Proving that last week’s bad weather was never an issue in training camp, Manny Pacquiao dominated his sparring partners Tuesday at the Shape-Up Gym in Cooyesan Hotel in Baguio City. Pacquiao sparred with highly touted former two-time world lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo of Mexico for three rounds. Pacquiao is preparing for his upcoming world welterweight with Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto set for 12-rounds at a catch weight of 145lbs scheduled on November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his anticipated sparring with Castillo, Pacquiao used his vastly improved lateral movements in trying to avoid the Mexican’s uppercuts and body shots. Pacquiao stalled Castillo’s aggressive attacks with three to five punch combos and counter left straights.
The 35-year-old Castillo (60-9-1, 52 KOs) ended his first day of sparring with specks of blood in his left nostril.
“I can’t see his left. It’s very fast and strong. I think that will be a big problem of Cotto,” Castillo told Fightnews after the work out.
Chief trainer Freddie Roach, who at first seemed cautious when it comes to having Castillo as a sparring partner now expressed his contentment in having the Mexican inside the gym.
“Castillo looked to be off a little bit and he’s never sparred as fast as anyone like Manny. But I like his movement because he moves similar to Cotto. Overall it was a great workout and I was very happy,” said Roach.
In sparring with Porter, Pacquiao again worked on his footwork and stiff combinations while moving out of harm’s way.
“That will one of Manny’s best assets. His ability to throw strong punches while moving out of the ropes,” said two-time world champion Dodie Boy Penalosa who now works as one of Pacquiao’s assistant trainers.
Meanwhile Roach denied reports circulating on the internet that Pacquiao was knocked down in one sparring session last week.
Roach said no one has come close to flooring Pacquiao in any of their sparring sessions in their Baguio training camp.
Last weekend internet forums were deluged with queries and reports that Pacquiao got tagged by American sparring partner Shawn Porter.
“That’s a lie. I would know because I would have to pay. He’s getting hit but he’s never been floored ever. Not in eight years. The money is still in my pocket,” said Roach.
Roach has promised $1,000 for anyone among the sparring partners who could put down Pacquiao during sparring.
BAGUIO CITY — Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao has taken up swimming to make up for the road work he has lost to the weather.
“For the last eight years I’ve been trying to get Manny in the pool,” Roach told the Philippine Daily Inquirer yesterday. “With the rain here we finally got him in the pool.”
Pacquiao has missed days of road work due to intermittent rains here. The experience may have not been pleasant for Pacquiao but overall, Roach believes his prized ward has acknowledged the positive effect of it.
“He swallowed a lot of chlorine but he learned to swim quite quickly,” said Roach. “I think I actually liked it overall because when he started to work out he realized how hard it was.”
Pacquiao’s date with the pool last Friday lasted for 26 minutes.
Roach expects Pacquiao to be sore in the muscles and that, added the trainer, comes with the territory.
“It’s like weightlifting but it doesn’t make you tight and slow so it’s a really a wonderful workout. I think we’ll get him back there again,” added Roach.
Roach has been urging his fighters to make swimming a part of their regimen and most, if not all of them realized its many benefits.
Meanwhile, former WBC lightweight king Jose Luis Castillo is set to arrive today here via a private plane to begin sparring sessions with Pacquiao, who is preparing for his November 14 bout with Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Castillo arrived Friday but had to stay in Manila as all roads to and from this city remains impassable.
Pacquiao’s other two sparring mates are Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon, and in the recent week, he has had mixed results with the two.
“Shawn and Urbano pretty evened up with Manny, but last Thursday Manny dominated both,” said Roach.
In other developments, Team Pacquiao is reportedly planning to leave for the US earlier than the planned October 24 schedule because the storm that hit this vacation capital recently has caused a lot of hitches in training.
With still 34 days before the big fight, Manny Pacquiao hovered around 150 lb and should have no problem making the catchweight of 145 lb when he faces Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight crown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Nonoy Neri of Team Pacquiao yesterday said Pacquiao tipped the scales at 150 the other day after working at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City. He said the reigning pound-for-pound champ is now training as hard and eating as much.
