Realizing that his showdown with Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton is perhaps one of his toughest fights in recent years, Filipino boxing hero and national treasure Manny Pacquiao pushed himself in training today (Wednesday, Manila Time) and went ten rounds on the punch-mitts.
Pacquiao went five rounds with longtime friend and Filipino trainer “Buboy” Fernandez and five rounds with former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer, the new assistant of trainer Freddie Roach.
Conditioning expert Alex Ariza told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that the training “went well , just breaking in and getting used to training again. This is a kind of warm-up week before we really get started on Monday.”
Ariza said Pacquiao “looked really good on the punch-mitts. There is something about Manny that you really have to hand it to him. He really maintains his strength. Of course he was tired because he pushed himself a little today.”
Ariza said conditioning-wide they would “change a couple of things” which they did to prepare Pacquiao for his fight with Oscar De La Hoya last December 6 but said “it would pretty much be the same kind of approach.”
He said that mentally Pacquiao was “in high spirits, he’s focused” even as we learned that there were fewer people in his entourage and the gym was very quiet.
Ariza said Moorer “went over some things defensively and offensively with Manny and since they are both southpaws that helps. “ He also indicated that there would be some “running and warning up this week before we start the plyometrics thing next week.”
In Las Vegas , boxing trainer and former Cebu resident Anthony “Tony” Martin who trains some fighters at the Mayweather Gym said he believes Pacquiao “is too strong for and much too fast” for the IBO light welterweight champion.
Source: boxingscene.com
No comments:
Post a Comment