PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE — Our beloved Manny Pacquiao has continued to please the coaching staff with regards to his training regimen, more than a month into his long buildup for a much-awaited return confrontation with Mexican warrior Juan Manuel Marquez.
In his regular column in a daily tabloid, Pacquiao said “everything is absolutely fine and everything is definitely under control” as far as training for his scheduled 12-round title fight with Marquez is concerned.
“Masaya naman po at kuntento ang aking coaching staff na sina Freddie Roach, Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri sa aking ikinikilos sa ring at tuloy pa rin ang aming paghahanda sa laban kontra kay Juan Manuel Marquez,” wrote Pacquiao.
And for the nth time, the Filipino ring icon known in the boxing world as “Pacman” told his countrymen back home not to worry, saying he is preparing very well for this return bout which pundits say could go down as one of the most exciting fights of the year.
“Huwag po kayong mabahala,” Pacquiao said.
Since breaking camp at the Wild Card gym on Vine Street in Hollywood, California in mid-January, Pacquiao has completed 31 rounds of sparring against Rey Beltran, David Rodela and Daniel Cervantez, with the last of the first five sessions ending on Tuesday evening under the watchful eyes of Roach, Fernandez and Neri.
Pacquiao and Marquez are scheduled to meet for the second time on March 15 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for the World Boxing Council’s super-featherweight championship, a bout which is already considered a success at the gates a month before it takes place.
Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy Promotions Chief executive officer whose company is staging the bout dubbed “Unfinished Business” with Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc., said that “it’s almost sold out, very few tickets are remaining.”
Telling a British-based website, Schaefer said “we anticipate a sellout before fight week. There’s a tremendous amount of interest. Mexicans see that Marquez is their last legend standing after Pacquiao dismantled Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.”
Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer for five years now, said he sees no problem with his ward’s weight, adding somebody from WBC will be in Hollywood on Thursday to check on Manny’s weight.
“I don’t see any problem. He’s about 140 or even less,” according to Roach.
The super-featherweight limit is 130 pounds.
The first time they met in 2004, Marquez heroically recovered from three knockdowns in the first round to salvage a 12-round draw against the Filipino fighter who claimed he was the clear winner of the controversial bout.