Manny Pacquiao?s success in his May 8 encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez hinges on one important premise: that he gets into similar prefight condition the way he did against Marco Antonio Barrera.
Despite the daunting image of two belts strapped around Marquez?s waist, despite the mounting controversies that have hounded Pacquiao and his camp throughout the southpaw?s inactivity since November, and despite the awesome pressure of carrying the hopes of some 80 million Filipinos, the only hands that could swing the outcome of Pacquiao?s fate come fight night are those of time. Meaning, how fast can Manny reload his arsenal and fortify himself less than a month and a half before the fight that could win him a dual championship, his official badge in featherweight country.
And should Pacquiao retool himself in time, boxing enthusiasts believe that a Pacquiao victory — ?a knockout triumph at that,? or so the camp of the Filipino featherweight wages — is a no-brainer.
?If he gets in shape the way he did before he defeated Barrera, nobody can stop him,? asserted Moy Lainez, part-owner of Pacquiao?s mother gym in downtown Manila.
