Shaq wants to lead Pacman to ring for bout

Shaquille O’Neal leading Manny Pacquiao up to the ring against Miguel Cotto? Well, to Pacquiao’s chief trainer, Freddie Roach, it sounds a good idea. The hottest trainer in boxing today said the bulging NBA superstar had thought of leading Pacquiao to the ring although Roach said he has yet to take it up with Pacquiao seriously – barely four weeks the fight set at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.Roach said that awhile back, during the NBA break, he had the chance to give the 7-1 O’Neal, who wears size 23” shoes, some boxing lessons in Los Angeles, and the former Laker superstar brought up the idea and offered himself for the role. “He sounded like he really wanted to do it,” said Roach, not forgetting that a couple of wrestling superstars have led Pacquiao up the ring in his previous fights. Former World Wrestling Entertainment champion “The Undertaker” was the first to play the role when he led Pacquiao in his march up the ring for his fight with Hector Velasquez at the Staples Center in 2005. And for the Ricky Hatton fight last May, it was Dave Batista, with Filipino blood, leading Pacquiao to the ring. So, why not O’Neal?Roach said the NBA player who weighs over 300 lb is such a fun guy to be with. “I saw his shoes in the gym and I wanted to keep them as souvenir so I tried to steal them. But they wouldn’t fit in my gym bag so I had to leave them behind,” said Roach, who recalled the incident with a smile. O’Neal learned about it, and the next thing Roach knew was that the future NBA Hall-of-Famer had sent him a pair. “They were so huge they looked like a kid’s toy truck,” said Roach of the giant fellow. “In the gym, I had to put vaseline on his face and I had to use a stool to do that,” said the American trainer, almost laughing.He really has nothing against the idea of O’Neal being up there on the ring with Pacquiao.

Pacman floors sparmate twice

Manny Pacquiao flooring Shawn Porter twice in sparring last Thursday doesn’t mean much for his chief trainer, Freddie Roach.“Nothing,” said the three-time Trainer of the Year over the phone yesterday from Baguio City, right after another heavy, non-sparring day at the Shape Up Gym.“It only means that he’s ready for the fight and that he’s doing very well,” Roach told The STAR, saying that Porter, the undefeated 21-year-old junior middleweight was floored twice by Pacquiao.Roach said Pacquiao sparred four rounds with Porter, and caught the big and burly native of Ohio, a 2007 National Golden Gloves champion, with two powerful lefts in the third round of their skirmish.“Yes, Shawn went down twice but he came back very well and caught Manny with a good hook. He came back very well,” said Roach, adding that Pacquiao also sparred four rounds with Jose Luis Castillo.An Internet report said Castillo, the former WBC lightweight champion who came very close to beating Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2002, had blood on his nose after sparring with the hard-hitting Filipino.As of Thursday, Pacquiao has logged a total of 46 rounds of sparring, and as the rounds increase to 10 and 12 over the next few days, he should have close to 150 rounds on the book before training ends.Roach said Pacquiao has decided to cut short his stay in Baguio by a day. He said they should be in Manila on the evening of Thursday, instead of Friday, and train two days in a local gym before flying to Los Angeles on Saturday evening.“It’s a little hectic coming down so we pushed the date a day ahead,” said Roach, referring to the terrible road conditions from Baguio all the way down to Manila due to the recent spate of typhoons to hit the country.Pacquiao will hold sparring today against Porter and Castillo, who seemed to have impressed Roach with his style.“I like his style because he likes to come in and tends to lean forward,” said Roach, close to saying that Castillo, who had two memorable fights with the late Diego Corrales, fights like Cotto.A few days ago, there was a thread at Pacand, the highly popular Pacquiao website, saying that the Filipino pound-for-pound champion got knocked down in sparring.But Nonoy Neri of Team Pacquiao was quick to brush it aside.“Nothing like that. No knockdowns,” he said.Not until Thursday, when Porter, not Pacquiao, hit the floor. Not once but twice.

Source: philstar.com

Pacman still thrives despite stormy weather

BAGUIO CITY — The stormy weather here may have eaten out a chunk of Manny Pacquiao’s road work, but conditioning coach Alex Ariza believes that it may have done the Filipino ring icon good.Pacquiao, according to Ariza, was at least forced to slow down.“It did him good; We had some breaks in the morning and we were able to rest a bit,” said Ariza. “In the beginning of his training here, he was overdoing it. Last week, he was able to relax.”As in past training camps, one of the toughest things to do is to get Pacquiao to taper off from his noted beastly workouts. The Pacman, who is preparing for a super bout against Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas, hasn’t been taking it easy in sparring, however. On Tuesday, Pacquiao sparred with highly touted former two-time world lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo for three rounds, dominating the Mexican thoroughly. The Filipino sensation then wrapped up his day’s session with a four-round confrontasi opposite American Shawn Porter.“I’m starting to get in better shape,” Pacquiao told the Inquirer in Filipino. “Even if I haven’t been able to run, at least, I’m starting to swim and I’ve been trying the treadmill.”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 on 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 the Inquirer.

Source: inquirer.net

Pacman shows off deadly form

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.

