LOS ANGELES-Like a diamond in the rough, promoter Murad Muhammad said Manny Pacquiao is up there among the all-time boxing greats including Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier and Roy Jones Jr., among others.
“You are looking at an athlete that is gifted with the attributes that I have not found in a lot of the great fighters that I referred to as great,” said Muhammad, who along with Juan Manuel Marquez’s promoter Bob Arum, hosted earlier a press conference at Max’s in Glendale City.
Muhammad, who has promoted fights for Ali, Holmes, Frazier and Jones in the past, said Pacquiao is unique, one-of-a-kind and special, a boxer who doesn’t need hype.
“This is not hype and this is not a show. This is serious business here,” added M&M Sports top honcho Muhammad, after seeing Pacquiao train late Thursday afternoon at the Wild Card Gym with Freddie Roach. “I’ve never seen somebody train hard in every round and never get tired. His stamina is unbelievable.”
Pacquiao did the mitts with Roach and mimicked the final punch drills and combinations that could work well against Marquez, who stakes his IBF and WBA featherweight belts on May 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
As always, even Pacquiao’s work with the mitts was well-applauded by a handful of gym regulars including newly-arrived members of Team Pacquiao Gerry Garcia and Ramon Lainez who joined business manager Rod Nazario, Frank Nazario, Buboy Fernandez and Lito Mondejar at the sidelines.
Every punch exploded with a boom on Roach’s leather mitts as Pacquiao delivered successive punches with blinding speed and brute power including 52 power uppercuts that ended eight rounds.
“I’ve traveled the world for 12 years with Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali was sensational. But even Muhammad Ali took rest in between every round and he never put his all into it. Some rounds he took off when he was just dancing around the ring. Roy Jones Jr. is a sensational athlete, he is one of a kind, because he can hit you in any angle and he can knock you out. He has great stamina but even he in his fame and ability, will take time out if he boxes 12 rounds in the gym. Larry Holmes, a legend. Joe Frazier, he did not know how to rest but he did throw punches every three or four seconds, sometimes he would rest for 30, 40 seconds apart. Manny Pacquiao doesn’t rest,” said Muhammad.
“Surely, we’re gonna be victorious, I believe. We will shock the world. It will be shocking to me if he (Pacquiao) can’t knock him out (Marquez), and that will be within three rounds,” said Muhammad.
Team Pacquiao has never been as solid as before as Muhammad and Roach have already started smoking the peace pipe after controversy struck last year right after Pacquiao’s historic demolition of Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in San Antonio, Texas. Roach and Muhammad exchanged pleasantries while Pacquiao, acknowledged as the People’s Champion, was busy punching a mini speed ball specially selected by Roach.
Even Arum of Top Rank Inc. may have conceded victory for Pacquiao as he announced yesterday at the press conference that a July 31 fight with WBC super-featherweight champion Erik Morales is a go on “pay-per-view.”
Arum announced that should Pacquiao win, he and Morales will topbill a mega-showcase which would feature, among others, a fight between Johnny Tapia and Fernando “Bobby Boy” Velardez, IBF champion Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez against the No. 1 contender Robbie Peden on the same card.
However, a loss by Pacquiao would pit Morales against Hernandez, Arum said.
Arum added that they have already sold around 6,000 of the 10,000-seat arena at the MGM Grand.
