By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Well known international boxing promoter Murad Muhammad and 2003 "Trainer of the Year" Freddie Roach yesterday agreed that Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao "won’t carry Fahsan" even for a few rounds because it is a risk they are not prepared to take. Murad and Roach spoke to Viva Sports/Manila Standard after a grueling workout by Pacquiao before a huge crowd of admiring fans at the Wild Card Gym in BF Homes, Paranaque yesterday.
Murad warned that "you don’t play with an opponent because if you carry a fight you can get hurt or you can get knocked out by a lucky punch." Murad said "we don’t want that to happen so if Pacquiao can take Fahsan out early, he’ll do it." Referring to TV sponsors who may feel short-changed if the fight ends quickly Murad said "I am sure they don’t want anything to happen to Manny Pacquiao so if they had a choice to let it go the full route and get beat on a decision or get accidentally cut or a punch that Manny doesn’t see or have Pacquiao knock him (Fahsan) out in the first or second round, I think they’ll take the KO."
Roach promised fight fans that Pacquiao "will go out there and do what he has to do and if Fahsan goes in one round, he goes in one round. If that’s available then we are going to do it. We are going out there with the game-plan and work on this guy. It may end in one round hopefully. I would like to see that because there is a lot at stake down the road. I hear people say they want us to carry the guy (Fahsan) for a few rounds and so forth and nobody wants to see that except perhaps the advertising people." Roach pointed out that "accidents happen and you get a head-butt or something crazy happens. So the thing is, Manny is going out there to do his job like he is supposed to. He's in great shape and we are ready to go one round, ten rounds or twelve rounds."
While conceding that a short night wouldn’t give Pacquiao the kind of workout WBA/IBF champion Juan Manuel Marquez got when he was taken the distance by No. 4 ranked Oscar Salido, Roach said " sure, but the important thing is to keep Manny in the gym training because he is very focused when he’s in the gym training. When he’s outside, he’s a little bit not so disciplined." Roach pointed out that with the Christmas holidays coming up Pacquiao "will have a little more time off before we start training for the Marquez fight" scheduled of February 26 in Las Vegas or Reno, Nevada, according to Murad.
Roach revealed that Marquez "is already training and doing his roadwork at an altitude of 10,000 feet" even as he described the Mexican as a "conditioning freak" which is what saved him in his last fight with Pacquiao when he was able to survive after being decked three times in the opening round. Roach said he wanted Pacquiao "to stay away from the gym" after the Fahsan fight but "get on the road at least three times week just to stay sharp a little bit and within striking distance so that when we start eight weeks of preparation for the Marquez fight we won’t be just starting from scratch but will have a good base when we start." Roach said he would like to have Pacquiao leave Manila for the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, the day after Christmas, if that's possible.
After watching Pacquiao’s workout which included three rounds of sparring with veteran Joebar Damosmog who was the only fighter to deck Fahsan but was knocked out in six rounds, Murad said Pacquiao was "unbelievable. No one trains as hard as Pacquiao, not even such great fighters as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Makes me feel good." Murad said "it was great that trainer Roach came in because Manny got serious and realized that this fight on December 11 was a very significant fight."
Titled "Yanig sa Taguig" the fight card is sponsored by SMART, Talk N’ Text, PLDT and Solar Sports with the support of Taguig Mayor Freddie Tinga and Discovery Suites which is home to the personalities involved in the fight including Pacquiao and Fahsan 3K Battery.