Pacman: I have the advantage

Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao says he's in great shape and will "do my best to give a good fight" when he faces WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in a huge pay-per-view rematch billed as 'Unfinished Business' on March 15th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. "It's a big advantage for me that I dropped him already three times in the first fight," Manny admitted today, "but I don't want to get overconfident because I know he's trying to get revenge and win this fight." Pacman also said he rejects the label of 'Mexican Assassin,' a nickname foisted upon him by some in the media due to his string of wins over Mexican stars. "I don't want people to call me 'Mexican Assassin,'" commented Pacquiao. "I'm just a fighter who does my job in the ring and gives a good fight to the fans."

Pacman must charge and gore early

MANILA, Philippines -- Please mark this line 10 days before Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines clashes for the second time with Mexico’s Juan Marquez:
“The bull, as he should be, is dead. The man, as he should be, is alive and with a tendency to smile.”
That’s one of the memorable passages in Ernest Hemingway’s “Death in the Afternoon,” an all-time classic on bullfighting and, yes, life as a whole.
These words by the great American writer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, came to mind Tuesday morning following a live radio report on dzBB from California by a Filipino correspondent who has covered Pacquiao’s big bouts in the United States.
* * *
It’s trite, it has become almost a cliché, said the correspondent, how Pacquiao trains incredibly hard for yet another fight.
This was the case last year, the year before last, and much, much earlier.
Pacquiao doesn’t mind killing himself in preparing for a fight.
Of course, there were times when he would check in late for training in California.
There were times when he would cram, like last year when he failed to conveniently make the weight in his fight against Marco Antonio Barrera.
* * *
This year, however, there’s no denying Pacquiao has been training hardest in a bid to be at his very best.
OK, there were reports on the ever-growing number of people in Pacquiao’s apartment, how the place has become a virtual theme park.
But Pacquiao, so says the keen-eyed correspondent, has refused to be distracted.
The correspondent added that Pacquiao has assured him there’s no reason to worry about his weight.
No problem whatsoever, everything is going splendidly, on schedule.
* * *
This in itself -- meaning the lingering fear of excess poundage -- has been licked ahead.
Indeed, we’ve got to believe what Pacquiao has sworn -- that he would breeze through the weighing scales this time.
No, he did not claim he has a better training camp than Marquez, who checked into his mountain hideaway in Mexico a full month earlier than Pacquiao did (at the Wild Card Gym) in Los Angeles.
Despite the one-month gap, Marquez cannot be expected to have an edge in physical preparedness -- if we are to believe what Pacquiao and his handlers have been claiming.
Add to this the fact that Pacquiao, as shown in his recent outings, has also developed into a two-fisted wonder, a far cry from the one-track southpaw who got peppered bloody and was forced to a draw by Marquez four years ago.
* * *
Pacquiao, at 29, could be at his peak while Marquez at 34 may, well, not be too many years away from retirement.
Of course, we also have to take note of what Marquez has claimed that, at 34, he now feels as young and strong as he was when he was only 25.
Meanwhile, odds favoring Pacquiao are expected to soar as the big fight nears.
Still, there remain sharp, seasoned fight fans who have stuck it out with Marquez from the start.
Their reason: Pacquiao may have indeed learned and added new shots and moves to his arsenal.
But, at the same time, there are crucial mistakes he has not managed to correct and may not be able to unlearn until March 15.
These flaws, these same experts noted, are serious defensive lapses.
These are shortcomings that could inevitably leave Pacquiao leading the role of a raging bull against Marquez, a master matador.
The bull, as his assigned role, must charge, connect and gore early in order to reverse the time-honored tradition in the usually uneven contest.

