By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer takes over the training of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao on Monday when trainer Freddie Roach leaves for Britain to be in the corner of lightweight Amir Khan for his battle with Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester on March 14.

Conditioning expert Alex Ariza said he was summoned back to Los Angeles from Manchester where he was training the 22 year old Khan for a meeting with Roach Saturday night to run through the game-plan and conditioning regimen for Pacquiao who is preparing for his showdown with Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton in Las Vegas on May 2.

Roach himself told us earlier that Ariza would start working with Pacquiao on Monday along with Moorer and said Pacquiao would be in “ good hands” in his absence.

In an overseas telephone conversation with BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports shortly after his arrival in Los Angeles, Ariza said he had met Hatton at a fight card on the eve of his departure and indicated that “he definitely has been working out. He looks like he is already in a little bit of shape and a lot better than I expected to see him.”

Pacquiao was in the meantime honored by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Saturday morning (LA Time) in the heart of Historic Filipino Town where the world’s No.1 pound-for-pound fighter and Mayor Villariagosa planted a tree as part of a “Day of Service.”

Hundreds of volunteers were on hand to beautify and improve the  area in a clean and green campaign in the largely Filipino community.

Hundreds of fans showed up at the festivities at which the Mayor presented

Pacquiao with a plaque saluting him as “The People’s Champion.”

Pacquiao was accompanied by Moorer while Roach was busy working on last minute plans before leaving for London.

While Pacquiao has looked good in the gym in the early days of training, Hatton’s English trainer Lee Beard who has been to the Wild Card gym and watched Pacquiao train for his fights against then WBC lightweight champion David Diaz and Oscar De La Hoya claimed Pacquiao “makes some massive errors and is very repetitive in some of his moves and with certain punches and the way he throws them.”

Beard told Gareth Davies of the Daily Telegraph he thinks Hatton will stop Pacquiao “within six rounds” adding “ Manny won’t know what hit him.”