Pacquiao won’t underestimate foe

Los Angeles, California– As sharp and fit as he was in his first title defense and given the overwhelming odds, International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao still maintains a measure of respect for his Mexican challenger.

"Nagsikap din siya para sa laban, nag-sakripisyo, kaya di dapat magkumpiyansa (He also toiled and sacrificed a lot for this fight, that’s why we shouldn’t be too confident)," he said.

The Filipino champion is staking his crown Saturday before a predominantly Mexican crowd of close to 10,000 at the Grand Olympic Auditorium against challenger Emmanuel Lucero and has been installed an early 12-1 favorite to hurdle his fourth title defense.

Now the 24-year old Davao-based hard hitter has reached peak form and is ready to rumble. "Parang ang kundisyon ko katulad noon first defense. Dalawang buwan din ang preparasyon (I feel my condition is like the one I had in the first defense. I also had two-month preparation)," he said in his room at the Vagabond Inn at Hollywood, a stone’s throw away from the Wild Card Gym.

That bout ended in technical draw as Pacquiao suffered a gaping cut from an unintentional headbutt from Dominican Republic’s Agapito Sanchez at the Bill Graham Auditorium in San Francisco in November, 2001. He had become a more deadly and dangerous a fighter since American Freddie Roach polished his ring craft–putting finesse to go with brute force and raw courage. (Quinito Henson writes about Freddie Roach on A-22)

"Noon kay Sanchez naga-adjust pa ako kay coach, pero ngayon medyo komportable na," said Pacquiao. Roach was not around when the Pinoy titlist made a two-hour light workout Tuesday since the trainer, the boxing icon mentored by the legendary Eddie Futch, was in the corner of WBC youth champ Brian Viloria, the Fil-Am "Hawaiian Punch", in his encounter with Luis Doria at the Sea Venture Resort in Pismo Beach, some 150 miles from LA. Viloria poleaxed Doria in a single round.

That should augur well for Pacquiao.

He worked out some of the finer points in their game plan against Lucero, the WBC Continental Americas title holder known as The Butcher (Carnecerio), together with trainer Buboy Fernandez and Roach assistant Maca Foley, a tall former heavyweight.

" Stick lang kami sa battleplan, jab, straight and uppercut," said Pacquiao.

Those were the tools in his arsenal he liberally unleashed against three sparmates, including Japanese featherweight Motakazu Abe who approximated Lucero’s style and who had 11-0-1 record with eight knockouts. Pacquiao tipped the scale to yet another 124 pounds but this should be no cause for alarm, according to business manager Rod Nazario since the Filipino slugger could easily make the 122-pound limit at weigh-in Friday. "Very manageable iyan, isang papawis lang," said Nazario.

Inevitably, the question about his future fights cropped up and Pacquiao seemed to be looking past a mandatory defense against Venezuela’s Jose Luis Valbuena within 90 days.

For one, HBO, which is linking up with Main Events for this bout as part of the undercard of the Fernando Vargas-Fritz Vanderpool headliner, is not too keen on a Valbuena date.

And Manny would rather go for the mother of all battles, a showdown with featherweight kingpin Marco Antonio Barrera or a rematch with Lehlo Ledwaba whom he destroyed in six in Las Vegas in 2001.

"Gusto ko kalaban si Barrera. Hindi ako takot sa kanya, magkasing taas lang kami," he said. But Moy Lainez, a Nazario associate, felt Pacquiao should not hasten things up and instead complete his IBF obligations first with a fight or two against Valbuena or Paulie Ayala before that hell-for-leather clash with Barrera.

But first there’s Lucero to take care of Saturday at the Grand Olympic Auditorium where no Filipino fighter had prevailed in a title match in 70 years.