“He’s very comfortable right now because he gets to eat anything he likes. And by training so hard, he stays at 150. He can lose the five pounds in the last two weeks of training and he’ll be safe,” said Neri, a long-time Pacquiao assistant.
Cotto, who agreed to stake his 147 lb title at a catchweight two pounds lower, said during last month’s press tour in the United States he was at 160 lb, and Pacquiao’s conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, said this should favor the Filipino icon.
“Cotto has to work harder than us making weight,” said Ariza.
Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, said Pacquiao is where he should be right now as they entered their third week of training in the country’s summer capital. They will move to Los Angeles on Oct. 24, and to Las Vegas a week before the Nov. 14 fight.
There were reports, however, that Pacquiao might fly to the US earlier because of the spate of typhoons that have hit the country and may have had an effect on his training in Baguio City, which has been terribly affected by typhoon “Pepeng” this week.
Jose Luis Castillo, the former WBC lightweight champion, arrived in Manila yesterday along with super-lightweight Danny Escobar but couldn’t proceed to Baguio to spar with Pacquiao because the major roads leading to the city are impassable due to flooding or landslides.
It’s the first time Pacquiao will fight at 145 lb, even if he took on Oscar dela Hoya at 147 last December. For the fight against the Golden Boy, Pacquiao tipped the scales on the eve of the fight at 142 lb and climbed the ring at 148 1/2.
For this fight, Roach has set the numbers.
“I see him (Pacquiao) coming into the fight at 149 lb, the heaviest he’ll be in,” said Roach.”He was 148 1/2 for Oscar and 147 for Ricky Hatton last May.”
“But I don’t want him going over 150 because going past 150 will make him sluggish. I don’t care if Cotto climbs the ring at 165. We’ll stay at 150 or less,” said Roach, adding that for the official weigh-in the Pinoy champ should be at arounf 143 lb.
MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao sparred six rounds yesterday and again took some hard shots as he tried to squeeze the best from his sparring partners, Shawn Porter and Urbano Antillon, at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City.
“He took some real hard shots but overall it was a good workout,” said Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, over the phone on his way back to the Manor Hotel where he’s staying for the duration of the training.
“It was pretty good,” said the American trainer, adding that the number of rounds in sparring should move up by Saturday. He said they plan to do another six rounds on Thursday while they await a new sparring partner.
Former WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, who figured in two brutal bouts with the late Diego Corrales in 2005 (the first one, won by Corrales, being chosen Fight of the Year), is scheduled to arrive Thursday.
“If he does, then he spars with Manny on Saturday,” said Roach of the 36-year-old Castillo, who lost two close decisions to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2002. Many thought that Castillo, a veteran of 70 fights, won the first one.
After four days of sparring, Pacquiao has logged a total of 18 rounds, the most difficult of which are those with Porter, a junior-middleweight who looks like he’s out to knock Pacquiao out.
Roach has dangled $1,000 to anyone among the sparring partners who could send Pacquiao to the canvas.
The 21-year-old Porter, with more than 200 fights as an amateur and unbeaten in 10 fights as a pro, has forced Pacquiao to keep his hands up in training, having hurt the reigning pound-for-pound champion a couple of times since last week.
Still, the 2007 National Golden Gloves champion is in awe, adding that Pacquiao, with both his power and speed, should have the upperhand when he faces Miguel Cotto for the WBO welterweight crown on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.
“I think Manny’s speed, quickness and power and all that would take care of the whole match for him. He’s quick. He’s very quick,” said Porter, who also excelled as a college football player.
“One of the best workouts I’ve ever had. I know he’s the best of the best, and he’ll shock the world again I think,” added Porter.
Roach said Pacquiao will close out his training in Baguio on Oct. 24 and in the evening of the same day, a Saturday, they travel to Los Angeles, rest the following day and resume training at the Wild Card Gym on Monday.
They will spend two more weeks in LA as they wrap up the sparring and begin to taper off, and should be in Las Vegas on the Monday of fight week.
