INQUIRER Sports

LAS VEGAS?Alex Ariza has a perfect metaphor for Manny Pacquiao.

?He?s like a horse, you know, the one that?s so restless inside the gates, moving around and can?t keep still,? said the Filipino ring icon?s strength coach Thursday afternoon at the IBA gym here. ?And once you open that gate, boom! He?s gone.?

On the final day of Pacquiao?s training for his bout against Miguel Cotto on Saturday at the MGM Grand, Team Pacquiao ran into a familiar problem as the reigning pound-for-pound king refused to be reined in again, begging for extra work from his corner, which was pleading for him to stop.

Trainer Freddie Roach, resting against the edge of the canvas, could only smile as Pacquiao bargained with Ariza and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez for an extra round of shadow boxing.

?Just one more day and you get to fight, son,? Roach said, finally convincing Pacquiao to end the training session.

?We?re ready,? Roach later declared.

Pacquiao worked four rounds with the mitts, going through the game plan with Roach and Fernandez in detailed fashion, before hitting the double-end and the speedball and skipping rope. He cooled down with crunches, smiling through the exercise that normally draws grimaces from him.

And now it?s off to the scales.

Pacquiao and Cotto will weigh in Friday (Saturday in Manila) at the Garden Arena of the MGM Grand, and the Filipino ring icon is expected to make the 145-pound catch weight easily, something that cannot yet be said of his Puerto Rican foe.

Team Pacquiao is confident that the General Santos City native will make the weight easily, even saying it has no problem with a reported plan by Cotto?s camp to move the time of the weigh-in two hours later to give the Puerto Rican more time to shed off excess pounds.

?They can move the time all they want,? said assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez. ?We?ll have no problem.?