abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines' celebrity-boxer-congressman Manny Pacquiao is in Nike’s latest television advertisement which recently aired in the US.
Parts of the now World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion's 2008 lightweight battle against Mexican David Diaz were shown in the TV commercial, which is part of Nike’s "Boom" ad campaign.
Also in appearing in the same ad are sports superstars like LeBron James, Serena Williams, Bo Jackson, Tim Tebow, Ndamukong Suh and Kobe Bryant.
The commercial, which started airing in the US late September, shows National Football League (NFL) players Tebow and Suh watching the final moments of Pacquiao’s technical knockout victory over Diaz.
Tebow, who was born in Makati City, Philippines, and Suh holler the word “boom” after seeing Pacquiao knock down Diaz.
Nike's new ad uses the “boom” catch phrase, which is typically heard at game-changing or defining moments in a sports event.
Pacquiao has been one of Nike's brand endorsers ever since he achieved worldwide recognition by beating the biggest names in boxing while climbing divisional weight classes.
He is the only boxer to have won 7 different titles in 7 weight divisions. If he beats Mexico's Antonio Margarito on November 13, it will be his 8th world title in 8 divisions.
Aside from promoting Nike's sports apparel, Pacquiao also endorses several brands locally. These include detergents, medicines, food and beverage products, garments, and mobile phones and telecommunication services.
Source: abs-cbnnews.com
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Glen Tapia's details his sparring sessions with Manny Pacquiao -- North Jersey
North Jersey
EDITOR’S NOTE: Glen Tapia, an unbeaten junior middleweight prospect from Passaic, will detail his experiences each Wednesday while serving as Manny Pacquiao’s primary sparring partner in preparation for Pacquiao’s Nov. 13 fight against Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium.
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — I did four rounds with Manny [on Tuesday]. It was good sparring.
And to fight somebody who’s so intense, it’s great working with him. To fight somebody who puts that pressure on you and keeps that intensity on you the whole time, you just have to stay calm. You have to stay normal and put some pressure on him.
When I have done well, it is me being me, just throwing punches the way I throw punches; hitting him with combinations. With my speed and power and just mixing it up with my foot movement, I put pressure on him and just keep up the intensity the whole time. You want to move on him while you’re throwing punches.
When Manny does well with me, it’s him doing the same things I do to him. Not only does he throw a lot of punches, he turns you and just works and works and works. You’ve got to be ready.
We’re going to spar again Thursday. It’s just been getting more intense with every match. I’ve been getting better and better, too, getting ready for my fight [Oct. 30 in Atlantic City].
It’s like a slugfest in there.
Source: northjersey.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: Glen Tapia, an unbeaten junior middleweight prospect from Passaic, will detail his experiences each Wednesday while serving as Manny Pacquiao’s primary sparring partner in preparation for Pacquiao’s Nov. 13 fight against Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium.
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — I did four rounds with Manny [on Tuesday]. It was good sparring.When you spar Manny, it’s not like sparring a lefty or a righty. It’s like sparring both. He’s got a different style. He just throws punches and he turns you quickly.
And to fight somebody who’s so intense, it’s great working with him. To fight somebody who puts that pressure on you and keeps that intensity on you the whole time, you just have to stay calm. You have to stay normal and put some pressure on him.
When I have done well, it is me being me, just throwing punches the way I throw punches; hitting him with combinations. With my speed and power and just mixing it up with my foot movement, I put pressure on him and just keep up the intensity the whole time. You want to move on him while you’re throwing punches.
When Manny does well with me, it’s him doing the same things I do to him. Not only does he throw a lot of punches, he turns you and just works and works and works. You’ve got to be ready.
We’re going to spar again Thursday. It’s just been getting more intense with every match. I’ve been getting better and better, too, getting ready for my fight [Oct. 30 in Atlantic City].
It’s like a slugfest in there.
Source: northjersey.com
Bob Arum On the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito Media Tour -- FanHouse
By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
Top Rank Promotions' CEO Bob Arum has informed FanHouse of preliminary plans for an expected media frenzy for the Nov. 13 junior middleweight (154 pounds) championship whose main event features WBO welterweight (147 pounds) Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC crown at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
"We're working very hard on Nov. 13, and we've got so much to do. We're doing a media day for Manny on Wednesday, October 27, and a media day for Antonio on Thursday October 28. They're both going to be in Los Angeles. We're trying to get as big a press representation and media turnout as possible," said Arum.
"I'm going to host a dinner for the press on Wednesday night, October 27 in Los Angeles. So I do think that it will be well worth while because we will have the ability to stream this live on websites. We're planning to have all of the goodies," said Arum. "We are going to guarantee private interviews with each of the fighters, and, with [Pacquiao's trainer] Freddie Roach and [Margarito's trainer] Robert Garcia. There is going to be access to getting all of the material that you're going to need."
Although Margarito has been training at Garcia's Boxing Academy in Oxnard, Calif., Arum is moving his camp for one day to Los Angeles for improved access.
So while the media day for Pacquiao will be held at the Wild Card Boxing Club, where he will have been training for about a day since arriving from the Philippines, the media day for Margarito will take place at the Pound4Pound Gym "right down the street from the Wild Card," said Arum.
"The Pound4Pound Gym is about a mile away from Freddie's [Wild Card] gym in Los Angeles. You will be able to see what type of shape that each guy is in," said Arum. "And then, Wednesday night will be the media function that I'm going to host and I know that Freddie will come, and Manny and Antonio will drop by. So we will see."
The monster under card is comprised of Cuban-born southpaw and two-time former Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux (6-0, five knockouts), who has been competing as a professional super bantamweight (122 pounds), against Panamanian southpaw featherweight (126 pounds) Ricardo Cordoba (37-2-2, 23 KOs).
