Manny Pacquiao must defer to Coach Roach on Mexico

Now I must say to Manny Pacquiao what Mike Tyson should have said to Evander Holyfield. Hey brother, lend me an ear. Your awesome trainer Coach Freddie Roach should not be ignored by your of any of your assorted go-fers right now. Well, the go-fers aren’t important but it’s time for you to put your boxing affairs in order. Movies, sitcoms and other distractions need to be put aside, Megamanny, as August quickly turns into September. You need to heed Professor Roach’s guidance on the location of your pre-Wild Card Gym and go to Mexico if Roach tells you that conditions are ideal there for a distraction free training camp. You’ve got the big dog and pony show pressers coming up with your Nov. 14 foe, Miguel Cotto. The schedule has you and the Boricua Bomber preening and posing for the media in New York, in Puerto Rico and then in San Francisco. That gets you to the middle of September and gives you a 60-day window to fully prepare for this rugged fight. It’s a bit alarming, I must say, that Baguio in the Philippines, the Bahamas and other locales are being bandied about. Where you launch your training is a boxing matter, Pacman, and as such you should heed the guidance of Roach. Your devoted trainer, the guy who has helped you improve your overall ring skills so greatly the past few years, is the boss with the hot sauce. They say The Pope is infallible on matters of religion. Ditto for Roach on boxing training topics. I think Manny, although your Coach won’t say it, that while he loves being with you in your homeland, that Mexico is preferable because it will be possible to set up a reasonable barrier around your training center. I’m sure that it is scenic as all get out in the leafy mountains of Baguio but can you get the same isolation there you can at Toluca in the mountains of Mexico? I think not. Another consideration is that Roach will be more comfortable in Mexico and that it will far easier to haul a parade of sparring partners in and out of your camp South of the Border. Having you train in Mexico is historically appropriate given your “Mexicutioner” history and the fan support so many Mexicans give you now except when, of course, you’re fighting a countryman of theirs. Forget about that phony baloney “Mayweather Loves Mexico” propaganda. How about Pacman showing some love for Mexico and its rich boxing tradition? Roach is a benevolent trainer. He is no despot, no dictator. He only wants what’s best for you, Manny. You know that and I have to feel your inattention to this important detail has merely been because you’re swamped with your various sidelines. It’s time to get back to your real job. It’s time to remember who walks up those four steps into the ring with you and who knows more about boxing than anyone else in your personal orbit. It’s time to defer slightly to Coach Roach. It’s time to commit to Mexico and, from there, you can go back to the Wild Card. It’s time for Priority 1 to get some attention, Manny. Senor Cotto is no joke. Only by failing to prepare will you prepare to fail. Put the distractions to the side and get down to brass tacks. The view as King of the Hill is dazzling. But don’t let it blind you to important detail.