Roach tells Pacquiao: Focus on boxing

Roach tells Pacquiao: Focus on boxing

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By Julius Manicad
10/03/2009





BAGUIO CITY — At this stage — with six weeks left before his next big fight — Manny Pacquiao’s extra curricular activities are easily becoming a major distraction to his buildup.

Freddie Roach yesterday expressed displeasure over Pacquiao’s penchant in doing other things on the side, saying the boxer’s concentration should always be on WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto and their upcoming title brawl on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The three-time Trainer of the Year got irked after learning that his prized client missed his routine of early morning workout after playing 10 games of pickup basketball with some friends late Wednesday night.

Then, the following morning, Pacquiao struggled big-time in his four-round sparring session against Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillano, prompting Roach to tighten things up, turning his training camp into a closed-door boxing facility with a more serious tone.

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the Hall of Fame trainer said.

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Roach added.

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But Pacquiao, the carefree Filipino boxing icon who also attends to his show biz and political commitments on the side, doesn’t seem to care.

He, in fact, admitted that he is slowly falling in love with the cool mountain breeze of this lovely paradise resort, hinting that this would be the site of his next training camp against a tougher opponent, probably Floyd Mayweather or Shane Mosley. "Malayo pa naman, six weeks pa pero maganda na ang pakiramdam ko," he said. "Maganda dito, lumalakas ang stamina ko. Mabilis akong maka-recover dito."

Roach noted that against Porter and Antillano, with the doors of the camp wide-open for local and national reporters, Pacquiao’s weaknesses were evident as he leaned on the ropes more than slug it out like he did in his previous fights.

The 21-year-old Porter, the 2007 National Golden Gloves champion who has yet to be beaten in 10 fights as a pro, used his size and weight to his advantage, battering the obviously off-shape Pacquiao in two solid rounds.

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Roach said.

Yesterday — away from the prying eyes of the media — however, a more intense, more focused Pacquiao showed up.

Clad in a blue shirt and red trunks, Pacquiao outran the Philippine Military Academy cadets in the morning then effortlessly cleared 14 rounds of mitts, 10 minutes of speedball and 10 minutes of jump ropes to impress everyone — even Roach.

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