It also includes the return of 28-year-old former WBO and WBC middleweight (160 pounds) champion Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs), of Youngstown, Ohio, against Bryan Lee Vera (17-5, 11 KOs), of Austin, Tex., and rising Philadelphia welterweight Mike Jones (22-0, 18 KOs) in a bout opposite Mexican-born Jesus Soto Karass (24-4-3, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles.
Those HBO pay per view televised fights will lead up to seven-division king Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), of the Philippines, pursuing his eighth crown in as many weight classes opposite ex-titlist Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs), of Tijuana, Mex.
"On Tuesday, October 26, in New York, I'll be in New York hosting a luncheon in the Friars Club for the press for Kelly Pavlik and Mike Jones," said Arum. "And then, I'm going to be flying that afternoon into Los Angeles."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Top Rank Promotions' CEO Bob Arum has informed FanHouse of preliminary plans for an expected media frenzy for the Nov. 13 junior middleweight (154 pounds) championship whose main event features WBO welterweight (147 pounds) Manny "Pac Man" Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC crown at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
"We're working very hard on Nov. 13, and we've got so much to do. We're doing a media day for Manny on Wednesday, October 27, and a media day for Antonio on Thursday October 28. They're both going to be in Los Angeles. We're trying to get as big a press representation and media turnout as possible," said Arum."I'm going to host a dinner for the press on Wednesday night, October 27 in Los Angeles. So I do think that it will be well worth while because we will have the ability to stream this live on websites. We're planning to have all of the goodies," said Arum. "We are going to guarantee private interviews with each of the fighters, and, with [Pacquiao's trainer] Freddie Roach and [Margarito's trainer] Robert Garcia. There is going to be access to getting all of the material that you're going to need."
Although Margarito has been training at Garcia's Boxing Academy in Oxnard, Calif., Arum is moving his camp for one day to Los Angeles for improved access.
So while the media day for Pacquiao will be held at the Wild Card Boxing Club, where he will have been training for about a day since arriving from the Philippines, the media day for Margarito will take place at the Pound4Pound Gym "right down the street from the Wild Card," said Arum.
"The Pound4Pound Gym is about a mile away from Freddie's [Wild Card] gym in Los Angeles. You will be able to see what type of shape that each guy is in," said Arum. "And then, Wednesday night will be the media function that I'm going to host and I know that Freddie will come, and Manny and Antonio will drop by. So we will see."
The monster under card is comprised of Cuban-born southpaw and two-time former Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux (6-0, five knockouts), who has been competing as a professional super bantamweight (122 pounds), against Panamanian southpaw featherweight (126 pounds) Ricardo Cordoba (37-2-2, 23 KOs).
It also includes the return of 28-year-old former WBO and WBC middleweight (160 pounds) champion Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs), of Youngstown, Ohio, against Bryan Lee Vera (17-5, 11 KOs), of Austin, Tex., and rising Philadelphia welterweight Mike Jones (22-0, 18 KOs) in a bout opposite Mexican-born Jesus Soto Karass (24-4-3, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles.
Those HBO pay per view televised fights will lead up to seven-division king Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), of the Philippines, pursuing his eighth crown in as many weight classes opposite ex-titlist Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs), of Tijuana, Mex.
"On Tuesday, October 26, in New York, I'll be in New York hosting a luncheon in the Friars Club for the press for Kelly Pavlik and Mike Jones," said Arum. "And then, I'm going to be flying that afternoon into Los Angeles."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Redemption on the line for Margarito -- OC Register
By MARK WHICKER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
OXNARD – On the wall next to the ring, someone put a newspaper photo of a man carrying a crying baby in his arms.
The man looked a lot like trainer Freddie Roach. And the baby's face was Manny Pacquiao's.
This is the source of high hilarity at the Oxnard Boxing Academy, operated by Robert Garcia, who is training Antonio Margarito, who is training to fight Pacquiao.
"That's what Pacquiao is going to look like on Nov. 13," Garcia said.
"A fan put it up," Margarito said, laughing.
That fan superimposed the pictures, but the problem is that there are no recent photos of Pacquiao in need of such rescue.
More often, the relatives of Pacquiao's opponents are covering their eyes or trotting to the exits.
Margarito enters that ring in Cowboys Stadium, on a night that has dominated his dreams for most of the past 21 months.
On Jan. 24, 2009, Margarito came to Staples Center as the king of Mexico and the favorite to nudge Shane Mosley into retirement.
When he left, his face resembled a piñata and his career was dumpster-bound.
Naazim Richardson, Mosley's trainer, inspected Margarito's hand wraps beforehand and found plaster. The wraps were removed, and Margarito's head nearly was, by Mosley's speedy hands.
Then the California commission suspended him for a year, which took him out of U.S. competition.
He beat Roberto Garcia in Mexico five months ago. California reinforced its suspension but Texas granted him a license, and with Bob Arum promoting both fighters, Margarito was granted access to Pacquiao.
Although Margarito is no longer with Javier Capetillo, the trainer in question, he walks under hovering suspicion, because of the massive contrast between his pummeling of Miguel Cotto and his catastrophic loss to Mosley.
Actually, loaded gloves wouldn't have mattered at Staples. Margarito never laid an unloaded one on Mosley.
"A couple of days before the weigh-in, I was feeling very weak," Margarito said, in the lobby of the gym. "It was a question of being too heavy when I started training. I was trying to make weight rather than making the fight.
"I stopped eating a couple of days beforehand. One night I was thirsty and I got up for some water, but I had to weigh myself first. And when I did, I realized I had to take a quick drink and spit it out."
Margarito tried to have a nice meal after the weigh-in but he felt stuffed quickly, and he could not get fortified by fight night. That part of the story makes sense. He got off to his usual slow start against Mosley and then got slower.
