Natuto na ng kanyang leksyon si American trainer Freddie Roach matapos matalo si Manny Pacquiao kay Mexican boxing great Erik Morales sa kanilang world super featherweight championship noong Marso 19 ng 2005.
Sa pagiging maluwag sa pagpapasok ng mga bisita at kaibigan sa kanyang Wild Card Boxing Gym sa Hollywood, California ay napaikli ang kanilang training session ni Pacquiao.
Kaya naman sa non-title welterweight fight ni Pacquiao kay Oscar Dela Hoya sa Disyembre 6 sa MGM Grand Arena sa Las Vegas, Nevada ay limitado na ang mga pumapasok sa Wild Card Gym ni Roach.
“We’ve been cutting down on allowing people inside the Wild Card in every fight since Manny lost to Erik Morales,” sabi ng 48-anyos na si Roach. “I’ve learned my lesson about letting people in and we’ve been cutting back more and more each fight. This is the biggest fight of Manny’s life so this is really, really a strict, strict training camp.”
Matapos ang unanimous decision kay Morales, dalawang ulit na tinalo ni Pacquiao si “El Terrible” via 10th-round TKO sa kanilang rematch noong Enero 21 ng 2006 at isang third-round KO sa kanilang ‘trilogy’ noong Nobyembre 18 ng nasabi ring taon.
Sinabi ni Roach na kailangan ng 29-anyos na si Pacquiao ang sapat na konsentrasyon sa kanilang training session bilang paghahanda sa 35-anyos na si Dela Hoya.
“We completely closed the Wild Card Gym. Nobody’s been allowed in. I’m asking his friends to leave. I’m asking my assistant trainers who are not working with this fighter to leave,” ani Roach.
“The only people who are in the gym are the people who have a job - people who are working with Manny, sparring partners, coaches that’s all.”
Idinagdag ni Roach na ilang media outfit lamang ang kanyang pinapayagang makapasok sa Wild Card Gym.
“When somebody comes in, like HBO, ESPN - obviously they’re the media - they have to make an appointment. I’ll let them film the first day of sparring but that’s the last day of sparring anyone will see until the fight because I just want to give them a taste of what Manny’s up to. After this, the succeeding sparring sessions will be closed-door. 100 percent,” wika ni Roach.
Sinimulan na kamakalawa ni Pacquiao ang kanyang sparring kung saan nagreklamo sa pananakit ng sikmura si light middleweight fighter Rashad Holloway mula sa mga suntok ni “Pacman”. (Russell Cadayona)