Marquez No Match for Pacquiao's Barrage

San Francisco, CA. -- "The best conditioned Manny Pacquiao will face Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15" the Filipino boxing hero crowed as he met the press on his first Bay Area visit since his torturous draw with Agapito Sanchez at the Civic Center. Even with a torpid recollection of that bloody fight wherein the Dominican roughneck tried robbing him of his newly acquired title -- Pacquiao wants another pugnacious scrap in his pet city by the bay. And in an outright dig at Marquez' brag of a more rounded training for their rematch, Pacquiao insists his trainers are far more superior and as such have negated whatever advantages the Mexican champ gained by his early start. So then, both warriors are in shape--their best- ever conditioning brought about by their exacting workouts. Expect a barn-burner when these intrepid boxers collide at Mandalay Bay Events Center in glitzy Vegas. This is a must-see thriller made compelling by their mutual enmity engendered by their drawn match four years back. Since that disputed draw at the MGM Grand, Pacquiao has matured while Marquez aged. Marquez turns 35 in August and whether he admits it or not, this pesky item places him in a situation that entails difficulty for the aging fighter A clear-cut winner will emerge in the 'unfinished business' featuring today's remarkable talents in the junior lightweight division. Manny Pacquiao who is not only strong but skillful as well remains the favorite in the posted odds at various betting centers.(Illegal bookies included) Any of the two combative warriors digging too big a hole in the early rounds will find it tough recovering lost ground. And who'll pocket all the marbles in this awaited return bout? It will be highly unlikely for the Mexican defending champ to upset the Filipino lefty who's on a roll -- on a tear, if you please with a ten win streak. Pacquiao has been ruthlessly productive since losing to Eric Morales. Unless Marquez starts growing steroid-laden hormones (quite late in the day right?), Pacquiao will have his butt whupped when the battle smoke clears at the Mandalay. Sorry Juan Manuel but it will take a lot more than a great camp to overcome the smooth rhythm of the power punchin' Pacman.

Bayless, not Cortez, named ref

Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez should both be satisfied that Kenny Bayless is going to be the third man on the ring during their March 15 contest in Las Vegas.
Bayless, for one, is a top-notch referee often described as a “decent” one. He had worked 363 fights over the last 15 years, and has refereed 43 world title fights.
Bayless, of Nevada, was the same referee who counted out Erik Morales in the 10th round of a 2006 match with Pacquiao, their second of three fights, in Las Vegas.
Bayless said he doesn’t find any problem working a Pacquiao fight because he always knew that the Filipino, despite his very aggressive style, is a “clean fighter.”
Marquez said more than a month ago that he preferred anybody but Joe Cortez for his WBC super-featherweight title defense against Pacquiao.
The Mexican champ said he didn’t like the way Cortez, one of the finest in the business, worked a few of his fights, including the one against Pacquiao in 2004.
Marquez said he’d file a protest if Cortez would be named the referee for this coming fight.
The Pacquiao camp, particularly trainer Freddie Roach, feels the same way, too, claiming that Cortez erred during the first Pacquiao-Morales fight, when he called a head-butt a Morales punch.
It will only be the second time Bayless, who refereed the Mayweather-De la Hoya bout in 2007, Mosley-Vargas in 2006 and Hopkins-De la Hoya in 2004, will work a Pacquiao fight.
He was in Manila for the WBC Convention last November.
Bayless, a protégé of the famous Richard Steele, has also worked a Marquez fight just once. It was in 1999 when the Mexican faced Argentina’s Remigio Daniel Molina.
Marquez won that one, a featherweight bout held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, when he stopped Molina in the eighth round of a scheduled 10-rounder.
Both Pacquiao and Marquez should be hoping for a similar result with Bayless around.
Also named by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to work the awaited rematch at Mandalay Bay were judges Jerry Roth, Duane Ford and Dick Flaherty.
Roth has penned three Pacquiao fights – against Lehlo Ledwaba in 2001, Morales in 2006 and Marco Antonio Barrera last October; Ford only once, the third Morales fight; and Flaherty never.