Arum and others have said that any illegal substance would have been spotted more quickly in Nevada than in California, but you can understand some skepticism here. Obviously this will be a non-issue in Arlington, with Roach on the case.
Since the last previous fight is always the one that fully occupies the public memory bank, Margarito is considered easy meat for Pacquiao.
Margarito gets hit a lot. Pacquiao likes to hit a lot. Margarito's formula has been to weather storms and then take over. Pacquiao's formula is to follow hurricane winds with tsunami force.
"It's a fight where we'll have our advantages when it comes to the later rounds," said Garcia, ignoring the fact that the "later rounds" in Pacquiao's fights are sometimes the third and fourth.
"We're going to move a little more, have some head movement, and put pressure on. We're going to cut off the ring. If Margarito can take his punch, it will be a long night for Pacquao. Most fighters have given up against Pacquiao. But a guy like Erik Morales, who came in with the heart of a real fighter who isn't doing it for a big payday, was different."
Morales was 1 for 3 against Pacquiao, beating him by decision in 2005 but then losing in 10 rounds and three rounds.
"The fight I looked at was Josh Clottey," said Margarito, referring to a fairly unwatchable decision by Pacquiao in March.
"Clottey was hurting Pacquiao but he didn't throw punches. You have to throw punches. You have to keep it up. You can't wait for him."
The only person who isn't short-selling Margarito is Margarito.
Some mornings he runs for an hour by the beach, with Garcia's other fighters, including Brandon Rios, who is 24 years old.
Other days they go to the nearby mountains.
The kids always wind up chasing Margarito, 32.
"Brandon finally caught up with him this morning," Garcia said. "But he had to sprint."
Rios grunted. "The whole run was a sprint," he said.
"I always enjoy the rivalry thing, the competition," Margarito said, smiling.
He also would enjoy persuading fans to love him again, which will happen if he makes two grown men cry.
Source: ocregister.com
OXNARD – On the wall next to the ring, someone put a newspaper photo of a man carrying a crying baby in his arms.
The man looked a lot like trainer Freddie Roach. And the baby's face was Manny Pacquiao's.
This is the source of high hilarity at the Oxnard Boxing Academy, operated by Robert Garcia, who is training Antonio Margarito, who is training to fight Pacquiao."That's what Pacquiao is going to look like on Nov. 13," Garcia said."A fan put it up," Margarito said, laughing.
That fan superimposed the pictures, but the problem is that there are no recent photos of Pacquiao in need of such rescue.
More often, the relatives of Pacquiao's opponents are covering their eyes or trotting to the exits.
Margarito enters that ring in Cowboys Stadium, on a night that has dominated his dreams for most of the past 21 months.
On Jan. 24, 2009, Margarito came to Staples Center as the king of Mexico and the favorite to nudge Shane Mosley into retirement.
When he left, his face resembled a piñata and his career was dumpster-bound.
Naazim Richardson, Mosley's trainer, inspected Margarito's hand wraps beforehand and found plaster. The wraps were removed, and Margarito's head nearly was, by Mosley's speedy hands.
Then the California commission suspended him for a year, which took him out of U.S. competition.
He beat Roberto Garcia in Mexico five months ago. California reinforced its suspension but Texas granted him a license, and with Bob Arum promoting both fighters, Margarito was granted access to Pacquiao.
Although Margarito is no longer with Javier Capetillo, the trainer in question, he walks under hovering suspicion, because of the massive contrast between his pummeling of Miguel Cotto and his catastrophic loss to Mosley.
Actually, loaded gloves wouldn't have mattered at Staples. Margarito never laid an unloaded one on Mosley.
"A couple of days before the weigh-in, I was feeling very weak," Margarito said, in the lobby of the gym. "It was a question of being too heavy when I started training. I was trying to make weight rather than making the fight.
"I stopped eating a couple of days beforehand. One night I was thirsty and I got up for some water, but I had to weigh myself first. And when I did, I realized I had to take a quick drink and spit it out."
Margarito tried to have a nice meal after the weigh-in but he felt stuffed quickly, and he could not get fortified by fight night. That part of the story makes sense. He got off to his usual slow start against Mosley and then got slower.
Arum and others have said that any illegal substance would have been spotted more quickly in Nevada than in California, but you can understand some skepticism here. Obviously this will be a non-issue in Arlington, with Roach on the case.
Since the last previous fight is always the one that fully occupies the public memory bank, Margarito is considered easy meat for Pacquiao.
Margarito gets hit a lot. Pacquiao likes to hit a lot. Margarito's formula has been to weather storms and then take over. Pacquiao's formula is to follow hurricane winds with tsunami force.
"It's a fight where we'll have our advantages when it comes to the later rounds," said Garcia, ignoring the fact that the "later rounds" in Pacquiao's fights are sometimes the third and fourth.
"We're going to move a little more, have some head movement, and put pressure on. We're going to cut off the ring. If Margarito can take his punch, it will be a long night for Pacquao. Most fighters have given up against Pacquiao. But a guy like Erik Morales, who came in with the heart of a real fighter who isn't doing it for a big payday, was different."
Morales was 1 for 3 against Pacquiao, beating him by decision in 2005 but then losing in 10 rounds and three rounds.
"The fight I looked at was Josh Clottey," said Margarito, referring to a fairly unwatchable decision by Pacquiao in March.
"Clottey was hurting Pacquiao but he didn't throw punches. You have to throw punches. You have to keep it up. You can't wait for him."
The only person who isn't short-selling Margarito is Margarito.
Some mornings he runs for an hour by the beach, with Garcia's other fighters, including Brandon Rios, who is 24 years old.
Other days they go to the nearby mountains.
