By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao, despite holding back in ten rounds of sparring with Philippine lightweight champion Fernando Montilla and junior welterweight Chris Saluday, showed glimpses of his blinding speed and devastating punching power before a highly appreciative crowd that applauded his every move here at the Almendras Gym this afternoon.
Pacquiao sparred six rounds with southpaw Montilla and shook him a couple of times with his developing punch, a right cross in the style of Felix "Tito" Trinidad even as he eased off against Saluday whom he decked in the sixth round during Wednesday's sparring session. After a complete workout which totaled 23 rounds, trainer Freddie Roach who intently supervised the workout told Viva Sports/Manila Standard "Manny is doing okay. We are not quite ready for the fight yet but we've got another two weeks and he’ll be ready by then. But his timing is getting better and his condition is much better of course. He is working real hard and he's anxious for the fight and I am looking forward to it."
"Despite some claims that Fahsan 3K Battery was not in the same class as Pacquiao and the flamboyant Filipino will have an easy time Roach emphasized that the No. 4 ranked IBF super bantamweight is a real tough guy and durable. He likes to fight and will try to trade punches with Manny but Pacquiao should be too strong and too fast for Fahsan. This is going to be a tough fight and we are not taking Fahsan lightly at all."
Addressing Filipino fight fans Roach said you've got the greatest featherweight in the world and the Philippines should be proud because he is the most exciting fighter in America right now. Come and see the fight which is a first stepping stone to beating Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales and all those guys out there. Without a doubt Pacquiao is the best featherweight in the world today. He is exciting and a fun person and that's what people like to see.
Pacquiao did 35 minutes of grueling roadwork at 5:00 a.m. racing up the winding highways of Davao, after a series of warm-up exercises in is home in the El Rio Vista subdivision and wound up his routine with intense spurts of shadow boxing and a muscle strengthening regimen watched admiringly by Roach who followed closely in Pacquiao's red Expedition. Pacquiao's brother, RP super featherweight champion Bobby Pacquiao who is also the Orient Pacific Boxing Federation No. 1 couldn't keep up with the blistering pace and fell far behind.
Roach told Viva Sports/Manila Standard which have been covering Pacquiao's training in this city. "No other fighter works as hard as Manny, not even the Mexicans. He is one of a kind. You can see the intensity, the focus. Right now he's almost there and the next week would mean doubly hard work." Displaying the rippling muscles of his mid-section Pacquiao kept hitting it with his fists saying look, this is as solid as a rock. The only bit of bad news was that Bobby Pacquiao had a terrible swelling on his hand and couldn't spar today. Roach said they would evaluate the situation on Monday before making a decision on whether to call of his title defense against hard-hitting Dexter Delada there.
