By Ronnie Natanielsz
Its an undeniable fact that when Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao walks into the Wild Card Gym of celebrated trainer Freddie Roach in Los Angeles to begin preparations for a fight, he virtually kills himself in training.
Apparently, its no exception this time around as he crams his preparation for a rematch with legendary Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera in some seven weeks. The Pacquiao-Barrera showdown is set for October 6 in Las Vegas.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Roach said Pacquiao has been working out the past two days and "he's working real hard. He jogs every day."
Earlier, one of Roach's assistants at the Wild Card Gym, Rob Peters, said he believes seven weeks was more than enough for Pacquiao to prepare for Barrera.
Roach said he was flying to LA from Sacramento on a private plane along with Oscar De La Hoya to pick up Pacquiao who is the captain of the Philippine Team in Sunday's World Cup showdown with Mexico. Barrera who is captain of the Mexican team will also be at ringside for the fights which will be telecast "live" by the giant Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN.
