MANILA, Philippines -- It?s biting cold in Los Angeles, but Manny Pacquiao continues to push hard in training for his rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15.
?Ito na ang pinakamatinding pagsasanay sa buong career ko (This is the hardest I?ve ever trained in my career,? said Pacquiao in a phone patch interview Wednesday. ?Ang payat-payat ko na nga eh (I?m already very thin).?
According to Pacquiao, he now weighs between 135 and 136 pounds, losing two pounds after undergoing a punishing 33-36 rounds of daily training, instead of his normal 25-28 rounds, last week.
Tuesday night, Pacquiao sparred for 11 rounds at trainer Freddie Roach?s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and intends to raise it to 12 on Thursdays and Saturdays for him to reach his goal of 130-140 rounds of sparring.
Barely 18 days before Pacquiao-Marquez II is held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, the Filipino ring superstar is five-six lb over the super featherweight limit while Marquez is lighter at 132-133.
?Sobrang lamig dito (It?s really cold here),? said Pacquiao, baring that he, accompanied by World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa and Diosdado Gabi, did an early morning jog around the hilly La Brea district in Los Angeles, reaching as far as Hollywood. Pacquiao said the temperature in LA is 45 degree Fahrenheit (7.2 Celsius).
Favored by oddsmakers to beat Marquez, the 29-year-old Pacquiao refused to predict a knockout victory during the press conference jointly hosted by GMA Network executive vice president and COO Gilberto Duavit Jr. and Solar Entertainment president Wilson Tieng at the GMA executive lounge.
?Mahirap magsalita, ang importante manalo (It?s hard to say, what?s important is to win),? said Pacquiao, during the press conference. ?Yung knockout bonus na lang (A knockout would just be a bonus).?
Though Bob Arum, president of fight co-promoter Top Rank, swears by Pacquaio?s readiness to snatch the World Boxing Council super featherweight title from Marquez, he didn?t guarantee a Pacquiao victory.
?I like Manny?s chances, but he?s in for a very tough fight with Marquez,? said Arum in an earlier interview with the website www.boxingtalk.com. ?I?m hopeful about the result.?
Lightweight champ Diaz
If Pacquiao beats Marquez, he?ll move up to the lightweight division and challenge WBC champion David Diaz, who is also staking his title against Ramon Montano on March 15 in the chief undercard of Pacquiao-Marquez II. Diaz also needs to beat Montano for his planned showdown with Pacquiao to push through.
Pacquiao is slated to hold a media workout on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) in San Francisco as part of the promotions for Pacquiao-Marquez II.
?He (Pacquiao) wants to move up and try to continue collecting belts and I want to test myself against the very best and that?s what they call him,? said Diaz.? He beat (Marco Antonio) Barrera twice, (Erik) Morales twice, already has the draw with Marquez, beat (Hector) Velasquez, (Oscar) Larios and (Jorge) Solis. He?s been on quite a run, if he defeats Marquez on March 15, maybe he?s the best fighter in boxing.?
?We?re expecting a good win from David. If he wins and Pacquiao wins we?re looking to do a huge event on June 21 on a PPV show from Macau, and Pacquiao will fight for the lightweight title,? Arum told Boxingtalk.
Meanwhile, fight fans are expected to turn out for Pacquiao?s media day in San Francisco. Pacquiao, Roach and Filipino trainers Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri will plane in from Burbank, California to San Francisco, for the open workout at the Titanium Training Center. With a report from Salven L. Lagumbay