The kids always wind up chasing Margarito, 32.
"Brandon finally caught up with him this morning," Garcia said. "But he had to sprint."
Rios grunted. "The whole run was a sprint," he said.
"I always enjoy the rivalry thing, the competition," Margarito said, smiling.
He also would enjoy persuading fans to love him again, which will happen if he makes two grown men cry.
Source: ocregister.com
Mike Tyson, a monster in and out of the ring... so should this cheating, drug-abusing rapist be allowed into the Hall of Fame? -- Daily Mail
By JEFF POWELL, DailyMail.co.uk
Universal acclaim will no doubt accompany Manny Pacquiao whenever he ascends into the Hall of Fame, whether or not Floyd Mayweather Jnr ever braces himself to dispute the mythical title of greatest pound-for-pound boxer on earth with his fists instead of his trash talk.
Yet Iron Mike’s impact on the prize-ring has been arguably even more powerful than that of the Pacman.
All those knock-outs, all that drama, all those tickets and pay-TV subscriptions sold, even being on the wrong end of the greatest upset of all time when James Buster Douglas knocked him out in Tokyo, have weighed on the decision to put Tyson on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2011.
Not the rape conviction, not the biting of Holyfield's ear, not the gruesome threats to drive opponent's noses into their brains and devour their children, not the drug abuse, not the broken marriages, not the hundreds of millions squandered on fast cars, loose women and wealthy lawyers.
There will be many protesting that Tyson's outrages should disqualify him from such lofty recognition.
Yet there are many fighters with a chequered history inside and outside the ropes who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Rightly or wrongly, like it or not, the over-riding criterion is a fighter’s contribution to his sport.
And Tyson was the self-created monster who smashed boxing back into the consciousness of America and the world at a time when it was almost dying on its feet.
The hard old game knows that many of its fiercest warriors are born in the meanest of the mean streets, deprived of an education and subjected to a cruel upbringing. Boxing offers an escape route from the ghetto and the chance of self-improvement. For some, this brutal rite of passage takes longer than others but Tyson has got there in the end.
How about you? Should Tyson go the Hall of Fame?
Yes or No?
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Universal acclaim will no doubt accompany Manny Pacquiao whenever he ascends into the Hall of Fame, whether or not Floyd Mayweather Jnr ever braces himself to dispute the mythical title of greatest pound-for-pound boxer on earth with his fists instead of his trash talk.
No doubt America's so-called moral majority will be outraged if Mike Tyson 
is elected to that starry chamber next year.
is elected to that starry chamber next year.Yet Iron Mike’s impact on the prize-ring has been arguably even more powerful than that of the Pacman.
The thunderous fists which made this troubled pigeon fancier the world's youngest heavyweight champion, along with the almost unbearable sensations of fear and tension which accompanied him into the ring, made Tyson one of the most menacing yet compelling figures to throw punches for money.
All those knock-outs, all that drama, all those tickets and pay-TV subscriptions sold, even being on the wrong end of the greatest upset of all time when James Buster Douglas knocked him out in Tokyo, have weighed on the decision to put Tyson on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2011.Not the rape conviction, not the biting of Holyfield's ear, not the gruesome threats to drive opponent's noses into their brains and devour their children, not the drug abuse, not the broken marriages, not the hundreds of millions squandered on fast cars, loose women and wealthy lawyers.
There will be many protesting that Tyson's outrages should disqualify him from such lofty recognition.
Yet there are many fighters with a chequered history inside and outside the ropes who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Rightly or wrongly, like it or not, the over-riding criterion is a fighter’s contribution to his sport.
And Tyson was the self-created monster who smashed boxing back into the consciousness of America and the world at a time when it was almost dying on its feet.
The hard old game knows that many of its fiercest warriors are born in the meanest of the mean streets, deprived of an education and subjected to a cruel upbringing. Boxing offers an escape route from the ghetto and the chance of self-improvement. For some, this brutal rite of passage takes longer than others but Tyson has got there in the end.
How about you? Should Tyson go the Hall of Fame?
Yes or No?
Source: dailymail.co.uk
“The best experience of my life”: Glen Tapia speaks from within Camp Pacquiao -- Examiner
By Chris Robinson, Examiner.com
Just a few months ago Passaic, New Jersey’ Glen Tapia was relatively unknown to much of the boxing world. Despite sporting an early 7-0 record with 5 stoppages, the 20-year old junior middleweight prospect garnered local exposure from working with former champions Joshua Clottey, Kendall Holt and Paulie Malignaggi yet figured to be a while away from getting serious buzz on a national scale.
Tapia reached out to me early Sunday morning, which would have been late Sunday night his time, and spoke with much exuberance in his voice and appreciation of everything the last few weeks have meant to him. Learning curves in the sport of boxing are around every corner and it’s obvious that Tapia is soaking up the experience for everything it is worth.
Read below to see what the young fighter had to say about interacting with Manny Pacquiao, sparring the dynamic southpaw, learning from Freddie Roach, taking in a new world and much more…
The best experience…
“It’s been the best experience of my life. I got a warm welcoming from the people first of all. And Manny Pacquiao is a great person. I’m just here studying, studying, and studying. I’m just hoping I can one day be one of the greatest. I’m just studying him and Freddie to see what they do.”
Breaking the ice with Manny Pacquiao…
“The first time I met him it was in Manila. He just broke the ice when we talked and he was so cool. I don’t know what it was but he said something like ‘What, did you come here to beat me up?’ and I just started laughing. We started laughing with each other and we started talking and it was great. He just broke the ice from the start. I could just tell that he was a humble, cool guy. I wasn’t star struck or nothing it was just a great experience.”
