Freddie Roach yesterday said he’d done with the one-week pre-camp at the Elorde Gym in Quezon City and can’t wait to get to Baguio City for the tough grind heading to the fight with Antonio Margarito.
“We’re done here. We need to move to Baguio,” said Roach, who said it’s difficult to deal with the traffic in Manila since it takes him easily more than an hour to get to the gym from the New World Hotel.
“It’s the traffic,” said Roach who had planned to take Pacquiao to Baguio last Wednesday. But a sudden change in plan had them pushing the trip to today, just in time for the start of the sparring on Tuesday.
Traffic was so bad Thursday evening that Roach, along with conditioning coach Alex Ariza, and sparring partners Michael Medina and Glen Tapia, jumped out of their van along North Edsa and took an MRT to Makati.
Roach was asked if he’d go up to Baguio today with or without Pacquiao.
“Manny knows me,” he said.
The 31-year-old boxer, however, assured his coach that they’d be taking the five-hour drive to Baguio today, just in time to rest in the evening, go out for a good run tomorrow morning.
Roach said seven weeks before the fight is just the right time to get to Baguio. They can stay there for four weeks, then spend two weeks in Los Angeles, and the last one in Dallas heading to the fight.
“It’s time to get a little more serious now. This is the last day here. I will open the gym in Baguio a couple of times maybe on Saturdays but we’ll have it closed down in sparring. We need to start working within ourselves a little bit more,” said Roach.
Again, Pacquiao assured him of today’s trip to Baguio.
Pacquiao Bothered by Foot Pain
MANILA, Philippines — Just before working out Saturday afternoon, Manny Pacquiao told his conditioning coach about a sharp pain on the sole of his left foot, although it doesn’t appear to be much of a big concern as the pound-for-pound king went on to train like hell before a big crowd at the Elorde Boxing Gym in Quezon City.
Pacquiao went to the Cardinal Santos in San Juan late Friday and the fighter summoned Alex Ariza to tell him about it.
“That’s why I am here for,” Ariza shouted back at Pacquiao as the Filipino was doing light exercises on top of the ring 50 days before he collides with Mexican Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on November 13.
Although Ariza was not actually alarmed, Pacquiao was a bit bothered, citing what happened to Yuri Foreman against Miguel Cotto last June.
Foreman was winning the fight with Cotto when he suffered an ankle injury and eventually got stopped by Cotto in the ninth round.
“Do you remember the guy Cotto fought who kept on falling down because he could not endure the pain?” Pacquiao told a handful of scribes who were on the ring apron.
While his current injury is not even remotely related to what struck Foreman, Pacquiao was obviously affected as he pointed to the writers where exactly the pain was like a kid telling his mother that his thumb was sore.
Still, Pacquiao went on with his calisthenics as people from all walks of life took pictures and giggled at his mere presence on the eve of his departure for Baguio City where the most crucial part of training camp will take place.
Roach said he is going to Baguio “with or without Manny.”
The past six days, Roach has been working with Pacquiao and the fighter has given his master nothing but praise.
But Roach insists the atmosphere in the City of Pines offers more than what Metro Manila could.
“I hate the traffic here (in Metro Manila),” said Roach, whose opinion was seconded by Ariza.
“It took us one and a half hours going here (from Makati),” said an exasperated Ariza.
Last Thursday, Roach and company had to get off their service vehicle and rode the MRT after being caught in a monstrous traffic jam.
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