The loud popping sounds heard recently outside the Wildcard Boxing Gym in Hollywood aren't fireworks — but they're close.
The noise came as Manny Pacquiao — known as the Pound-4-Pound King of boxing — took his training up a notch. Pacquiao looks stronger than ever, according to trainer Freddie Roach, who spoke with the Asian Journal after going through a 12-round mitt session that sounded like machine gun fire bouncing off walls.
Pacquiao recently arrived at the Hollywood gym for his final phase of training before a November 14 fight in Las Vegas, where he will try to take the welterweight title from Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. The fight has been set at a 145-pound limit, and a win to take Cotto's welterweight belt would give Pacquiao's his seventh title in various weight classes.
"He's punching harder," said Roach. "He's really grown into the weight. He's punching really good. He has knockout power in both hands. People think that with the [recent] typhoon [that struck the Philippines] we had some problems, but we worked right through it. We worked as usual. It didn't slow us down a bit."
A month ago, Roach said that the fight against Miguel Cotto would be the toughest match in Pacquiao's career, predicting a narrow victory by decision.
Pacquiao's recent work in training has changed Roach's mind. He's now predicting that Pacquiao will knock Cotto out.
Roach said Pacquiao has drawn inspiration from the victims of the recent typhoon as they have battled through disaster.
"He knows how to make them happy again, and that's him winning the fight — so he's going to work even harder," said Roach. "This actually works in our favor and makes him work even harder."
Pacquiao's newfound stature is attributed to strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who has guided him as he beefed up to welterweight. Ariza said that most boxers moving up in weight would have lost their speed if they added power, but not Pacquiao.
"It's usually a Catch-22 — when you move up in weight you have to sacrifice something," said Ariza. "But with Manny, luckily, we put a gambit of different things together and it's all working out."
Pacquiao agreed, saying that he will be just as big, just as strong, and even faster than ever when he meets Cotto in the ring.
Pacquiao helped with typhoon relief efforts during his training sessions in the Philippines. He said he now hopes to make history by adding another title in a different weight class, and, most importantly, lifting the spirits of the Filipino people.
"I have to win this fight for all the Filipinos who are suffering," he said.
Pacquiao will spend the next week or so honing his fight plan at the Wildcard Gym before moving on to Las Vegas for pre-fight weigh-ins and hoopla.
Joseph Pimentel is a writer for Asian Journal.
Photo by Enrique Morales.
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