Life in the Philippines…
“Everywhere I go is just different. I could go to the mall, I could go downtown, and it’s like everybody knows me. The funniest thing was when I was in McDonalds and I’m just sitting there and I was watching TV and I see myself on the screen. I was doing an interview and everybody started going crazy. Everybody is nice and everybody treats me good.”
From Manila to Baguio…
“The first few days were in Manila and we were in the New World Hotel over there. It was so hot and it wasn’t just hot, it was humid. And we’ve been over here in Baguio City for two weeks now. It’s good over here. A little cooler over here and it’s good for running when we go to the top of the mountains and it’s been good for that.”
Handling business…
“Me personally, he’s Manny Pacquiao and everything but I think about it like this; I’m there for business. I have to go in there and give him the best work and the hardest work. He’s a world champion but it’s not about going to the game, it’s about staying in the game. I feel like I’m supposed to give him the hardest work the whole time. I actually woke him up a little bit because I gave him hard, hard work and he was like ‘Wow’. The next time he came back and he really got me back.”
What people have been talking about…
“It’s not like sparring an average lefty. He’s not like a lefty or a righty. He moves to the left, he moves to the right. You aren’t fighting a lefty or a righty. He just gives you different angles every time. He’s never in front of me. He’s always pops and moves, all the time. He has some pop. It’s like crazy power but he has a lot of pop. It’s what people have been talking about. I felt power in there. It’s the second week of sparring and we have been going at it. We’ve been having slugfests.”
Locked down…
“It’s been cool. Freddie doesn’t’ complain about anything or say ‘Manny can do what he wants’. But when it comes to training he trains very hard. With the people, during the first week there were some people in there but when the sparring started they wouldn’t allow nobody in there. Now it has been more shut down. It’s been locked down.”
Learning from Freddie Roach…
“Freddie is cool. He’s really nice to me. How he trains and how I work out, he knows where my mind is at. He knows that I’m not just trying to be a world champion; I’m trying to be one of the best world champions. He likes training with me, hitting the pads with me and teaching me. He tells me that I learn quick so he has been teaching me every day. It’s crazy because he’s showing me things I haven’t seen before and it just opens me up. It’s a blessing to be here.”
The arrival of Amir Khan…
“He came two days ago. I talked to him when he came and yesterday too. I talked to him when he came in and he’s a cool guy. He’s trained like one time with us but I really didn’t’ train with him yet. He’s not here for sparring but he’s a cool guy.”
His next fight…
“I’m going to leave a little bit earlier. I’m going to leave the 21st to New Jersey. I’m going to be leaving a little bit earlier than everybody to get ready for my fight on October 30th. Hopefully I can get this guy out of here quick so they can put me on the show on the 13th and I can have a double header. Why not, ya know?”
Highlight of my life…
“This is always going to be a highlight of my life. Always. Even if I make it big, like Manny Pacquiao one day or even better. That is my goal and I’m not going to stop until I reach my goal. Even if I reach that goal this is still going to be one of the biggest highlights of my life. Because he gave me the opportunity to come over here and train with him and learn from him. He’s one of the greatest.”
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
Source: examiner.com
Just a few months ago Passaic, New Jersey’ Glen Tapia was relatively unknown to much of the boxing world. Despite sporting an early 7-0 record with 5 stoppages, the 20-year old junior middleweight prospect garnered local exposure from working with former champions Joshua Clottey, Kendall Holt and Paulie Malignaggi yet figured to be a while away from getting serious buzz on a national scale.
That all has changed in the past month, however, as Tapia has been in the news on a daily basis because of his involvement in seven division champion Manny Pacquiao’s camp in Baguio City
in the Philippines. Pacquiao is currently preparing for a November 13th clash with Antonio Margarito that will take place at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and Tapia was brought in as a chief sparring partner with hopes that he could emulate the Tijuana fighter’s pressing style and physical strength.
in the Philippines. Pacquiao is currently preparing for a November 13th clash with Antonio Margarito that will take place at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and Tapia was brought in as a chief sparring partner with hopes that he could emulate the Tijuana fighter’s pressing style and physical strength.Tapia reached out to me early Sunday morning, which would have been late Sunday night his time, and spoke with much exuberance in his voice and appreciation of everything the last few weeks have meant to him. Learning curves in the sport of boxing are around every corner and it’s obvious that Tapia is soaking up the experience for everything it is worth.Read below to see what the young fighter had to say about interacting with Manny Pacquiao, sparring the dynamic southpaw, learning from Freddie Roach, taking in a new world and much more…
The best experience…
“It’s been the best experience of my life. I got a warm welcoming from the people first of all. And Manny Pacquiao is a great person. I’m just here studying, studying, and studying. I’m just hoping I can one day be one of the greatest. I’m just studying him and Freddie to see what they do.”
Breaking the ice with Manny Pacquiao…
“The first time I met him it was in Manila. He just broke the ice when we talked and he was so cool. I don’t know what it was but he said something like ‘What, did you come here to beat me up?’ and I just started laughing. We started laughing with each other and we started talking and it was great. He just broke the ice from the start. I could just tell that he was a humble, cool guy. I wasn’t star struck or nothing it was just a great experience.”
Life in the Philippines…
“Everywhere I go is just different. I could go to the mall, I could go downtown, and it’s like everybody knows me. The funniest thing was when I was in McDonalds and I’m just sitting there and I was watching TV and I see myself on the screen. I was doing an interview and everybody started going crazy. Everybody is nice and everybody treats me good.”
From Manila to Baguio…
“The first few days were in Manila and we were in the New World Hotel over there. It was so hot and it wasn’t just hot, it was humid. And we’ve been over here in Baguio City for two weeks now. It’s good over here. A little cooler over here and it’s good for running when we go to the top of the mountains and it’s been good for that.”