Source: mb.com.ph

Team Pacquiao awaits Cotto ‘clone’

There was a faint, however palpable, murmur of doubt from the boxing online community when trainer Freddie Roach said Manny Pacquiao will weld Miguel Cotto’s behind to the canvas when the two clash on November 14 in Las Vegas. Shawn Porter, though, thinks the doubters are in for a surprise. “He’s going to shock the world again,” Porter said. That’s from a guy who earned his share of applause from an appreciative gym crowd after landing jarring punches and crisp combinations at the Filipino pound-for-pound icon Thursday, the second day of sparring for Pacquiao. “He’s getting hit too much but that’s because his timing isn’t there yet,” said Roach, who noted that Pacquiao generally starts off slow during the opening two weeks of training camp. “First couple of weeks aren’t always the best. But we don’t really start boxing until six weeks before the fight so we’re still ahead of schedule.” Pacquiao, though, didn’t seem to be bothered by the hits, opening himself up to barrages while leaning on the ropes as if to say he can absorb the best that his sparring partners can dish off. And to underscore that point, Team Pacquiao is planning in yet another beast of a sparring partner in Omar Henry, another Cotto clone. “[Henry has] the same build, same everything, same haircut; the guy likes to be Miguel Cotto,” said conditioning coach Alex Ariza of the sparring partner who is expected here within the week. Porter, though, admitted that he felt the sting in Pacquiao’s punches this early and said that the first few days of sparring isn’t much of a gauge as far as preparedness is concerned. “We’ve got a long way to go,” said Porter. “It’s just a matter of staying focused and getting him more ready.” This early, Pacquiao has now logged seven rounds of sparring and Roach admits that they’re still at 40 percent for the fight against Cotto, where the Pacman will be aiming to gobble up the Puerto Rican’s WBO welterweight title in an attempt to become the first boxer to win world crowns in seven different—including lineal belts. “He still needs work on his timing but I’m really happy,” Roach said. “I’m not completely satisfied because he leaned on the ropes too much. His performance today isn’t what’s going to beat Cotto but that’s why we’re here.” Roach had earlier predicted that Pacquiao would knock Cotto out in their bout slated at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Porter, pressed for a prediction, begged off. Although he made it clear he wasn’t betting against the Filipino. “Hey, that’s the Pacman,” Porter, who was accompanied by his father and coach Ken to the sparring session, said. “He’s definitely the best of the best.” Meanwhile, Top Rank chief Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, arrived here Thursday and was greeted by a throng of supporters at the Shape Up boxing gym where the Filipino trains while in this bustling summer capital. Arum arrived in Manila early morning and flew directly here with former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson. Pacquiao started his work out by warming up and stretching with Ariza in front of clicking cameras as Roach opened the doors of the gym to the media. “That’s why he was playing around a bit, putting a show for you guys,” Roach joked. Pacquiao, who the night before played 10 games of basketball to continue whipping himself into competitive shape, then worked the bags before heading to the ring for four rounds of sparring; two with Porter and with Mexican Urbano Atillano. He then skipped rope before capping his day’s training session with frenetic shadow boxing.

Source: inquirer.net

Yao, McGrady open NBA pre-season without them

Chinese superstar center Yao Ming and forward Tracy McGrady were among those not in uniform Tuesday as the Houston Rockets began their NBA pre-season training camp. Seven-time NBA All-Star Yao is recovering from surgery to repair a broken left foot and is expected to miss the entire 2009-2010 season while McGrady underwent microfracture surgery upon his left knee last February. "Far ahead of schedule" is how McGrady described his rehabilitation status after seven months but added, "It's not time to really rush it back. Confidence-wise - running, cutting, jumping - I have that right now." Doctors told McGrady it could take as much as a year before he would be able to return for the Rockets, but he will undergo an MRI exam November 23 to obtain a status report. "If he can play after November 23, I think he'll still be ahead of schedule, but we don't know what the MRI is going to show," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. McGrady played in only 35 games last season before the surgery and said that even playing so long might have been a mistake, one he will not repeat with a premature return this season. "I don't want to rush anything," he said. "When I feel like I can go every day without having to play a night in practice and then sit out, until I feel that way, I'm not going to play." With Ron Artest traded to the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, the team which ousted Houston in the second round of last season's playoffs, there will be many new faces in Rocket red uniforms this season. Among them will be Australian David Andersen, signed as the Houston center in Yao's absence. "The people that we're missing are huge pieces," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "It's going to be interesting to see how the guys respond. We've become a very young team. Guys are going to have to accept different roles."

Can’t imagine life without boxing

As Manny Pacquiao nears his “retirement” from boxing, the worlds pound for pound king admits he cannot foresee a future far from the sports he loves. Pacquiao has been fighting professionally for the past 14 years, winning five world titles aside from earning an extra lineal championship along the way. He may decide to hang his gloves in a year’s time. “Hindi ko lubos maisip kung ano na ang aking magiging buhay pagkatapos ng aking career sa boksing,” he recently said in his PhilBoxing.com column “Kumbinasyon”. He said that because of his success inside the squared circle, he may find it hard to leave boxing. “Ito talaga ang first love ko,” Pacquiao said of his fondness of the sport. Coach Freddie Roach, whose craftsmanship has meld Pacquiao into a complete fighter, said he sees the Filipino boxing icon figuring in two or three more bouts before calling it quits.“Manny has said three more fights and that’s it,” he said in DoghouseBoxing.com.

Life outside boxing

Pacquiao said that this eventuality has forced him to begin preparing for his future, hence, his multiple projects while “resting” from boxing. The Filipino boxer now has several business establishments in his hometown in General Santos City aside from securing properties in the US. He also landed on several commercial endorsement deals with several firms, including beverage giant San Miguel Corp. and international sports apparel brand Nike. Just recently, he trademarked his personal logo which carried his initials “MP”. He said the logo, which was based on the actual size of his fist, will be used in future business undertakings. “Dito po magmumula ang ilan sa aking mga susunod na proyekto sa aking buhay gaya ng aking merchandising company,” he said. Apart from owning businesses, Pacquiao plans to take another attempt at politics. “Plano kong tumakbo sa 2010. Sarangani ang gusto ko,” said Pacquiao, when asked about his congressional plans. In fact, he went to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office in Kiamba to have himself registered as a voter in Sarangani. "Preparasyon ito para sa 2010," he said.

Source: abs-cbnnews.com