Notes: The latest Nike commercial featuring Pinoy icon Manny Pacquiao, along with some of the great athletes in the world today, is out. The commercial, shot in the United States a couple of months ago, features Pacquiao along with NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, tennis champions Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, soccer star Christiano Ronaldo and 110-m hurdles world record holder Xiang Liu. In the 60-second commercial, each athlete is shown in training and in actual competition, with Pacquiao pounding the roads of Los Angeles, hitting the mitts at the gym and knocking out an opponent on the ring. It’s not the first time Pacquiao has starred in a Nike commercial with the world’s best, and certainly it won’t be the last.
Take it from someone who, only a few days ago, felt the power of Manny Pacquiao.
“Definitely, he’s the best in the world today,” said Shawn Porter, the main sparmarte of the boxing champion in his Baguio training camp.
Then without batting an eyelash, he dropped the bomb on what he thinks would be the outcome of Pacquiao’s Nov. 14 title fight with Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“He’s gonna shock the world again,” he said of Pacquiao, who previously stunned the boxing community with remarkable victories over the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Lehlo Ledwaba and the legendary Oscar De La Hoya.
Unbeaten in 10 fights (with eight KOs), Porter had been dominant in his first five rounds of sparring with Pacquiao until Saturday when the Filipino ring icon, slowly getting back into fight shape, finally got the better end of his solid exchanges with the former U.S. Olympic team alternate in three punishing rounds.
The spirited effort certainly satisfied American trainer Freddie Roach, who rated Pacquiao’s present condition to be within the 40 percent range.
But he expects the 30-year-old Filipino superstar to get much, much better as the fight approaches,
Porter readily agreed.
“He’s boxing better each passing day,” said Porter, 21. “Is he (Pacquiao) strong? Yeah, definitely.”
Barring any last minute hitch, former World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo is set to join Porter and Urbano Antillon as Pacquiao sparmates in his training camp at the Shape-Up gym inside the Cooyesan Hotel in Baguio City.
Castillo (60-9-1, with 52 KOs) fought memorable wars with the likes of the late Diego Corrales, Joel Casamayor, Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao is already priming himself up for the coming tough three weeks of training at the famed mountain hideaway, arriving in Baguio City near midnight of Sunday after spending the rest of the day in Manila distributing relief goods to victims of tropical storm “Ondoy.”
He was back at the gym Monday, spending 15 draining rounds of sparring at the mitts with Roach and at least half an hour of isometrics with conditioning coach Alex Ariza.
Sparring resumes Tuesday with Pacquiao expected to go six rounds.
BAGUIO CITY , Philippines – Manny Pacquiao worked out so long, so hard, so well yesterday and was amply rewarded with a big smile and a thumbs-up sign from his chief trainer, Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao pummeled Shawn Porter for three rounds and took in Urbano Antillon for two rounds as he capped his first week of sparring with six weeks left before the Miguel Cotto fight.
Pacquiao had a hard time coping with the bigger and heavier Porter, a 21-year-old junior middleweight, when they sparred two rounds last Thursday. It was so much different this time.
The hard-hitting Filipino finally showed quickness with his hands and his feet and often times caught Porter defenseless. In the second round, he hit the native of Ohio with a solid left straight to the face.
Porter froze for a second and Pacquiao could have finished him off with another good one. Earlier, the American caught Pacquiao with his best punch for the day, also a left, that sent the champ reeling to the ropes.
Overall, however, it was a far much better sparring session than Thursday’s, and as Pacquiao headed back to his corner, Roach gave him the thumbs-up sign.
“He was working on his timing and he was more focused today – less distractions, no media day, no showing off. He played a little bit in the end but I’m very happy. He just gets better as time moves on,” said Roach.
After Thursday’s sparring, Roach said Pacquiao is just 40 percent of his full potential, but said the other day that by the time they leave for Los Angeles on Oct. 24 he should be 70 to 80 percent ready for Cotto.