Handling business…
“Me personally, he’s Manny Pacquiao and everything but I think about it like this; I’m there for business. I have to go in there and give him the best work and the hardest work. He’s a world champion but it’s not about going to the game, it’s about staying in the game. I feel like I’m supposed to give him the hardest work the whole time. I actually woke him up a little bit because I gave him hard, hard work and he was like ‘Wow’. The next time he came back and he really got me back.”
What people have been talking about…
“It’s not like sparring an average lefty. He’s not like a lefty or a righty. He moves to the left, he moves to the right. You aren’t fighting a lefty or a righty. He just gives you different angles every time. He’s never in front of me. He’s always pops and moves, all the time. He has some pop. It’s like crazy power but he has a lot of pop. It’s what people have been talking about. I felt power in there. It’s the second week of sparring and we have been going at it. We’ve been having slugfests.”
Locked down…
“It’s been cool. Freddie doesn’t’ complain about anything or say ‘Manny can do what he wants’. But when it comes to training he trains very hard. With the people, during the first week there were some people in there but when the sparring started they wouldn’t allow nobody in there. Now it has been more shut down. It’s been locked down.”
Learning from Freddie Roach…
“Freddie is cool. He’s really nice to me. How he trains and how I work out, he knows where my mind is at. He knows that I’m not just trying to be a world champion; I’m trying to be one of the best world champions. He likes training with me, hitting the pads with me and teaching me. He tells me that I learn quick so he has been teaching me every day. It’s crazy because he’s showing me things I haven’t seen before and it just opens me up. It’s a blessing to be here.”
The arrival of Amir Khan…
“He came two days ago. I talked to him when he came and yesterday too. I talked to him when he came in and he’s a cool guy. He’s trained like one time with us but I really didn’t’ train with him yet. He’s not here for sparring but he’s a cool guy.”
His next fight…
“I’m going to leave a little bit earlier. I’m going to leave the 21st to New Jersey. I’m going to be leaving a little bit earlier than everybody to get ready for my fight on October 30th. Hopefully I can get this guy out of here quick so they can put me on the show on the 13th and I can have a double header. Why not, ya know?”
Highlight of my life…
“This is always going to be a highlight of my life. Always. Even if I make it big, like Manny Pacquiao one day or even better. That is my goal and I’m not going to stop until I reach my goal. Even if I reach that goal this is still going to be one of the biggest highlights of my life. Because he gave me the opportunity to come over here and train with him and learn from him. He’s one of the greatest.”
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
Source: examiner.com
Friday, 8 October 2010
Pacquiao's training shifts to higher gear -- Manila Bulletin
By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin
Alex Ariza said on Friday that Pacquiao has started to upgrade his intake of supplements in anticipation of a drastic change in training in the coming days.
Ariza has been a familiar fixture in Pacquiao’s training and corner since mid-2008 and his team-up with top trainer Freddie Roach has produced stunning victories over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao is expected to be in near top physical condition by the time he leaves for the US on Oct. 23 for the final phase of the buildup under more recognizable conditions at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Mike Koncz, the fighter’s consiglieri, said they are traveling back to Manila on Oct. 22.
“We will proceed to Manila on the 22nd after training then hold his final workout (in the Philippines) the next day before we leave for the US,” added Koncz.
Pacquiao has been camping out in Baguio since Sept. 27 and sparring three times a week with imported sparmates Glen Tapia and Michael Medina mostly behind closed doors at the Shape Up Gym inside the Cooyeesan Hotel on Naguilian Road.
Pacquiao is a huge 5-1 favorite to beat up Margarito and capture an unprecedented eight world title by claiming the vacant World Boxing Council super-welterweight crown.
Source: mb.com.ph
MANILA, Philippines — After a brief bout with the flu, Manny Pacquiao
is ready to go full-blast in his preparations for the Nov. 13 clash with Antonio Margarito, the Filipino pound-for-pound king’s conditioning coach said on Friday.
is ready to go full-blast in his preparations for the Nov. 13 clash with Antonio Margarito, the Filipino pound-for-pound king’s conditioning coach said on Friday.Alex Ariza said on Friday that Pacquiao has started to upgrade his intake of supplements in anticipation of a drastic change in training in the coming days.“He has been taking an extra serving of protein shake,” said Ariza, revealing that the plyometrics and isometric exercises, aimed at toughening up Pacquiao for the grueling battle against the bigger Margarito, will be utilized to the max.
Ariza has been a familiar fixture in Pacquiao’s training and corner since mid-2008 and his team-up with top trainer Freddie Roach has produced stunning victories over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao is expected to be in near top physical condition by the time he leaves for the US on Oct. 23 for the final phase of the buildup under more recognizable conditions at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Mike Koncz, the fighter’s consiglieri, said they are traveling back to Manila on Oct. 22.
“We will proceed to Manila on the 22nd after training then hold his final workout (in the Philippines) the next day before we leave for the US,” added Koncz.
Pacquiao has been camping out in Baguio since Sept. 27 and sparring three times a week with imported sparmates Glen Tapia and Michael Medina mostly behind closed doors at the Shape Up Gym inside the Cooyeesan Hotel on Naguilian Road.
Pacquiao is a huge 5-1 favorite to beat up Margarito and capture an unprecedented eight world title by claiming the vacant World Boxing Council super-welterweight crown.
Source: mb.com.ph
Freddie Roach a man of courage respected by many -- 8CountNews
By Brad Cooney, 8CountNews
I have known Freddie Roach for quite a long time now. The time that I have spent with him over the years will always be special to me as it's not everyday that you stand beside a legend, let alone become friends with one. I have watched Freddie go from a really good trainer to a well known excellent trainer, to an elite all time great trainer. The ride has been fun, and to watch Roach and Manny Pacquiao grow and achieve such greatness has been an honor for me.
