BAGUIO CITY: Super Typhoon Juan was already here but Filipino ring icon and Rep. Manny Pacquiao of Sarangani defied a rainy Monday morning by continuing his usual training and conditioning routines.
Pacquiao went immediately to the Teachers’ Camp training grounds along with conditioning coach Alex Ariza, sparring mate World Boxing Association junior welterweight champion Amir Khan and Buboy Fernandez, among others.
“I’m 100 percent ready,” Pacquiao (51-3-2 win-loss-draw with 38 knockouts) told reporters after a one-and-a-half hour of training that began at 7:30 a.m. “The public has nothing to worry about since I’m feeling very good.”
Ariza, who supervised Pacquiao’s speed training, stamina building and footwork drills, attested to the latest condition of the “People’s Champ,” saying that he was happy with the results of their preparations for the Filipino boxing superstar’s fight with Antonio Margarito on November 13.
“Do you think he’s going to melt? Well I don’t think so,” he told The Manila Times when asked about the current situation of his “trainee” under the rain. “Manny will peak at the exact time of his fight against Antonio Margarito with the way I see it.”
Ariza, who is also confident that cold and fever are not threats to Pacquiao because of the rainy weather, has a bit of worry concerning pain on
Pacquiao’s lower back the past few days that affected his speed.
But the 31-year-old Pacquiao said, “There’s nothing to worry about it, I’m in control.”
Pacquiao guns for eighth world title against Margarito for the World Boxing Council junior middleweight belt.
Ariza believed that Margarito, a Mexican-American, would not be able to keep up with Pacquiao’s pace and movements.
“Everything is absolutely 100 percent [with Pacquiao],” he said.
“We’re behind for a while [in training] but today we’re back to where we want to be,” Ariza added.
Before the Pacquiao-Margarito bout takes place in Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas, he said, he was hoping that Pacquiao’s weight would be 150 pounds to make it easy for him to make the 151-lbs catch weight.
Pacquiao’s current weight right is 148lbs.
Ariza said that he was doing everything to make Pacquiao gain weight without sacrificing his trainee’s superb speed.
The cat-quick Khan is expected to spar with Pacquiao for the first time on Tuesday for the Filipino icon to improve his speed.
Source: manilatimes.net
