By Ronnie Nathanielsz
How long Fahsan 3K Battery lasts in his showdown against Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao n December 11 in a fight card titled “Yanig sa Taguig” at The Fort “is up to Manny” according to 2003 “Trainer of the Year” Freddie Roach. Roach made the comment in an interview with Viva Sports/Manila Standard after a pre-fight special on the top-rated boxing show “The Main Event” on RPN 9 showed Fahsan being decked by veteran journeyman Joebar Damosmog before Fahsan got up immediately and later knocked out the Filipino southpaw in the sixth round.
The American trainer who has worked with Pacquiao and put him in what he refers to as “great shape” during two weeks of intensive training in Davao City said Pacquiao was “ready to go to work in this fight” although Roach cautioned Pacquiao and fight fans “not to take Fahsan lightly. Roach said Fahsan 3K Battery “is a tough Thai fighter, is durable and has trained hard for two months.” Roach reminded Pacquiao that Fahsan “is sure to fight his best fight against him because this is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
Pacquiao, Roach, Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez and the other members of Team Pacquiao arrived from Davao City yesterday to fulfill guest appearances on television but would get back to work today. Roach said Pacquiao had sparred eight tough rounds on Friday and would taper off with three rounds of sparring at the Wild Card Gym in BF Homes at 1:00 p.m. today after roadwork in the morning. Roach said Pacquiao weighed around 127 pounds which was one pound over the featherweight limit.
Fahsan 3K Battery, the opponent of Philippine and Orient Pacific Boxing Federation No. 1 super flyweight Z “The Dream” Gorres, Chaiyong Distar along with manager Jimmy Chaichotchuang are scheduled to arrive from Bangkok this evening in time for the press-public preview at the Wild Card Gym tomorrow. The Thai “Destroyer of Filipinos” with over 20 Filipino victims, a majority of them by knockout, has been inspired by the fact that international promoter Murad Muhammad had kept his promise to have him rated as a featherweight and to get the IBF to approve the December 11 showdown as an eliminator with the winner moving up to No. 2 behind WBA/IBF champion Juan Manuel Marquez.
Murad and Roach meantime appealed to Filipino boxing fans to come out in full force to support Pacquiao whom Roach described as ” one of the most exciting fighters in the world and the best featherweight today.” Roach predicted by the end of 2005 Pacquiao would have beaten Marquez, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera to become the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Roach said Filipinos should be
proud of Pacquiao while Murad pointed out that the Mexicans come out in the thousands to support their fighters and Filipinos should do no less to prove to the world that they are behind their champions like Pacquiao.
“Yanig sa Taguig” is sponsored by Smart, Talk N’ Text and Solar Sports while the personalities involved in the blockbuster fight card are billeted at the warm and friendly Discovery Suites in Ortigas.