Roach, reluctant player in Pacquiao circus, ponders life without fighter -- Las Vegas Review Journal

By Steve Carp, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- Manny Pacquiao is running nearly two hours late for his training session at the Wild Card Boxing Club.

That's not unusual. Of Pacquiao's many strengths, punctuality is not one of them. The world's best pound-for-pound boxer goes by his own clock. When he finally arrives, there's a camera crew from Comedy Central waiting for him to tape a segment on the "Tosh.0" show.

Nothing unusual about that, either. There are almost always visitors when Pacquiao shows up to train. One day it's Don Rickles. The next, Norm MacDonald. On this day, it's Daniel Tosh.

Freddie Roach smiles weakly as his fighter walks in. What else can he do?

"There's always distractions," the trainer says. "That's the way it is."

Roach's saving grace is that once the sideshow is over and Pacquiao actually begins training, it's all business. He has Pacquiao's undivided attention and the two always appear on the same wavelength. After 11 years together, Roach knows what to expect from Pacquiao.

"I never worry about Manny once he gets to work," Roach said. "It's the 'getting him to work' part I worry about."

Roach won't have to worry about such things much longer. After Saturday's WBO welterweight title fight against Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden, Pacquiao will return to the Philippines, put on a suit and tie and go back to being Congressman Pacquiao. And at age 33, Pacquiao has said he will fight only a few more times before devoting himself to politics full time.

For Roach, who has a stable of fighters to train and whose gym in a rundown strip mall on Vine Street is a beehive of activity from early morning to late night, the idea of life after Pacquiao is something he doesn't dwell on. Yet, he concedes he has pondered what it will be like.

"Sometimes I think I'll retire when Manny does," said Roach, 51. "We can ride off into the sunset together."

Still, Roach wishes he didn't have to deal with the daily distractions that have become part of Pacquiao's regimen.

"There are days where I get fed up with all the craziness," Roach said. "I wish I could tell everyone to get the (expletive) out of here. But I know I can't do that. Fortunately, Manny is such a hard worker, once we get going, everything's fine."

Roach said Pacquiao's training for Mosley has been almost the opposite of the fighter's camp when he faced Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13.

"From the first day, he's trained hard," Roach said of Pacquiao, who broke camp Sunday, traveled to Las Vegas by bus Monday and will make his official arrival at the MGM at 12:30 p.m. today (Mosley's arrival is at noon). "Usually on the first day, Manny runs on the flat and then he builds up and runs the hills. For this camp, he ran the hills right away. That showed me how serious he was."

Roach had thought Pacquiao's camp for the Margarito fight was his worst during their time together. But whatever issues there were, they haven't been obstacles on fight night. Pacquiao dominated Margarito the entire fight, winning a 12-round unanimous decision at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and sent Margarito to the hospital with a broken orbital bone in his right eye.

So if Pacquiao can do that after a subpar training camp, what does that mean for Mosley on Saturday? Roach said every fight is different and Mosley presents problems that Pacquiao hasn't faced in a long time.

"Mosley's bigger and he's fast -- the fastest fighter we've fought," Roach said. "He's got a great chin. Nobody's ever knocked Shane out. And he's a very smart fighter, probably the smartest fighter Manny has faced. Manny realized this and I think that's why he's worked so hard in this camp. He knows he's in a fight with Mosley."

But while Pacquiao is close to the end of his boxing career, the reality is Roach probably will remain active in the sport. He's in high demand and, besides Pacquiao, he is training Amir Khan, the world junior welterweight champion, and rising middleweight star Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., among others.

"I love what I'm doing," said Roach, who is holding his own in a 19-year battle with Parkinson's disease. "But it will be a sad day for me when Manny retires."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.

Source: lvrj.com

Unlikely fans send off Manny Pacquiao with a song -- Examiner

By Igor Frank, Examiner.com



It’s a small wonder that Manny Pacquiao has never been late to a fight. There is military time, which goes from zero to twenty four hours a day and then there is Manny Pacquiao’s time which is usually a couple of hours behind. Scheduled to depart from Wild Card boxing Club at fourteen hundred hours military time, Team Pacquiao, with much fan fair around, left on Manny’s time, only three hours and twenty five minutes late. No one fan has complained. You have to understand: it’s just Manny. Fans crowded a parking lot at the now famous Wildcard Boxing club to take a final peak at their hero or may be to get an autograph, but mostly to send him off with their blessings.

Manny Pacquiao is scheduled to face off against Sugar Shane Mosley on May 7th, in what should become the biggest boxing event of this year at the sold out venue, at the Mecca of boxing, MGM Grand Garden Arena. Twelve rounds or less, welterweight championship showdown will be televised live by Showtime PPV.

It was business as usual, as Manny Pacquiao completed his final day of preparations at his home away from home, Wildcard Boxing Club in Hollywood. Pacmania is gaining momentum with every fight. Fans from all over crowd the area surrounding Wildcard Gym in hopes of getting a piece of their hero. And that is why security at the gym is very tight. Manny’s favorite mouth piece maker, Dr. Ed De La Vega was met with tough security questions when he tried to go to the gym to give Pacquiao his mouth guard for the upcoming fight.” You tell Manny that I couldn’t give him his mouth piece,” said exasperated Dr. De La Vega, who has a thriving dental practice in Canoga Park, California and who also moonlights as a cut man to help out some of his country men in the ring. The misunderstanding was resolved and Manny got his mouse piece. The final training session followed.

Accustomed to Manny’s time I showed up at Wildcard parking lot at 4:30 pm as the young superstar walked in to check on his new business, a small store called” Manny Pacquiao Merchandise & Tattoo” where one could buy Manny’s t-shirt or a poster or a signed glove as well as get a tattoo. Hordes of fans patiently waited for their idol to reemerge. There were fans that came to support their hero all the way from Philippines as well as Pac maniacs form New York and Indiana and California. I met several members of Manny Pacquiao’s band who along with Pacman are scheduled to do a concert at the Mandalay Bay on the night after the fight, as well as a concert on May 10th in Azusa. Talking about music, two improbable Pacquiao fans were performing their song “I saw Pacquiao and Shane boxing in the rain” for the rest of the crowd that was waiting.

Finally, protected by a security guards and his trusted body guard, Roger, Manny, wearing a panama straw hat, came out of the store at 5:25 and got on the passenger seat of an SUV and pealed out of the parking lot followed by his team on Manny Pacquiao bus. No one in that crowd believed Mosley had any chance in the fight on May 7th.

They are expected to arrive in Las Vegas by 10:00pm this evening. Grand arrivals at the MGM Grand for media and fans are scheduled for noon tomorrow. Stay tuned for May 7th.

Source: examiner.com