I remember one time when I was in Hollywood a few years ago, Freddie and I took a ride up to Starbucks to get some morning Coffee. Roach loves his Vanilla Latte' and I am a White Chocolate Mocha guy. As soon as we got to Starbucks some people started to recognize Freddie and they approached him. Most call him "Coach Roach" and Freddie would always speak or take a picture, it didn't bother him. The people that worked there all knew him, and the owner of the place as soon as he saw us walk in approached and welcomed us.
Another time Freddie, myself, my Goddaughter Terri, and former MMA champ Andrei Arlovski walked to this great Italian restaurant about 5 blocks from the gym. The walk was interesting, fans would walk by and call out, "Hey coach Roach!" or "Freddie!" it never stops. At the restaurant the waiters all knew Freddie, the owner knew Freddie, heck even the dishwasher knew Freddie.
Freddie Roach lives with Parkinson's disease. He is taking this disease head on just like he took his opponents head on in the boxing ring. He does not let this disease stop him, he lives his life and he does what he loves to do. Freddie does not want sympathy from anyone, and he doesn't regret a thing. When I watch the guy work with Pacquiao in the ring it amazes me. He's like a seasoned skater on ice in the ring. Freddie told me one time that he's more comfortable working the mitts with a fighter than he is just standing around.
Respect, that's the first word that comes to my mind when I think of Freddie Roach. The man is so well respected throughout the boxing world, heck around the world literally. His work ethic is ridiculous. Freddie has been known to arrive back from another country late at night, and still be in the gym at 8 AM the following morning. He rarely stops, he just works and works. Boxing is his life and it's second to nothing. One time I asked Freddie why he never got married?, and he smiled and said, "Can't find a girl to take a second seat to boxing."
Freddie Roach will go down as one of the greatest boxing trainers of all time. His ride to the top with the great Manny Pacquiao will go down as one of the best one two punches of all time. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that for me to be a small part of it has been an incredible experience, and nobody can ever take it away.
Source: 8countnews.com
I have known Freddie Roach for quite a long time now. The time that I have spent with him over the years will always be special to me as it's not everyday that you stand beside a legend, let alone become friends with one. I have watched Freddie go from a really good trainer to a well known excellent trainer, to an elite all time great trainer. The ride has been fun, and to watch Roach and Manny Pacquiao grow and achieve such greatness has been an honor for me.
I remember one time when I was in Hollywood a few years ago, Freddie and I took a ride up to Starbucks to get some morning Coffee. Roach loves his Vanilla Latte' and I am a White Chocolate Mocha guy. As soon as we got to Starbucks some people started to recognize Freddie and they approached him. Most call him "Coach Roach" and Freddie would always speak or take a picture, it didn't bother him. The people that worked there all knew him, and the owner of the place as soon as he saw us walk in approached and welcomed us.Another time Freddie, myself, my Goddaughter Terri, and former MMA champ Andrei Arlovski walked to this great Italian restaurant about 5 blocks from the gym. The walk was interesting, fans would walk by and call out, "Hey coach Roach!" or "Freddie!" it never stops. At the restaurant the waiters all knew Freddie, the owner knew Freddie, heck even the dishwasher knew Freddie.
Freddie Roach lives with Parkinson's disease. He is taking this disease head on just like he took his opponents head on in the boxing ring. He does not let this disease stop him, he lives his life and he does what he loves to do. Freddie does not want sympathy from anyone, and he doesn't regret a thing. When I watch the guy work with Pacquiao in the ring it amazes me. He's like a seasoned skater on ice in the ring. Freddie told me one time that he's more comfortable working the mitts with a fighter than he is just standing around.
Respect, that's the first word that comes to my mind when I think of Freddie Roach. The man is so well respected throughout the boxing world, heck around the world literally. His work ethic is ridiculous. Freddie has been known to arrive back from another country late at night, and still be in the gym at 8 AM the following morning. He rarely stops, he just works and works. Boxing is his life and it's second to nothing. One time I asked Freddie why he never got married?, and he smiled and said, "Can't find a girl to take a second seat to boxing."
Freddie Roach will go down as one of the greatest boxing trainers of all time. His ride to the top with the great Manny Pacquiao will go down as one of the best one two punches of all time. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that for me to be a small part of it has been an incredible experience, and nobody can ever take it away.
Source: 8countnews.com
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Pacquiao under the weather - Ariza -- The Philippine Star
By Abac Cordero, The Philippine Star
MANILA, Philippines - He’s no Superman.
Manny Pacquiao skipped his workout altogether yesterday because the pound-for-pound champion was “not feeling well.”
His strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, spoke to The STAR by phone last night and gave the reason why Pacquiao did not report to the gym.
“He was not feeling well. He’s a little bit under the weather,” said Ariza.
It should be the first time since Ariza took over Pacquiao’s conditioning that he saw the 31-year-old Filipino out of the gym the whole day while preparing for a fight.
“It happens. But that’s just it. He was not feeling well,” said the native of Colombia who came into the picture for the David Diaz fight in 2008.
Before he moved to Baguio, Pacquiao was taken to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan due to a sharp pain in the insole of his left foot.
Doctors said it was nothing serious and was just a case of some pull during workout. It was reported that it was due to the leather shoes he’d been wearing everyday since he was elected to Congress.
“He’s not used to that kind of footwear so his heels somewhat swelled,” Roach told a veteran scribe the other day.
Pacquiao sparred five rounds against Glen Tapia the other day, and must have pushed himself too hard, if there’s such a thing with the Filipino energizer.
Yesterday was supposed to be a non-sparring day but even those who’ve been following Pacquiao’s moves in Baguio said he did not go out for his morning run.
