MANILA, 7 May 2004 — Who’s next?
This could well be Manny Pacquiao’s menacing remark after his main sparring partner, welterweight Javier Garcia, failed to show up for their sparring sessions, forcing trainer Freddie Roach to look for a replacement.
Sparring went the full 12 rounds with standby replacement Eder Rivas and fleet-footed Jorge Diaz chipping in three rounds each while unbeaten super-bantamweight Art Simonyan finishing strong in the final six rounds.
Still, Roach got a good bargain from the three, as he relayed useful instructions to Pacquiao, things that could spell victory in his upcoming fight with World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation champion Juan Manuel Marquez on May 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Earlier, noted trainer Freddie Roach dismissed as “nothing serious” the minor leg pain Manny Pacquiao has been feeling as the Filipino superstar’s camp heat up their preparations for his big fight with Marquez.
Pacquiao was fully focused as Roach gave instant pointers on how to effectively fight a quick, right-handed counter-puncher like Marquez.
“We are now in the process of fine-tuning Manny for the fight. We are concentrating on improving his timing as well as improving his footwork,” said Roach. “We do not have any problem at all.”
Pacquiao, who cut Garcia’s right upper eyelid when they first met, also knocked down the heavier counter-punching Mexican last week with a single left “phantom” punch.
Roach said he will be looking for a replacement, someone who could help the Filipino champion adapt to power and reach disparities.
Against the unbeaten Armenian Simonyan who stood an inch taller than the 5’6” Pacquiao, the southpaw from General Santos City managed to sneak in combination punches and was able to get in and out of his opponent’s range.
Simonyan, with a 13-0-1, win-loss-draw record (7 KO), provided a good comparison to Marquez, who will stand slightly taller than Pacquiao and would enjoy a slight reach advantage, too.
Earlier in his sparring sessions, Pacquiao also knocked down Simonyan with a single left punch. “Manny’s conditioning is no problem at all,” said Roach, who gave Pacquiao potassium tablets that seemed to relieve the pain in the People’s Champion’s right foot.
“We are going to get a physical exam as required prior to the fight and I will get Manny’s unofficial weight. I think he is already within the 126-pound limit,” said Roach.
The 44-year-old Trainer of the Year Roach said all of Pacquiao’s remaining sparring sessions will be totally off limits to the public, begging for consideration from the fans who wanted to see their hero fight live and up close. “We just have to keep Manny’s concentration level up and I hope people will understand that we are doing this for the sake of their champion,” said Roach.
Pacquiao’s latest win was an 11-round demolition of Marco Antonio Barrera, the Mexican considered as the best featherweight fighter in the world before he lost to the Filipino champ.
Pacquiao actually has a technical draw in between those 13 fights, a sixth-round decision against the dirtiest fighter he has faced so far, Agapito Sanchez.
Statistically, Pacquiao has a more formidable record despite his 38-2-1 (30 KOs) slate, compared to Marquez’s 42-2-0 (33 KOs).
Going into the May 8 encounter, Pacquiao has an impressive record of 12 knockouts and a technical draw while Marquez has 12 KOs and a 12-round unanimous points decision win.
