Roach bares training plans for Pacquiao

If Manny Pacquiao’s chief trainer Freddie Roach will have his way, the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion should start preparing for his for his defense of his 147-pound crown against Juan Manuel Marquez as early as the first week of September.

Roach, in an overseas telephone talk with Malaya Business Insight, said he has drawn a nine week training program in the Philippines and in Los Angeles, California to build Pacquiao up for his third fight with the Mexican legend to complete the their trilogy on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.

The nine-week preparation is a week longer than what the pound-for-pound king and eight-division world champion has undergone in his previous fights. Another deviation from the usual run up is that, in this fight, only three weeks will be spent in the Philippines, most-likely in Baguio City and six weeks at the Wild Card Gym, which he owns, in downtown Hollywood.
Against Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito and Sugar Shane Mosley, Pacquiao had pitched training camp in an equal four-week ratio each in the Philippines and the U.S.

"Three weeks in The Philippines and six weeks here at Wild Card, “ Roach told this writer. "It's a better split than last time. Here in Wild Card is where the focus comes in.”
The move, obviously, is meant to separate the Pacman from the distractions he experienced in his most recent fights when his duties and responsibilities as an elected Congressman of Sarangani Province, to a certain extent, obstructed his training.

“Manny’s previous two fights against Marquez were both close and this time, I want him to concentrate more to ensure that at the end of the trilogy, Manny will again emerge as winner, convincingly that is,” the four-time “Trainer of the Year” honoree reasoned out.

“Not that I’m worried about Manny losing this time or that he’s missed his training. I can’t see any reason why Marquez can beat Manny. Likewise, Manny has shown so many times how serious he’s been in training, virtually killing himself in the process ” Roach clarified though.

“But, as always, I believe there’s no substitute for a better preparations. I don’t want to see him killing himself again in training. He’s not getting any younger,” he explained “ Boxing is one sport where you cannot say really what would happen. A big upset is not totally discounted in this game where the better prepared fighters always prevail over the complacent ones.”

“The main reason why Manny consented into fighting Marquez for the third time is prove to all and sundry that he really is the better fighter between them and that’s what we will be proving comes fight time,” he stressed.

The first time the two fought in 2004, Pacquiao only managed a draw despite dropping Marques thrice in the opening round. Four years later, the Filipino hero only settled for a split decision win after sending the Mexican to the canvas in the third round.

Since then, Pacquiao won all his fights climbing from lightweight to super-lightweight to welterweight to superwelterweight, while Marquez remained in the 130 to 135-pound limit before meeting and losing to undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the only time he climbed into the ring above his normal weights.

Claiming he won in both fights, Marquez kept pursuing Pacquiao to meet him for the third time the next three years even going to Manila once to no avail until Top Rank’s Bob Arum agreed having obtained permission from rival Golden Boy promotions of Oscar DeLa Hoya, which owns Marquez fight rights and only after several attempts to pit Pacquiao and Mayweather in what is believed to be the richest and biggest fight in the history of boxing failed to materialize.

Source: PhilBoxing.com