Ariza said it remains uncertain if Pacquiao would be back in training today. He spars on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
“It depends on how he’ll be feeling tomorrow,” said Ariza.
Pacquiao entered his second week of training in Baguio City last Monday with 14 rounds of mitts with his chief trainer Freddie Roach and the heavy sparring with Tapia.
Last week, he did eight rounds of sparring, including four with Michael Medina last Saturday. Shortly after his workout on that day, he drove to Manila for an overnight stay. He was back in Baguio Sunday evening.
Pacquiao, an insider said, also has plans of being in Manila this coming Saturday to be with his family.
Source: philstar.com
MANILA, Philippines - He’s no Superman.
Manny Pacquiao skipped his workout altogether yesterday because the pound-for-pound champion was “not feeling well.”
His strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, spoke to The STAR by phone last night and gave the reason why Pacquiao did not report to the gym.“He was not feeling well. He’s a little bit under the weather,” said Ariza.“It happens. But that’s just it. He was not feeling well,” said the native of Colombia who came into the picture for the David Diaz fight in 2008.
Before he moved to Baguio, Pacquiao was taken to the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan due to a sharp pain in the insole of his left foot.
Doctors said it was nothing serious and was just a case of some pull during workout. It was reported that it was due to the leather shoes he’d been wearing everyday since he was elected to Congress.
“He’s not used to that kind of footwear so his heels somewhat swelled,” Roach told a veteran scribe the other day.
Pacquiao sparred five rounds against Glen Tapia the other day, and must have pushed himself too hard, if there’s such a thing with the Filipino energizer.
Yesterday was supposed to be a non-sparring day but even those who’ve been following Pacquiao’s moves in Baguio said he did not go out for his morning run.
Ariza said it remains uncertain if Pacquiao would be back in training today. He spars on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
“It depends on how he’ll be feeling tomorrow,” said Ariza.
Pacquiao entered his second week of training in Baguio City last Monday with 14 rounds of mitts with his chief trainer Freddie Roach and the heavy sparring with Tapia.
Last week, he did eight rounds of sparring, including four with Michael Medina last Saturday. Shortly after his workout on that day, he drove to Manila for an overnight stay. He was back in Baguio Sunday evening.
Pacquiao, an insider said, also has plans of being in Manila this coming Saturday to be with his family.
Source: philstar.com
Sinus Afflicts Pacquiao, Roach Cancels Training -- Manila Bulletin
By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines — The student wanted to show up for school on Wednesday, but the teacher politely told him that there were no classes.
Upon learning that his ward Manny Pacquiao was having sinus problem, Freddie Roach sent word that he will not be working with the Filipino pound-for-pound king at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City and instead told his prized pupil to take the day off, rest and just return the following day.
The day did not start right after Pacquiao skipped his morning roadwork that was supposed to take place in the rugged terrain of Sta. Lucia Village, an area used by Team Pacquiao during non-sparring days.
Roach expects Pacquiao to run at Burnham Park and be present Thursday since it is a sparring day and the fighter should encounter a rough and bruising day as his preparations reach another level some five weeks before he faces Antonio Margarito on November 13 in Dallas.
Roach might send in either Glen Tapia or Michael Medina but might end up using the two. So far, Pacquiao has logged 13 rounds of sparring, still way off the projected 100 to 110 rounds by the time they taper off at the Wild Card in Hollywood.
Meanwhile, Ariza stressed that British star Amir Khan is indeed arriving in Manila Thursday morning and will immediately proceed to Baguio “but definitely won’t be sparring with Pacquiao.”
“It’s still too early for Amir to begin sparring,” reasoned out Ariza when told about a member of Team Pacquiao confirming that Khan will slug it out with the pound-for-pound king, noting that Khan’s next fight will be on Dec. 11 against Marcos Maidana of Argentina.
“Amir being here is for his own conditioning and not for anything else,” added Ariza.
Also being reported to be going to Manila late this week or early next week is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who has a fight scheduled Dec. 4. Chavez is also being looked at as a sparmate for Pacquiao.
Source: mb.com.ph
MANILA, Philippines — The student wanted to show up for school on Wednesday, but the teacher politely told him that there were no classes.
Upon learning that his ward Manny Pacquiao was having sinus problem, Freddie Roach sent word that he will not be working with the Filipino pound-for-pound king at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City and instead told his prized pupil to take the day off, rest and just return the following day.
The day did not start right after Pacquiao skipped his morning roadwork that was supposed to take place in the rugged terrain of Sta. Lucia Village, an area used by Team Pacquiao during non-sparring days.Roach expects Pacquiao to run at Burnham Park and be present Thursday since it is a sparring day and the fighter should encounter a rough and bruising day as his preparations reach another level some five weeks before he faces Antonio Margarito on November 13 in Dallas.
Roach might send in either Glen Tapia or Michael Medina but might end up using the two. So far, Pacquiao has logged 13 rounds of sparring, still way off the projected 100 to 110 rounds by the time they taper off at the Wild Card in Hollywood.
Meanwhile, Ariza stressed that British star Amir Khan is indeed arriving in Manila Thursday morning and will immediately proceed to Baguio “but definitely won’t be sparring with Pacquiao.”
“It’s still too early for Amir to begin sparring,” reasoned out Ariza when told about a member of Team Pacquiao confirming that Khan will slug it out with the pound-for-pound king, noting that Khan’s next fight will be on Dec. 11 against Marcos Maidana of Argentina.
“Amir being here is for his own conditioning and not for anything else,” added Ariza.
Also being reported to be going to Manila late this week or early next week is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who has a fight scheduled Dec. 4. Chavez is also being looked at as a sparmate for Pacquiao.
Source: mb.com.ph
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