Porter was simply overwhelmed in the ring that his father and trainer, Ken Porter, couldn’t hide his frustration, considering that just two days ago it was the 2007 National Golden Gloves champion who was all over Pacquiao.
“What are you doing,” the elder Porter was shouting during the sparring. “You’re not doing what I want you to do.”
Pacquiao was already banging away against Urbano and the Porters were still in a discussion just off the ring.
Roach said he was glad that Pacquiao moved well against Porter, the way he would want to see him move against Cotto on Nov. 14.
“Our job is to hit him and move and get out of the way. No exchanges. The most should be a three-punch combination and then get out.
Two to three-punch combinations is what we’re working on. You wait for the fourth shot and he’s gonna hit you back,” said Roach.
During short breaks as he shadow boxed on the ring, Pacquiao spoke to scribes who were watching him closely.
“Yan ang susi (That’s the key),” he said, demonstrating some blinding combinations and then spinning out to his left or to his right. “Yan ang susi. Hit and run. Hit and run.”
After the sparring, Pacquiao let in the crowd that had gathered behind the doors of the Shape Up Gym. And before he knew it, he was surrounded by fans both young and old.
The fans were treated to a display of Pacquiao’s stamina as he did some very special excercises which were prepared by his conditioning coach, Alex Ariza.
Ariza said what they did was different from plyometrics, a form of exercise that helps a fighter build his muscles and body without giving up on speed.
BAGUIO CITY — Manny Pacquiao is back to his old and deadly ways.
Two days after a listless sparring session, Pacquiao put on a solid showing on Saturday against the very same man who gave his fans and followers a sickening feeling that he might be way behind in terms of preparation.
Pacquiao was almost merciless in his three-round sparring session with unbeaten super-welterweight Shawn Porter as the Filipino’s preparation for his November 14 duel with Miguel Cotto took a giant step in terms of progress.
“Relax lang kayo,” Pacquiao, smiling, told a gathering of Manila-based scribes who were given the luxury of watching the entire three-hour training session at the Shape Up Gym inside the Cooyeesan Hotel, the temporary residence here of the pound-for-pound king.
Pacquiao was so dominant that Porter’s trainer and father Ken kept on hollering in frustration over his son’s anemic performance against the very same fellow who was just a shadow from his best two days ago.
“Masyado namang kayong kinakabahan eh,” said the 30-year-old Pacquiao, who will remain here until October 24, the day his team leaves for the US to begin another phase in his training, arguably the most crucial part of preparation.
Pacquiao said the key in beaing Cotto would be movement.
Lots of it, according to Pacquiao, showing the same bunch of writers exactly how by throwing his combinations in blinding speed.
Displaying intense focus, Pacquiao had the 21-year-old Porter on queer street a couple of times, circling around his much beefier sparring partner after landing his trademark left straights and quick combinations, reminiscent of the way he frustrated and mauled the legendary Oscar De La Hoya last year.
Trainer Freddie Roach was one of the happiest people around after watching Pacquiao work out with Porter and Urbano Antillon for an additional two rounds.
“He is starting to show a little more focus and I am happy with the sparring because this is how he should fight to win against Cotto,” said Roach.
Just before the workout ended, conditioning coach Alex Ariza re-introduced Pacquiao to the science of plyometrics, something that brought pain and punishment to the fabled fighter from General Santos City.
Plyometrics is a form of exercise using medicine balls and weird gadgets that build up strength for a fighter and reinforces his threshold for pain.
Still, Ariza assured Pacquiao that he has to undergo the same program again.
Undefeated super-welterweight Shawn Porter, the main sparring partner of Manny Pacquiao, asserted on Wednesday that he wasn’t bothered by the Filipino’s vaunted power but admitted he was awed by the pound-for-pound king’s other inimitable trait.
“Its’ not much about his power, it’s his speed,” Porter told the Bulletin.
The Ohio-bred Porter is said to be a clone of Miguel Cotto, who Pacquiao faces on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Porter, 21, the 2007 US Golden Gloves middleweight champion and alternate on the 2008 Olympic team, battled Pacquiao for three intense rounds at the Shape Up Gym inside the Cooyeesan Hotel in Baguio City.
