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Manny pacquiao conference call transcript 10-29-09
part 1
Press Release: PROMOTER BOB ARUM: This fight [between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto]has received more attention and more interest I think than any fight in the last five or ten years. I think people are really interested in this fight because there is so much to talk about – their styles and their training in the different parts of the world. Interest in boxing is due to Manny Pacquiao’s rise in the sport. Manny Pacquiao has passion and is a unique fighter. He just won the very prestigious Gusi Peace Prize given out in Asia and of the 17 people that have received this award he is the only athlete. That is great for the sport and congratulations. Freddie Roach is now the model for all trainers and people now realize he is the best trainer in the world and it is a great privilege for me to introduce to both of you Manny Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach.
TRAINER FREDDIE ROACH: Training camp is going very well. We had four really good weeks in Baguio. There were a couple of typhoons that came our way but we didn’t miss a beat. We had really good sparring then we went back to Manila and it was intense because we had quite a few distractions so we had to break camp early. Now we are back at the Wild Card and Manny boxed great yesterday and had ten good rounds and he’s about 95% there right now and we are ready to go.
MANNY PACQUIAO: Thanks to all the fans. We are getting ready for a great fight on November 14th. I am very excited for this fight. It is going to be a great, great fight. First it is a very big honor for me and for the people in my country and I am honored to be fighting for another world championship. That is why I am very hungry for doing this fight because it is the first time in the history of boxing to win a title in seven different weight divisions.
FREDDIE ROACH: Fighting Miguel Cotto for a seventh world title is going to be unbelievable because Manny is a throwback. He is like a Henry Armstrong type. You don’t have fighters like that today that move up in weight like this to win championships in all of these different weight divisions. He is carrying his punch and his power with him along with his speed. He is just getting better and better in the ring. This is just one of the greatest achievements ever. He is passing people like Sugar Ray Leonard who was a six-time world champion, Tommy Hearns. He is in the level of the top 5 fighters of all time of any era.
Can he go any higher?
FREDDIE ROACH: I don’t think so. For him to fight at 147 we have to feed him 5 times a day to keep the weight on him. I think this will be our final stop but you never know. If something comes at 154, maybe we’ll go there.
Talk about the popularity of Manny?
FREDDIE ROACH: Even Mike Tyson didn’t have the drawing power that Manny Pacquiao has right now. Mike was always the biggest guy training and the attention was always there at the airports but the way Manny Pacquiao arrived the other day I never saw a crowd like that. People were swarming to try to get a touch or a look at Manny Pacquiao. His countrymen love him and he is a great inspiration for his country. That’s why we trained there for the first four weeks of this training camp and we had a great time there. It worked out very well. The people appreciated it and we appreciate them.
What do you attribute that to?
FREDDIE ROACH: He brightens up a room. He’s got class and a great smile. Manny Pacquiao is an endearing person and he is a great fighter. He is all action and he gives 100% every time.
Was 24/7 accurate in the depiction of disagreements in camp?
FREDDIE ROACH: There were no disagreements in camp. I just felt it was urgent that we do get out of there before the typhoon hit. I was worried about the safety of the sparring partners and Manny and the team and myself. I was just very concerned that the typhoon was going to come quicker than it did. Manny was more relaxed about it and I told him that I would be waiting in Manila for him just trying to get him motivated to go. That night at midnight he got motivated for me to go and he called me and said “let’s go.” So we left at midnight and went right to Manila.
Sparring with Porter, Antillon and Castillo…
FREDDIE ROACH: Well, Shawn Porter has a great left hook and puncher and we used him quite a bit with Manny and we worked on getting away from that shot and he worked out really well for us. And of course Jose Luis Castillo, he has experience and he knows how to box. We are just getting ready for Miguel Cotto and whatever he brings. If he wants to box us or he wants to fight us, we’re ready for both and we had really good sparring. We still have good sparring and the guys are getting ready to go again tomorrow.
Is it safe to say Miguel Cotto will be the biggest challenge of his career?
FREDDIE ROACH: I don’t know if it is his biggest challenge. We have fought some great fighters like Morales, Marquez and Oscar De La Hoya. He’s a very good fighter and he is champion of the world. Manny is moving up a weight class but we fought Oscar at this weight. I am very confident in my guy and we are 100% ready for the fight. I feel like Manny, with the power he is punching with right now at this weight I feel that he is going to knock Cotto out. I look forward to the win.
How does Manny compare to those such as Ali and De La Hoya?
BOB ARUM: Ali was a proponent of a political position and also became a spokesman for the civil rights movement at the time when it was really emerging into everybody’s vision, so Ali had a tremendous political impact, particularly his stance on the Viet Nam war and when he came back to fight, people just idolized him. Manny Pacquiao does not have that major political statement because he is not controversial but he is engaged in politics in the Philippines and everything that he does is very pro-humanity, so he is rather loved by people in the Philippines, the United States and all over the world. To that extent he has really crossed over to the American public. People know who Manny Pacquiao is and he is genuinely admired. But I have never seen anything like the adulation that he is treated by Filipinos in the Philippines and all over the world. That is something that even Ali never even really had – that type of frenzy, with 90 million people in the Philippines and 11 million Filipino people around the world.