KONTING TIIS NA LANGBy Manny Pacquiao

LOS ANGELES -- Hello everyone, I hope everything is fine. If you are going to ask me how I am feeling and what is going on with my training, I would like to let everyone know that I am doing very well. Umabot na po ako sa pinakamahirap na yugto ng aking training at gusto ko lang na ipaalam sa lahat na nalampasan ko na ang mga matitinding pagsubok na nasa harapan ko. Masaya po ang aking coaching staff na binubuo ni Freddie Roach, Buboy Fernandez at Nonoy Neri at ang conditioning coach ko na si Eric Brown sa ipinakita kong lakas, bilis at stamina. Konti pa, matatamo ko na ang isang perfect condition. Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon sa loob ng ilang linggong paghahanda para sa laban namin ni Juan Manuel Marquez sa March 15, tinapos ko ang 12 rounds ng sparring kontra sa tatlong boxer na naghalinhinan. Noong Martes at Huwebes, nag-spar ako ng tig-11 rounds. Nitong Sabado, limang rounds ang tinapos ni Rey Beltran, apat kay Juan Garcia at tatlo kay David Rodela. I felt good after sparring 12 rounds and I think I am peaking at the right time. I am training very hard for this match and I promise to give all boxing fans a very good fight. Kayo pong lahat ang aking inspirasyon. Para sa laban na ito, ang paghahanda ko ay masasabi kong isa sa pinakamatindi sa lahat, kung hindi ito na ang pinakamatindi sa loob ng 13 taon ko na sa sport. Sa pagmamatyag ng aking team, binabantayan namin ang aking timbang at kundisyon para matiyak na nasa 100 percent ako sa araw ng laban. Plano kong tapusin ang 130 hanggang 140 rounds ng sparring hanggang sa pababa na ako ng rounds ng sparring sa huling linggo ng training sa Las Vegas, gaya ng nakaugalian na namin. Mahirap para sa isang boxer ang ma-over train kaya tinatantiya ko ang sarili kong kakayahan at lakas para hindi ako mag-peak na maaga. Excited na po ako kahit na mahirap pa rin ang aking tatahaking landas sa susunod na dalawang linggo ng training. Kayo pong lahat ang dahilan kung bakit halos pinapatay ko ang sarili ko sa insayo. Ito po ang palagi kong sinasabi sa lahat ng mga boksingero na gustong sumunod sa aking mga yapak: Na kapag handa ka sa laban, wala kang kinakatakutan. Kapag matibay ang iyong katawan at pag-iisip at may pananalig ka sa Diyos, mas madali ang pagtamo ng tagumpay. Minsan ko na naman pong hihingin ang inyong panalangin para sa ikatatagumpay nating lahat. Konting tiis na lang, konting sakripisyo pa. Sana po, mapanood ninyo ang aking laban dahil ibibigay ko po ang lahat ng aking makakaya, ibubuhos ko ang lahat ng aking lakas para lamang pag-isahin kahit na sa isang sandali ang ating bayan na unti-unti na namang nagkakawatak-watak. Sana po, magkaisa tayong lahat sa pagsulong, hindi sa pagsira ng ating ekonomiya. Hanggang sa muli, sa susunod na Kumbinayon! God bless us all.

Roach says Pacquiao can finish off rival

Freddie Roach doesn’t see Juan Manuel Marquez getting up if and when the Mexican champion goes down on the floor this time against Manny Pacquiao.
“I think if he (Pacquiao) puts him (Marquez) down now, he’ll keep him down,” said Roach as he looked forward to a big finish favoring his Filipino boxer.
Roach looked back at the May 2004 bout between Pacquiao and Marquez who went down thrice in the opening round but still managed to salvage a draw. (Related story on A-28)
Roach said that shouldn’t happen this time.
“I think he (Pacquiao) is bigger and stronger. He’s just a much bigger person now,” Roach said in an article that came out of philboxing.com yesterday.
Pacquiao and Marquez first met at 126 lbs. This time, the weight limit is pegged at 130 lbs, with the Mexican putting his WBC super-featherweight crown on the line.
“I think he’s a 90 percent better fighter. He’s smarter, more experienced. He sets things up. He has two hands now. I think he’s a much better fighter than the first time they fought,” said Roach.
Marquez, almost five years older at 34, also vowed to knock out Pacquiao.
Roach also said that win or lose, this should be Pacquiao’s last fight as a super-featherweight.
“Definitely, this will be his last fight at 130,” said Roach, adding that promoter Bob Arum has already lined up two fights for Pacquaio at a higher class.
Up next for Pacquiao, granting that he beats Marquez, is WBC lightweight (135 lbs) champion David Diaz on June 21 in Macau, then possibly Ricky Hatton at 140 lbs.
But before he starts thinking of moving up, Pacquiao should first bring Marquez down.Page: 1 -->

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