In Thursday’s media day, Porter is going to be sent up again to bang with Pacquiao although their session will last for only two rounds since Pacquiao has also to contend with another sparmate, lightweight Urbano Antillon, for two rounds.
“I am looking forward to my second sparring with Manny, who is a great person outside the ring,” said Porter, who flew in last Sunday but only got to Baguio the following day owing to the inclement weather.
Taking center stage as well during Thursday’s open workout for the media is Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, who is arriving this morning from the US. Arum, who heads Top Rank Inc. will be in Baguio until Sunday morning.
In the coming weeks, Pacquiao will have to deal with Porter and Antillon and possibly another one to be flown over if ever Pacquiao decides to extend his training camp in the City of Pines.
Meanwhile, Cotto’s own training camp is doing very well, Bryan Perez, the Puerto Rican’s aide-de-camp revealed on Thursday.
Cotto has been working out at the Fight Factory in Tampa, Florida, the past two weeks.
“Everything is running up pretty well right now,” said Perez, who is also joined there by chief trainer Joe Santiago and conditioning coach Phil Landman.
The proverbial London bridge fell down on Saturday as the current pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao put Ricky Hatton, the junior welterweight champion, out of commission with a devastating left hook that sent the Brit packing, and perhaps; possibly into retirement.
The knockout punch, a solid, overwhelming left hook flush to the Hitman’s chin, was delivered beautifully by the now-legendary Filipino fighter in the final seconds of Round 2. Call it picture-perfect punch, a painting, a portrait, a priceless film-reel moment, but it’s doubtful many adjectives will fail to describe that historic moment when an Eastern bomb rocked a Western iron-clad chin out cold.
Pacquiao’s handling of Hatton was complete and utter domination. Earlier in round one, Manny sent Ricky to the floor twice, punishing him for coming too close to him and trying to stand toe-to-toe with the pound for pound king. Loud-mouthed Floyd Mayweather Snr., Hatton’s trainer, had told him not to engage Pacman on the inside, but to box him intelligently. Yet, as Freddie Roach so accurately argued: box as he must; once Pacquiao does the aggravation, the Hitman will revert to the old “glorified club fighter” who mauls and brawls for a living; who is wide open to the Pacman’s arsenal of punches.
Or as Cus D’amato had it: square pegs do not die round.
Round 1 – Signs of Trouble
That fight night and the millions of fans glued to the bout absolutely found that argument true.
From the onset of the fight, Hatton tried to test the waters by staying true to Mayweather Senior’s gameplan. Pacquiao was slow at first but was just getting warmed up as well. When the Filipino phenom infused pressure by sending a barrage of combos, Hatton seemed to let his heart rule over his head, trying to bridge the distance by lunging himself to Pacquiao and hugging him for dear life.
Well-connected body shots didn’t seem to faze Pacquiao, who, in several times, glided away with little trouble from Hatton’s street fighting predilections. The General Santos native wisely covered his face with his forearms during the cuddling sessions, and if Hatton still wanted to stay intimate with accompanying body shots, referee Kenny Bayless untangled them up, wanting none of those.
Pacquiao sets up a left for Hatton.
All those months of technical training in the Las Vegas outskirts was thrown out the window like a bag of bricks as Hatton reverted back to his true form.
The Hitman got his first taste of the Rockstar logo below as he ate a short but thundering right hook from Pacquiao, just as he was cocking up with his left hook. He got up to his knees just before Bayless’ count ended. For a moment there, Hatton was in a brief reflective mood and probably wondered what the heck he had gotten himself into.
Many of Pacman’s opponents have regretted the hour when they stepped into the twilight zone of Pacmania.
Thereafter, the Filipino’s fury was unleashed before the helpless Hatton, whose face was now reddened by the continuous battering. Ropes to post. Post to center. A thrashing treatment did Hatton receive.
At the end of the tirade Pacquiao managed to send the Mancunian down with an oppressive left straight. Flicking his head like he was saying “tsk”, the gallant Brit beat the count once again but was timely saved by the bell from another occasion of chastisement.
