Welterweight Manny Pacquiao and Jessie Vargas pose after a press conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel on September 8, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images/AFP
AFTER trainer Freddie Roach cried that Manny Pacquiao appeared tired and flat in training, the eight-division world title winner next came up with solid results in the gym.
Roach was visibly displeased on Thursday, after Pacquiao reportedly allowed himself to be outclassed by the unbeaten Jose Ramirez in sparring.
Veteran sportswriter Eddie Alinea, who witnessed Pacquiao’s training on Saturday, reported that it was the same old Pacquiao again out there—sharp, speedy, powerful.
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“Everything went well today, it was a very good day and I think everybody can again sleep well,” Alinea quoted Roach as saying.
Roach, visibly worried, had vowed to give Pacquiao two days off, instead of the customary one, after the tasteless Thursday workout.
All Pacquiao had needed was a momentary Friday break.
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“We’re back on track,” Roach exclaimed on Saturday to the delight of other team members, who had been claiming Pacquiao was already 70 to 80 percent ready for the championship outing.
For the record, Roach has been claiming since Day 1 that Pacquiao is much too superior to his next foe, WBO welterweight titleholder Jessie Vargas.
Roach had gone as far as to predict a ninth-round stoppage for Pacquiao.
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Anyway, as Pacquiao scored his last knockout in 2009 yet (against Miguel Cotto) questions are also being raised on the caliber of his punches this late in his career.
Curiously, Roach has been very emphatic about Pacquiao finally scoring knockout in his next bout on Nov. 5.
Just the same, there were experts who claimed they were unsure if Pacquiao could recover his original gifts, given the divided attention he has been giving his boxing career.
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It’s no secret Pacquiao has no choice but squeeze in serious training into his terribly busy schedule in the Senate.
Yes, Pacquiao would need to be no less than a full 100 percent, if he’s to wind up as the first working senator to win a world boxing crown.
Said Lee Cleveland of FightSaga: “Given his senatorial obligations are so demanding, one must wonder about his mindset heading into the Vargas showdown. With his outside-the-ring obligations and insanely busy schedule, can he be in the proper form physically and psychologically to conquer a young lion like Jessie Vargas?