As far as Oscar is concerned, Oscar was popular in the United States. He was good looking, he was charismatic and he was a good fighter. But his popularity was pretty much limited to the United States. Now that made him a lot of money but around the world he didn’t have the recognition of either of Ali or Manny.
How tough was it to train Manny in Baguio with all of the distractions?
FREDDIE ROACH: We asked people to stay away. We closed the gym down. There were no problems at all. There were no politicians bothering him trying to get his support. Those first four weeks were the best that we ever had. Manny was on fire from day 1. I thought he was trying to impress me because he knew that Baguio was far away and I wanted to stay closer to Wild Card but when he chose Baguio I thought he was just trying to show me how great it was but he never stopped. He was on fire the whole month there and we had a great camp. The weather messed with us a little bit but we ran in the rain. We went in the pool. We did what we had to do. We ran inside sometimes and we had no distractions. We had a great first month. The last week in Manila was a little tougher with the politicians trying to make meetings with Manny and pulling him in every direction they could. Those five days in Manila were not that great but the first four weeks were great.
You said Manny was ready physically but not mentally…
FREDDIE ROACH: The last day of boxing in Manila I was disappointed that he didn’t do that well because his mind was somewhere else. But he assured me everything would be great when we got to LA and we boxed yesterday and we started playing. We still had a little bit of jet lag and I didn’t expect a lot from Manny because he looked a little tired in his eyes but he gave me ten great ro\unds yesterday and he’s back on track and he’s very close to being ready for the fight. We’ll have two more big sparring days then we’ll start tapering off.
Manny, do you feel ready both mentally and physically for this fight?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I feel I am 100% conditioned for the fight and I can’t wait for November 14th.
How much will the fighters that Cotto has fought play into how you attack him?
FREDDIE ROACH: I have seen all the tapes on him and he makes certain adjustments when he fights a southpaw which is something that we can expect, but he never fought a guy like Manny Pacquiao -- with the speed. I think that’s where he is going to have trouble – with the speed. I don’t really think he can handle it, but we’ll see.
Do you expect him to come at you?
FREDDIE ROACH: No I don’t. I think he is going to try and be a counter-puncher and not come at us.
Press Release: PROMOTER BOB ARUM: This fight [between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto]has received more attention and more interest I think than any fight in the last five or ten years. I think people are really interested in this fight because there is so much to talk about – their styles and their training in the different parts of the world. Interest in boxing is due to Manny Pacquiao’s rise in the sport. Manny Pacquiao has passion and is a unique fighter. He just won the very prestigious Gusi Peace Prize given out in Asia and of the 17 people that have received this award he is the only athlete. That is great for the sport and congratulations. Freddie Roach is now the model for all trainers and people now realize he is the best trainer in the world and it is a great privilege for me to introduce to both of you Manny Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach.
TRAINER FREDDIE ROACH: Training camp is going very well. We had four really good weeks in Baguio. There were a couple of typhoons that came our way but we didn’t miss a beat. We had really good sparring then we went back to Manila and it was intense because we had quite a few distractions so we had to break camp early. Now we are back at the Wild Card and Manny boxed great yesterday and had ten good rounds and he’s about 95% there right now and we are ready to go.
MANNY PACQUIAO: Thanks to all the fans. We are getting ready for a great fight on November 14th. I am very excited for this fight. It is going to be a great, great fight. First it is a very big honor for me and for the people in my country and I am honored to be fighting for another world championship. That is why I am very hungry for doing this fight because it is the first time in the history of boxing to win a title in seven different weight divisions.
FREDDIE ROACH: Fighting Miguel Cotto for a seventh world title is going to be unbelievable because Manny is a throwback. He is like a Henry Armstrong type. You don’t have fighters like that today that move up in weight like this to win championships in all of these different weight divisions. He is carrying his punch and his power with him along with his speed. He is just getting better and better in the ring. This is just one of the greatest achievements ever. He is passing people like Sugar Ray Leonard who was a six-time world champion, Tommy Hearns. He is in the level of the top 5 fighters of all time of any era.
Can he go any higher?
FREDDIE ROACH: I don’t think so. For him to fight at 147 we have to feed him 5 times a day to keep the weight on him. I think this will be our final stop but you never know. If something comes at 154, maybe we’ll go there.
Talk about the popularity of Manny?
FREDDIE ROACH: Even Mike Tyson didn’t have the drawing power that Manny Pacquiao has right now. Mike was always the biggest guy training and the attention was always there at the airports but the way Manny Pacquiao arrived the other day I never saw a crowd like that. People were swarming to try to get a touch or a look at Manny Pacquiao. His countrymen love him and he is a great inspiration for his country. That’s why we trained there for the first four weeks of this training camp and we had a great time there. It worked out very well. The people appreciated it and we appreciate them.
