakikitang mga problema, si Larios na lang talaga.”
Before he left the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles Sunday evening, Pacquiao was already within the weight limit of 130 lbs. In his last workout, he sparred for 12 rounds against welterweight foes and then was declared in “very sharp form” by his popular trainer/coach Freddie Roach.
“He’s (Manny) in tip-top shape and we gave him a training geared towards a 12-round bout,” said Roach. “But if Manny can knock out Larios inside 12 rounds, it’s a blessing.”
“Sa tingin ko hindi na lalagpas ng five rounds si Larios,” said Gerry Pe?alosa.
Not only those who are in Pacquiao’s camp are singing the same tune, though.