Round 2 – The Concluding Stroke
Ricky seemed to be in his senses once again as he engaged Pacquiao on the outside. The two had rather heated exchanges, but again, Bayless warns Ricky about excessive holding. Manny desperately tries to get out of the body locks and sends a powerful message of his own, including a flurry of vicious left straights and swift hooks from unconventional angles.
With the old Ricky Hatton out, the Hitman didn’t stand a chance against Pacman’s blistering combos.
Manny Pacquiao finally buries all doubts about his lethality by knocking Hatton’s lights out before the round’s end. The spitfire of the Orient, sensing that Hatton already had an eye for his right hook, contributed to the Hitman’s possible retirement by feinting a right jab in front of Hatton’s face but following it up with a huge left hook, planting it square on his right chin. For a split second there, the bomb disfigured Hatton’s face and immediately shut him down, making him thud to the canvas violently to a prone position.
2:59 in Round 2 to be exact.
For Bayless, there was no need to count him out. He dismisses the fight as soon as he sees Ricky’s eyes lost in another world called Disbelief.
Hatton’s sprawled out, prone arrangement was his worst position of his career inside the ring. For many boxing pundits, it signaled the end of his once glorious career that destroyed the likes of Kostya Tszyu and Paulie Malignaggi.
Ricky’s career however, was farthest from the nearest throng’s minds as they saw concern for the Brit’s health. For many Filipinos, Hatton looked like a total mess; a fish out of water gasping for air. Ring physicians ardently checked him out. Fiancee Jennifer Dooley let out a heartbreaking scream. Hatton’s mom dared not to look. And the millions of Brits inside the MGM Grand, who were really better off as soccer fans, were upstaged by their Filipino counterparts, realizing that their own boxing son had finally hit a solid wall.
The Aftermath
Hatton spent the next several minutes on canvas hell while Pacquiao was up on limelight heaven.
Ring doctors were finally relieved that Hatton had the strength to walk away from the ring, albeit, in limping mode.
Mayweather Sr. was nowhere to be seen with the Hatton camp. Instead, Joy spent time signing autographs for the recognition he barely deserves. The rift in the camp beforehand became totally apparent as he pins the loss straight on Hatton, who he claims disobeyed his ring instructions to box and not engage; to fight with his head, not with a foolhardy heart.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao, ever his humble self, was surprised that it was all so easy.
Unsurprising words from someone who eats sparring partners for breakfast.
Nonetheless, his humility still shines through as he credits Hatton for being very strong and possessing significant lead punching.
Freddie Roach, in the post-fight conference, concedes being the best trainer only because of the Philippine’s National Fist.
And Bob Arum, with a smile of a Cheshire Cat, spouts off a load of seeming hyperboles of how Manny is one of the all-time greats.
Many a fighter would go gaga and bloat their heads over his declarations, but Pacquiao handles it quite well by not flinching and simply sipping from a bottle of mineral water.
Pacman rides on to victory.
Certainly, Manny Pacquiao has erased all the doubting Thomases of the boxing world concerning his right as the pound-for-pound sovereign. Many fans expected Manny to win, but not at such a terrifying quickness and intensity. Against Ricky Hatton, all reservations about his elite skill — his vaunted power, lightning speed, ever-increasing skill set, and ever-improving defense — are conclusively laid to rest. No respectable boxing pundit from here on would dare try to belittle Pacquiao.
Not only that. Manny’s greatness also comes from the same humility, magnanimity, and spirituality, which are too astonishing to even think that they exist at his level of international and historical greatness. Muhammad Ali could’ve learned a thing or two from him if they were contemporaries.
With his victory last Saturday, Pacquiao may claim all the right to rise above the pound-for-pound mantle to be in one of the pantheon of history’s greatest boxers.
Freddie Roach initially thought Mike Alvarado, an unbeaten super-lightweight from Denver, would give Manny Pacquiao fits in sparring. Alvarado proved Roach… Read full article…