What do you attribute that to?
FREDDIE ROACH: He brightens up a room. He’s got class and a great smile. Manny Pacquiao is an endearing person and he is a great fighter. He is all action and he gives 100% every time.
Was 24/7 accurate in the depiction of disagreements in camp?
FREDDIE ROACH: There were no disagreements in camp. I just felt it was urgent that we do get out of there before the typhoon hit. I was worried about the safety of the sparring partners and Manny and the team and myself. I was just very concerned that the typhoon was going to come quicker than it did. Manny was more relaxed about it and I told him that I would be waiting in Manila for him just trying to get him motivated to go. That night at midnight he got motivated for me to go and he called me and said “let’s go.” So we left at midnight and went right to Manila.
Sparring with Porter, Antillon and Castillo…
FREDDIE ROACH: Well, Shawn Porter has a great left hook and puncher and we used him quite a bit with Manny and we worked on getting away from that shot and he worked out really well for us. And of course Jose Luis Castillo, he has experience and he knows how to box. We are just getting ready for Miguel Cotto and whatever he brings. If he wants to box us or he wants to fight us, we’re ready for both and we had really good sparring. We still have good sparring and the guys are getting ready to go again tomorrow.
Is it safe to say Miguel Cotto will be the biggest challenge of his career?
FREDDIE ROACH: I don’t know if it is his biggest challenge. We have fought some great fighters like Morales, Marquez and Oscar De La Hoya. He’s a very good fighter and he is champion of the world. Manny is moving up a weight class but we fought Oscar at this weight. I am very confident in my guy and we are 100% ready for the fight. I feel like Manny, with the power he is punching with right now at this weight I feel that he is going to knock Cotto out. I look forward to the win.
How does Manny compare to those such as Ali and De La Hoya?
BOB ARUM: Ali was a proponent of a political position and also became a spokesman for the civil rights movement at the time when it was really emerging into everybody’s vision, so Ali had a tremendous political impact, particularly his stance on the Viet Nam war and when he came back to fight, people just idolized him. Manny Pacquiao does not have that major political statement because he is not controversial but he is engaged in politics in the Philippines and everything that he does is very pro-humanity, so he is rather loved by people in the Philippines, the United States and all over the world. To that extent he has really crossed over to the American public. People know who Manny Pacquiao is and he is genuinely admired. But I have never seen anything like the adulation that he is treated by Filipinos in the Philippines and all over the world. That is something that even Ali never even really had – that type of frenzy, with 90 million people in the Philippines and 11 million Filipino people around the world.
As far as Oscar is concerned, Oscar was popular in the United States. He was good looking, he was charismatic and he was a good fighter. But his popularity was pretty much limited to the United States. Now that made him a lot of money but around the world he didn’t have the recognition of either of Ali or Manny.
How tough was it to train Manny in Baguio with all of the distractions?
FREDDIE ROACH: We asked people to stay away. We closed the gym down. There were no problems at all. There were no politicians bothering him trying to get his support. Those first four weeks were the best that we ever had. Manny was on fire from day 1. I thought he was trying to impress me because he knew that Baguio was far away and I wanted to stay closer to Wild Card but when he chose Baguio I thought he was just trying to show me how great it was but he never stopped. He was on fire the whole month there and we had a great camp. The weather messed with us a little bit but we ran in the rain. We went in the pool. We did what we had to do. We ran inside sometimes and we had no distractions. We had a great first month. The last week in Manila was a little tougher with the politicians trying to make meetings with Manny and pulling him in every direction they could. Those five days in Manila were not that great but the first four weeks were great.
You said Manny was ready physically but not mentally…
FREDDIE ROACH: The last day of boxing in Manila I was disappointed that he didn’t do that well because his mind was somewhere else. But he assured me everything would be great when we got to LA and we boxed yesterday and we started playing. We still had a little bit of jet lag and I didn’t expect a lot from Manny because he looked a little tired in his eyes but he gave me ten great ro\unds yesterday and he’s back on track and he’s very close to being ready for the fight. We’ll have two more big sparring days then we’ll start tapering off.
Manny, do you feel ready both mentally and physically for this fight?
MANNY PACQUIAO: I feel I am 100% conditioned for the fight and I can’t wait for November 14th.
How much will the fighters that Cotto has fought play into how you attack him?
FREDDIE ROACH: I have seen all the tapes on him and he makes certain adjustments when he fights a southpaw which is something that we can expect, but he never fought a guy like Manny Pacquiao -- with the speed. I think that’s where he is going to have trouble – with the speed. I don’t really think he can handle it, but we’ll see.
Do you expect him to come at you?
FREDDIE ROACH: No I don’t. I think he is going to try and be a counter-puncher and not come at us.
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